Hey! Nunez in the outfield was fun, huh? Courtesy of the AP
(The following is being syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)
Eduardo Nunez is a strange case. He reminds me of a joke that Patrice O’Neal told about Jeff Ross at one of the Comedy Central Roasts, where he called Ross a legend and then corrected himself by saying Ross was more like a myth because everybody had heard stories about how funny he is, “but nobody’s ever really seen it.” That’s Eduardo Nunez to me; he’s been talked about as the next big homegrown position player piece for the future for what seems like the last 3-4 years, and he always ends up not being that. I bring this up today because Cash and Joe each mentioned Nunez in their recent year-end addresses, but not in a way that makes his current or future standing within the organization any more clear than it’s ever been. To me, it almost seems like the Yankees have no clue what to do with Nunez anymore, and if that’s the case then it might be time to trade him.
During his big radio interview over the weekend, Cash had this to say about Nunez:
“I look at Nunez and his value as a shortstop. I don’t look at Nunez being valuable in an everyday role other than shortstop, and we have a shortstop. In terms of everyday status for Nuney, I don’t see one as long as Derek Jeter is sitting there … All the calls of putting him in left field, I don’t understand.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the kid, but still one in which the term “value” was used in a positive way. Where the waters start to get muddied is when Joe chimed in on Nunez during his end-of-season presser yesterday:
“I think this kid has something to offer us. There is talent there, there is speed, there is excitement, he has a lot to offer.”
This is much more on par with the type of rhetoric I’ve come to expect when members of the Yankee front office are talking about Nunez. This is what we’ve been hearing about him for the last few years. He’s fast, he’s exciting, he’s got tools, he’s got a lot of things to offer.
The problem is, he hasn’t offered much of anything. A lot of that has to do with the Derek Jeter roadblock in front of him at shortstop, but Nunez also hasn’t done himself any favors with his play on the field, particularly on the defensive side. He’s gone from being the heir apparent to Jeter at short to being the team’s main utility infielder to being someone who was experimented with as an all-around infield/outfield utility player back to being just a shortstop. He’s been a butcher in the field at every stop, and yet he’s still got 2 of the most important decision makers in the organization talking about his future. Only now they aren’t talking about that future with any kind of clear cut plan for him. They know he has things to offer, they know he’s not going to be the starting shortstop, and they don’t know how or where they’re going to use him.
Here’s what I know. Eduardo Nunez is a .272/.318/.384 career Major League hitter in just short of 500 plate appearances. He’s got a little bit of pop (.112 ISO), good speed (38 SB), and next to no patience (6.3% BB rate). His defense is so inconsistent and his ability to turn the routine play into an adventure so constant that the team sent him down to Triple-A this season to work on his problems, and his negative defensive ratings combined with his .308 career wOBA and 88 career wRC+ make him a career -0.2 fWAR player. The tools are there, but Nunez has yet to put them together into something resembling a consistently productive MLB player. The Yankees are a big part of that problem, and Cash’s comments show that they are at least somewhat aware of it, but they aren’t offering anything up as a solution.
That being the case, why not start shopping Nunez around? It’s not like that would be breaking new ground for the Yankees. He was rumored to be a target for the Braves last offseason, and his name has come up before in connection to other rumored Yankee trade targets. He’s still just 25 years old, and the tools he does have (speed, athleticism, contact skills) are still very attractive to teams looking for a shortstop. Derek Jeter is going to be the shortstop for the Yankees as long as he wants to be, and a replacement level backup for him, like Jayson Nix, won’t be difficult to find. The Yankees have other needs on their roster, for 2013 and beyond, and some of the teams with whom they could be looking to trade this offseason (see: Diamondbacks, Arizona and Padres, San Diego) aren’t exactly spilling over the brim with shortstop talent.
The Yankee decision makers have put in a great effort trying to convince us that Eduardo Nunez is the next big thing for the last few years, but the divergent messages being passed along in Cash and Joe’s recent comments are signaling that even they are starting to run out of ideas for how to use him. Jeter’s presence and the Yankees’ “win now” philosophy have, are, and will continue to stand in Nunez’s way of becoming the everyday shortstop in New York, but the tools and the talent that are always mentioned in connection with Nunez still make him valuable to the team as a trade piece. To me, it makes the most sense to try to turn that into something that can help the team next year while other teams still value those tools.
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7 Responses to What’s The Deal With Eduardo Nunez?
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TIQ IQ
the reasons for not shopping Nunez are that the Yankees don’t have a better SS. they have a better player playing SS, but not a better SS and not for very much longer….
and they don’t have a good young right-handed hitter.
if they can pick up someone such as Justin Upton, then they can send Nunez to Arizona or shop him.
otherwise, it’s easily better to hang on to him for next year and see how he does.
