My take on Nunez and the future of the Yankee outfield

By On April 25, 2012 · 24 Comments · In Roster Decisions

In the last few days, both Alex and Steve have touched on Eduardo Nunez making the transition to the outfield and how it could affect the outfield going forward. They’ve given some support to the idea, though I wouldn’t say either has given the it a glowing recommendation. Consider this my declaration of being firmly against the idea of moving Nunez to the outfield.

As I mentioned in the comments of Alex’s article yesterday, this isn’t necessarily going to be an easy switch. While being athletic certainly buys you a lot in the outfield, there is still a decent amount of skill involved. Nunez will have to learn how to track fly balls in a much different way than he’s used to. He’ll have to get used to fielding balls on the ground in a much different way than he’s used to (hell, he’s not exactly that great at fielding them now). He’ll have to get used to throwing much differently than he’s used to. All of that stuff takes time. To do all this, Nunez will need consistent playing time. The only way he’ll get that in the outfield is if the Yankees option him to AAA. If they do decide he’s going to play the outfield at some point, this is the tack that needs to be taken immediately. If not, the Yankees could end up with a situation…the only difference is that Trumbo has some power (though a much bigger hole in his swing than Nunez).

Even if the Yankees decide Nunez is an outfielder and they do decide to send him down with the goal of replacing cheaply in 2013, I don’t think that’s the right idea. In Steve’s article over the weekend, I called it the definition of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Yes, the Yankees need to save money, but there are likely going to be wiser ways to not spend than using Eduardo Nunez as the replacement. While Nunez’s bat has some upside, I don’t think it’s that high and I’m not horribly confident that he’ll reach it. Like I’ve said, I don’t like his swing and his approach at the plate. I’m not saying he CAN’T reach his offensive ceiling, I just don’t think he WILL. It’s also worth noting that even if he does, unless he plays stellar defense in right, his bat will not play in a corner outfield position.

As for the rest of the outfield in 2013 and beyond, it looks like at some point there will be a hole that will necessitate filling. If the organization decides to let Nick Swisher go, right field will be need to be addressed. If they do re-sign Swisher, then it’s likely we don’t see in center field after his contract expires and that hole needs to be filled (all of this is assuming the Yankees are serious about the $189M thing). I wonder if the latter presents an easier opportunity to fill a hole than the former. After all, it’s presumable that could slide over to center and the team wouldn’t miss a beat defensively. Of course, that just opens up a hole in left field, but that one is easier to fill than one in center. If we throw in the salaries, this might end up being the cheaper option as well. While Nick Swisher certainly won’t be all that cheap (I’m thinking at least $12-13M), it’s likely that Curtis Granderson will be a more expensive ($15-17M?) and will require a longer deal. There is definitely a financial argument to be made for keeping Swisher over Granderson.

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24 Responses to My take on Nunez and the future of the Yankee outfield

  1. Willie Mays Hayes says:
    April 25, 2012 at 11:43 am

    “I’m not saying he CAN’T reach his offensive ceiling, I just don’t think he WILL. It’s also worth noting that even if he does, unless he plays stellar defense in right, his bat will not play in a corner outfield position.”

    Why? Please grace us with how you know all this.

    Reply
    • Matt Imbrogno says:
      April 25, 2012 at 12:05 pm

      1. I don’t like his swing. It seems way too long and I think upper level velocity will blow him away.

      2. I don’t like his approach. Despite flashes, he’s generally impatient and seems to go up to the plate without any idea of what he should/is going to do.

      3. His offensive ceiling is probably what? .280/.330/.400? That’s not a corner OF bat unless he plays ridiculous defense, like Brett Gardner. I don’t think it’s fair to assume he’s going to do that.

      Reply
      • Willie Mays Hayes says:
        April 25, 2012 at 12:16 pm

        1. and 2. What are your qualifications to make such an assessment? Are you secretly Rick Down?

        3. How do you know that is his offensive ceiling? Mind you, I’m not here to tell everyone what Nunez can or can’t be – unlike you, I just don’t know. So, pray tell, how do you know his offensive ceiling isn’t .290/.370/.490?

        Reply
        • Matt Imbrogno says:
          April 25, 2012 at 12:32 pm

          Re: 1/2: Just making observations from watching games. Am I not allowed/supposed to do that?

          Re: 3: Nothing in his past suggests he can hit like that. If he does, fantastic. I’ll be elated. But there’s little evidence, if any, that he can hit like that.

