WHAT TO MAKE OF EDUARDO NUNEZ

For the past two seasons there has been debate over the effectiveness of Eduardo Nunez. We have been pretty much torn straight down the middle on this. Not even the Yankees Brass can agree on him, with Yogi Berra saying they need to give him 500 at bats and Brian Cashman saying he isn’t that great, read HERE.

Well, Eduardo Nunez is out to prove he can handle shortstop in Derek Jeter's absence. It won't be easy but now that he's all but forced on us, we have to greet him with opened arms and roll with it.

Some of us at BYB had been critical in the past, such as Casey in WHEN YOUR WORST FEARS COME TRUE. As the Jeter injury became clear that he'd need more time, Casey jumped on Nunez.  Then, when he thought about it, he had a change of heart and wrote THE LEADER THAT CAN BE EDUARDO NUNEZ 
writing "I realized that while criticism is fine and allowed, Nunie is human just like you or I... while I may have opinions on his fielding…I can’t worry about it, he’s doing all the worrying and he’s doing all he can do to succeed.  Bottom line, that’s always been the underlying focus of BYB in the first place, and I’m not sure why I didn’t see it...  Believing in ones self and trying again even after you fail is our motto here for crying out loud." He welcomed him to do his thing.

Now, we've been through this before... the Nunez debate.  I think we could all agree that Nunez is a good hitter and will only get better with more experience. The problem has always been his fielding, but now that we have him, let's face it, we need him and there was nothing more concerning than seeing him go down in Detroit yesterday, read HERE.  It made many of us realize that we need Nunie... especially with Jeter already out.  It's nuts when you think about the wicked web we're in!

I was reading through Eduardo's stats. In 89 at bats last season, Nunez was able to hit .292. Maybe Yogi Berra had a point in saying that getting him 500 at bats is key. And maybe this is God's way of testing Nunez in that capacity.  Giving him at bats for what will now be the entire month of April while Jeter recovers.   Sure, we may not enjoy watching him play the field that often, but how is he supposed to get better if he never has opportunity to play? Well, now he will.

Sure, I get that no one wants to witness ”The Eduardo Nunez Experiment.” Lots of fans are just plain tired of it.  But, I honestly feel that has more to do with the fact that Jeter has spoiled us. The simple fact is that no one is ever going to be Derek Jeter. He cannot be replaced. And the sooner we get used to that idea, the better. Maybe time and experience is what Nunez needs to become an all around player.  Or maybe the reverse is true. Right now, the Yankees have holes to fill. The biggest concern is that Nunez never stops being an error-producing machine. 

The fact is that the Yankees are trying to stay under the luxury tax. They are attempting to avoid being the highest bidder, while still getting their money’s worth. They are also trying to get younger. In that regard, Nunez may very well be the answer. But will time and experience prove Cashman  right or wrong about Eduardo Nunez? Good question... but I don't have the answer.  Bottom line... we're in the Eduardo Nunez experiment now, and we will be all of April.  Let's hope the guy grows up before our eyes and proves the doubters wrong, because the Yankees need a leader right now, a hero, alittle comfort and of course wins and we need it any way we can get it, even if that "need" is Eduardo Nunez.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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