WHY IT’S AUDITION TIME FOR NUNEZ

“It’s a very important player we lost; I understand that. My goal is to play and do my best.”
–Eduardo Nunez to New York Times

(Photo: Getty)

I was having a discussion about my appreciation for Derek Jeter all these years and how important he’s been to the Yankees. He’s been a huge asset to the ball club and it’s something that I don’t think you can take away from him. I believe in respecting a player, even if they are slumping and showing wear and tear, I don’t believe players who have given blood and tears to their team should just be put on a shelf. While I’m on that point, I didn’t like the way Bernie Williams suddenly disappeared from our outfield and the Yankees just showing no interest what so ever in signing him again. Yes, you do what’s best for the team, but these are guys that gave it their all. I understand the Yankees paid them a lot of money to be great and that’s a valid point, but some type of respect of the player itself needs to be offered, that’s all. So, in this world of Jeter and his quest for 3000, we are now in a holding pattern because of his placement on the DL, and with that, the “old man” debate begins again, and I hate it.

Jeter is hurt; he’s not done, so let’s get past that. Now, back to the discussion I was having about Jeter. Well, now that he’s on the 15 day DL, us fans get to see an audition, a shortstop tryout with Eduardo Nunez. Now, I don’t hate Nunez, I like him. Let me rephrase, I like his bat. I think he can be valuable, but on the field, I have no use for the guy. I feel like he’s a space cadet who makes a lot of mistakes, mistakes you see in the farm system, not in the pros. That being said, Nunez has 2 weeks; 2 weeks to show Yankee brass and Yankee fans that he is the future of this ball club.

During my discussion today, my buddy told me that “Eduardo Nunez was the future Derek Jeter.” Quickly, I had to dismiss that, it was utter bologna. “Future Jeter?” No comparison. Future shortstop for the New York Yankees, maybe.

(Photo: Getty)

Eduardo is now in the spotlight and I will be the first person to tell you, that if he hits well, runs well and fields like a pro, and that includes throwing, I will accept him with open arms. What I hope we don’t see is miscues, errors and lack of production. Luckily for Nunez, last night in his debut, he shined, knocking in the first run in a rout of the Rangers, 12-4.

Let’s hope we see more of this kind of stuff for this kid who wants to be accepted into this boys club we call the New York Yankees. It’s a hard group to crack; you need to be on your game, structured and ready to win. I see good things in Eduardo Nunez; I just want to see those good things every night.

You have 2 weeks Eduardo, shine for us like you’ve never shined before, and prove to us that you’re a New York Yankee.

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