          Reply
          • Willie Mays Hayes says:
            April 25, 2012 at 12:42 pm

            1. and 2. There is nothing wrong with you making observations. But you make definitive statements without so much as an iota of authority or expertise to do so. A little humility in those observations would go a long way towards making you more enjoyable to read. Take it how you will.

            3. There was nothing in many people’s pasts to suggest anything about their future. If you want to get in a pissing match about names, I’ll indulge. But stop acting like you know something that we all don’t about Nunez (or anyone else, for that matter) because you looked at his age 19 season Tampa stats or because you’ve somehow managed to watch all 400+ of his major league plate appearances.

            Reply
            • Matt Imbrogno says:
              April 25, 2012 at 12:48 pm

              1. That’s fair; I’d be better served to use some qualifications or less “definitive” language.

              2. I’m not going to bring up names, because that’s definitely a pointless endeavor. We’d be here all day. Nunez could blow us all away, but it’s not like I’m pulling stuff out of thin air here. His MiL stats certainly aren’t the definitive answer as to what he’ll be, as is the case w/just about any player, but they don’t suggest anything more than a singles hitter who’s going to steal bases…and that’s fine if he’s a shortstop. He’s definitely got use on this team right now, I’m just not sure what it is in the future. If he can clean up his defense in the IF and his bat improves a bit, he’s got a shot to play SS long term. If that’s not possible, but his bat picks up, maybe he’s got a shot at the OF; I just don’t think that transition is going to be as easy as some make it out to be.

              Reply
              • Willie Mays Hayes says:
                April 25, 2012 at 12:57 pm

                1. Thanks for taking my point like a gentleman.

                2. I hear you loud and clear. Lots of ifs surrounding Nunez; he seems to be extremely polarizing for the role he plays today.

                I don’t mean to make such a stink over Eduardo Nunez. I just like to stay positive and take umbrage at unqualified negative assessments. Up until two weeks ago, I was probably the biggest remaining Phil Hughes supporter out there.

              • Matt Imbrogno says:
                April 25, 2012 at 12:59 pm

                1. I always try to add qualifiers, but sometimes it gets away from me, so thanks for keeping me in check.

                2. Oh, Phil… :(

              • Willie Mays Hayes says:
                April 25, 2012 at 1:21 pm

                Hughes is a sunk cost. The light went on for me during the first inning against Minnesota. I would still love to see him develop into even a fraction of what we had hoped for, but I have no emotions at stake with him anymore. Those are now reserved for Pineda.

            • says:
              April 25, 2012 at 12:51 pm

              Not that I have a dog in this fight but I don’t see anything close to resembling a definitive statement in the following:

              “I’m not saying he CAN’T reach his offensive ceiling, I just don’t think he WILL.”

              If the definitive statement is:

              “It’s also worth noting that even if he does, unless he plays stellar defense in right, his bat will not play in a corner outfield position.”

              I don’t think it’s a stretch to make the assumption that Nunez doesn’t profile as a true corner bat.

              While you might be right that we don’t know Nunez’s absolute offensive ceiling — something that can be said about everyone — the point still remains that it seems unlikely that Nunez would profile as a true corner bat.

              Reply
              • Willie Mays Hayes says:
                April 25, 2012 at 1:00 pm

                @ MJ – I’m tempted to reopen this but I’ll just greet your last comment with a hearty “meh”

  2. says:
    April 25, 2012 at 11:59 am

    “It’s also worth noting that even if he does, unless he plays stellar defense in right, his bat will not play in a corner outfield position.”

    Certainly a fair statement, as we see with Brett Gardner. Gardner’s defensive value is so tremendous that it mitigates his relative lack of offensive output as a corner outfielder.

    Reply
  3. fredweis says:
    April 25, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Nunez is a keeper, and he needs playing time to develop. The PT and AB’ as an infield utilityman aren’t sufficient.

    It’s not as if Nunez projects to be a huge liability in the OF. Afterall, we won a championship with Damon’s defense in LF.

    Plus Nunez is the best groomed asset to take over for Jeter as SS in 2 years (that’s if Jeter doesn’t pull a Manny Acta and play until he’s 50).

    Yes, Nunez does have holes in his swing, but his bat speed is awesome. He just contract his strike zone and sit on the ball more. Just a matter of a more patient approach.

    Reply
  4. says:
    April 25, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    And then there’s the option of playing Nunez at shortstop and moving Jeter to RF.

