HOT STOVE PANIC: EDUARDO NUNEZ

There has been many times that Yankee fans have questioned the judgment and wisdom of the front office, especially when it comes to trading for prospects. Let’s face it, folks…The “Core Four” are no more, and the guys who remain are getting older. It’s time we give some time and attention to the new kids on the block, and stop treating them red-headed stepchildren in a family of brunettes.

Eduardo Nunez is no exception. This 24 year old from the Dominican Republic has been thought of, at one time, to be Derek Jeter’s successor the shortstop throne. At 6’0, 155 lbs, he’s a fast baserunner, and can steal bases like a professional pickpocket at Grand Central Station. He’s a great pinch runner, has a powerful swing, and is a pretty decent choice to lay down a successful bunt in a clutch situation.

The scouting reports on Noonie, however, seem focused strictly on his fielding errors. Forgetting that he is still getting his feet wet, new to the majors, and that even King Jeter himself took a few years to develop his “Air Jordan” style of fielding, scouts continue to question why in the world Brian Cashman refused to trade Nunez for Cliff Lee. They use words like “pray”, “faith”, and “good luck” when discussing Nunez. It doesn’t sit right with me.

Scouts love to rely on numbers. They live for it. But to me, numbers are useless and subject to interpretation. Take for instance, the number “666”. To some people this number is bad luck, signifies something evil or superstitious. To me, it’s the number that represents the day that I accidentally got married for the first time. See? Numbers mean different things to different people.

Nunez has the guidance and direction of guys like Jeter and Robinson Cano to help him this spring. Speaking of Cano…how quickly we all forget his early career errors and the fact that his batting average with runners in scoring position used to be scarier than a Stephen King movie on Halloween. There wasn’t enough Xanax in the world to calm my nerves when he first came up with more than one RISP in the clutch. Look at him now. He cut his teeth, learned from his mistakes, the other guys on the team, and look at him now. He’s earned major league royalty status.

Let’s take it easy on poor Noonie. A lot can happen in the off season; I’m sure he’s eating his Wheaties and getting ready for Spring Training with the big boys, hoping for a growth spurt. Until then, stats and numbers are quite useless and just something that exist to keep scouts employed in the off-season. Let them keep their jobs; we’ll keep Nunez around for a bit.

--Christy Lee, BYB Staff Writer



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