The problem with trading Nunez is that, sadly, other teams will see exactly what we see. You rarely fool teams anymore about talent, especially at the major league level. Nunez has a bat that plays well for a shortstop but probably nowhere else; on the other hand, his glove doesn’t play well anywhere, especially at shortstop. The most you can hope for is that a team in dire need of a shortstop is willing to gamble that his defensive liabilities won’t outweigh his offensive gifts.
Many shortstops have begun their careers with shaky defense. Bud Harrelson, for example, went from a horrible error-filled start to become one of the best.
The real problem is that Nunez lost so much time last year with a broken thumb– that was time that could have been put to good use. His sort of speed and quickness still augur well, though he has to obviously make improvement.
Meanwhile, he has skills that make him valuable — his very high SB% alone makes him a weapon. He is also a contact hitter who incidentally managed to hit a triple and HR in very limited post-season playing time. Most importantly, he is the only potential successor in sight to a recovering 39 year old Jeter. Nobody else even remotely close. So, sure, if you can use him to land a Justin Upton, do it. But even with all his limitations, Nunez offers speed, youth and contact hitting — three things that are much needed — and very rare — in the Bronx.
Here’s the problem:
The Yanks are for the time being stuck with A-Rod at 3B offensively and defensively while they’re stuck with Jeter defensively. They couldn’t even move Jeter to 3B (as 2B is out of the question with Cano) to start Nunez at SS even if they wanted to.
Nunez is blocked at 2B, SS, and 3B and isn’t a realistic option in the OF (little experience, not enough power.)
What the Yanks need to do if they are to play Nunez every day, get younger at SS, and lower payroll is trade A-Rod, move Jeter to 3B, and start Nunez at SS for peanuts (the kid made less than $600K in 2012), and give Nunez a chance. ‘Problem with that is Jeter could be a downgrade at 3B.
Here’s something I am shocked you didn’t mention in your article: Nunez’s excellent strikeout rate (SOR) as follows:
2010: Only 2 SO in 53 PA !!!
2011: Only 37 SO in 338 PA
2012: 12 SO in 100 PA (two stints but still a .120 SOR)
51 SO in 491 career PA = .104 SOR
This plus his stolen base ability would make him a nice candidate to bat second between leadoff hitter Jeter and third place hitter Cano. If he could be a good bunter, get on base, and continue to maintain a low SOR, the Yanks have the ideal #2 hitter at a bargain price.
‘Time for A-Rod to go, Jeter to take his place, and a younger player with more range than Jeter, Nunez or not, to take over SS.
Nunez could be the answer to SS after Jeter. He’d need a chance to show he could be that. I don’t think it’s happening as Jeter is a stubborn mule about moving from SS. He must’ve balked about possibly moving to 2B or 3B when the Yanks got A-Rod and A-Rod was a better SS than him.
Excellent post, Duh Innings. Increasingly obvious that A-Rod is — and has been for some time — the tail that wags the dog. At some point, they will simply have to cut him loose, even if they’re stuck with the tab. Jeter to third is also an interesting idea. Joe G will have to show the cojones he flashed this last post-season to take on the Captain. But with the ankle injury, maybe realism will set in.
I’d like to give Nunez a shot at short as you say, though I also wonder if some work in the OF might pay off. I can understand keeping Nunez off 2B and 3b where he’s been a disaster. But it seems like he should be able to learn to at least fill in as a fourth or fifth outfielder.
In my view, Yanks really have three overwhelming problems now:
1- A-Rod’s contract
2-The apparent unwillingness of Cashman to concede that there is something flawed with this aged hit or miss station to station offense.
3-The looming budget cap.
Austin or Williams might help in 2014 but we still don’t know.
Seems to me the best we can do given all these issues is sign a lot of one year deals (including Hiroki, Andy and Ichiro) and extend some guys who are approaching free AGENCY. wHY NOT EXTEND hUGHES, FOR EXAMPLE. hE MAY ONLY GET $5-6 MILL IN ARBITRATION THIS YEAR BUT YOU COULD OFFER HIM A 3 YEAR DEAL FOR SAY $27 MILL. iN THIS WAY, (sorry about Caps lock) he gets boost next year and some security at just a slight discount going beyond that. Might also consider extension for Joba– that would cost much less.
One year deals and slect extensions could help alot in what otherwise looks like a tough 2 to 3 year stretch.
(Sorry for the long post).
I think that the Yankees just finished demonstrating that A-Rod isn’t wagging while he isn’t putting up .290 and 30+.
the Yankees COULD install Nunez at SS and have Jeter and A-Rod split 3B and DH … if Nunez produces.
I agree with moving Jeter to 3rd base and trading a-rod or making him dh against Lh pitching. Ibanez dh against rh pitching. You can rest Jeter and play A-rod at 3 rd. I think that Jeter’s ankle will not allow him to play ss anymore, so he will accept a move to 3rd base. The more Nunez plays ss the better he will be. If not then at least you will know what you have.