    Reply
    • Matt Imbrogno says:
      April 25, 2012 at 12:50 pm

      I think we’re well past the point of moving Jeter. First off, he probably won’t want to do it. Second, there’s the same problem: moving out from the infield is definitely easier than moving in, but the entire defensive approach is different.

      Reply
  5. dbombz says:
    April 25, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    I hate when I hear that “his bat will not play in a corner outfield position”. Why you ask, because if a player rakes and he doesnt have power then he cant play the corner outfield. Am I missing something or isn’t Ichiro playing Right field and isn’t he the best right now at that position. I know we assume that outfielders have pop but its not a necessaity. Outfield defense is very important and lets not forget B.J. Upton was a terrible Shortshort (as is Nunez), yet is one of the best Centerfielders in the game today. Having power in your lineup is needed but not so much in the outfield if you have decent power across the lineup, which we have. How many Robinson Cano’s are out there playing second base. Second base rarely sees power hitters so that such be taken into account as well. All in all, I just want to add that with all this numbers and metrics stuff, somehow we still fall into the same old cliches.

    Reply
    • Matt Imbrogno says:
      April 25, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Ichiro is an absolutely elite defender with CF range and a cannon for a right arm. It’s also worth noting that in his prime, he was a solid offensive player, even if he didn’t gather value the way a CoOF normally does.

      The Upton example is fine, but let’s not just assume that Nunez is going to be B.J. Upton in the field just yet. He could make the switch, and he might be pretty good out there. The attitude, though, seems to be that he could do it right away and be great out there; that’s what I disagree with.

      Reply
    • says:
      April 25, 2012 at 1:01 pm

      1) Ichiro’s defense has been good enough to where it supplemented his already tremendous offense. We don’t know what Nunez’s defensive contributions will be but we can safely assume that Nunez won’t match the Hall of Fame level of offense that Ichiro provided. A comparison between Nunez and Ichiro seems far-fetched.

      2) BJ Upton is a centerfielder, not a corner outfielder. Your analogy breaks down when trying to compare the two. CF’ers are not expected to provide the same level of offense as corners.

      3) While I agree that you can offset a Nunez in LF or RF by having a Cano at 2B, the fact remains that you don’t want to be trotting out a lineup card that features a shortstop bat with average defense in LF, even if your second baseman hits like a LF.

      Reply
  6. bg90027 says:
    April 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    I’m mostly in agreement that Nunez isn’t really a long term RF solution. My guess is that Sherman’s opinions aside, the Yankees would like to develop Nunez as a supersub who can play a lot of IF/OF positions and get 400 or so AB’s per year. A player like Chone Figgins in his prime or Ben Zobrist (although obviously without Zobrist power). Assuming Swisher is allowed to leave, I agree that there are probably better options than Nunez including potentially a low cost lefty/righty platoon maybe Andrew Jones and a lefty that’s a little younger and better defensively than Ibanez. That said, I think Nunez has much more power than Gardner. He’s not a slap hitter like Gardner and it would not shock me if he developed into a 15+ HR hitter with lots of doubles and triples.

    I think people who suggest that it might be preferable to resign Swisher and allow Granderson to leave miss the fact that Gardner turns 29 (only two years younger than Granderson) this season and is eligible to become a free agent in 2015, one year after Granderson becomes a free agent (assuming his option is picked up next year). Gardner’s value is almost completely predicated on speed and I just don’t see them moving him to CF in 2014 and resigning him in 2015 to a multi-year contract. It could be Mason Williams or Slade Heathcott would be ready or Angelo Gumbs could be moved to CF if both of those guys fail to pan out. I don’t think Gardner is a long term option though.

    Reply
  7. OldYanksFan says:
    April 25, 2012 at 2:23 pm

    I agree that Nunez will PROBABLY never carry the bat of a COFer. What he might do is give us tremendous value as a cost controlled SS who looks like he could post a .750 OPS, and might have a ceiling closer to .800.

    I see Nunez as ‘Melky in the Infield’. Plenty of talent… questionable tools above the shoulders. However, if he works hard, matures, and plays smarter (in the future), he can be a well over average offensive SS, and has the skill and range to be an average defender.

    All-in-all, he could be very valuable, especially to a team looking at a $189m payroll in 2014.

    Reply
  8. Willie Mays Hayes says:
    April 25, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    Corner outfield discussion aside, would it shock anyone if Nunez’ became an Asdrubal Cabrera / Alexei Ramirez / Yunel Escobar caliber infielder? I think any Yankee fan should take that and I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility.

    Reply

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