We have seen him drive balls into the gaps and really sting some shots. In burst, he has shown he can hit for his position. His numbers are already above average for a SS.

But the real issue is $189m. It’s already a bitch figuring out how to keep Cano, and/or Swisher, and/or Granderson, no less add to the SR. Do we really want to have to go out and find a SS also? Fortunately, Jeter has been reborn and looks like he might man the position for another year or 2 (although his lateral movement is REALLY slow. He makes what look like great attempts at balls I think other SS’s have rather easily).

And how many here were sure Gritner would never be more than an AAAA player? Maybe we get lucky with Nunez too. The point is we NEED to fill as many positions as possible with cost controlled players, and at least Nunez fits that description.

They could option Epply down for Pettitte, and then release Rapada (unless he can be optioned, too). As Mattpat might say, giving Girardi a second lefty is like giving a coke addict a dime bag – it can only end badly.

OR, my preferred choice, option Epply down for Pettitte, and release Garcia. Phelps can be the long man / spot starter; he’s clearly ahead of Garcia on the pecking order. If another starter gets hurt, DJ Mitchell and Adam Warren are available. If Garcia isn’t starting and isn’t the emergency starter, there’s no point to having him on the team.

Since April 28th, Garcia and Eppley have pitched a grand total of 4.3 innings. There’s no point to a 7 man bullpen.

I agree entirely with your solution!!

I don’t mind that he is resting his starters, though one hopes they actually make the post season for that rest to come in handy. Rather, I object to him resting his starters in such a way that Eduardo Nunez is pressed into playing every position on the field poorly.

Maybe if this team of aging veterans must get so much rest, it would be best to carry an additional bench player rather than a 12th or even 13th pitcher. Or maybe try to find some decent back-ups who can actually competently play a position, since on this given team they will likely get a fair amount of playing time.

Eduardo Nunez overall, right now: .294/.356/.373

By the standards of the positions, Nunez is hitting.

[23] Jon’s got it exactly right. Nunez is not Jerry Hairston Jr., he’s not Tony Phillips, he’s not Gil MacDougal, he’s not Sean Rodriguez or Ben Zobrist or any of the Rays’ multi-position guys. Yet Girardi keeps treating him like he is. Its very foolish on his part.

I think Girardi is trying to create flexibility because outside of the 8 every day players, he’s got a backup catcher, two DHs who are “break glass in emergency only” outfielders and a guy who can only play 1B and 3B – and Nunez. That is a problem. However, there’s a better solution than making Nunez something he’s not: drop down to a 6 man bullpen.

And of course, some of this is forced by the sometimes bizarre roster construction. It’s bad enough teams carry now 12 pitchers, but when two starting OFs go down, should the response be to….not put on one the DL while replacing the other with another pitcher (then finally replacing him with another BUIF-jack-of-all-trade types)?

That’s pretty much everything Nunez is not. I have no idea what the Yankees staff sees. They must see some that literally we cannot, because his on field performance and his statistical track record in MiL don’t promise very much going forward.

Doug Glanville wrote a great column on Mo today:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/not-quite-closing-time/

I don’t know about Nunez. But I like to think that the staff, having seen so many players, see something worthwhile in Nunez. What else can I assume? He’s not getting the nod because of his on field results.

What Nunez is not, that I know. He’s not a jack-of-all-trades super sub that can fill in at every position and keep the Yanks humming while resting regulars. He can’t make the basic plays and using him this way is detrimental to the team.

There’s no evidence that Nunez can do what Girardi is asking him to do. Blind faith, if you’ve got it to spare, fine, go with that.

But he hit.

He can’t be much worse.

I also believe when he is a regular, playing ONLY SS, we will see better.

And what is the evidence for this? Certainly not his MiL trajectory.

Maybe we should cut Nunez HALF the slack we have extended to Hughes.

If he were half the prospect that Hughes was, he would warrant half the slack-cutting. But he’s not, so he gets less rope. Hughes was supposed to be a #1 or #2 starter if he reached his ceiling. Nunez is a BUIF, and a not particularly good one (though better, it seems than Peña).

I agree though, in terms of Nunez. I love playing young guys if you can. Not everyone is going to be Jeter in their first years. Hell, even Jeter had a ton of errors that rookie campaign.

Nunez’ errors yesterday contributed to at least an extra 20 pitches from CC, and without them CC would have been able to easily complete the game, saving the bullpen. Soriano cannot pitch today.

Listen: Nunez, baring unforseeable circumstances, IS Jeter’s successor at best, and a needed UIF at worst, for a team with an aging SS and 3B. I can’t defend his current Defense. Nobody can. But I believe he is much better than he has shown. I also believe when he is a regular, playing ONLY SS, we will see better.

Also notice that when he throws overhand, his throws are strong and accurate. When he get lazy/sloppy, like last night, he throws from a miriad of sidearm slots, and where the ball ends up is anyone’s guess. He is the ‘Melkman’ of infielders. His problem resides above the shoulders.

I’m not guaranteeing he will make the grade, but especially considering the $189m number, and what the current SS crop is, a cost controlled average or better SS will be VERY valuable to the Yankees.

Maybe we should cut Nunez HALF the slack we have extended to Hughes.

Also: Yes, Joe is resting ARod and Jeter an excessive amount this early in the season.

Question: Would you rather this continue, in hopes they are both very fresh in Sept/Oct, OR should we play them 90% of the time and see what Sept/Oct brings?

Let’s remember, that aside from Joe G. having been both a professional ballplayer and manager, he also lives with these guys 10 hours/day. Possible he has a better feel for who-should-play-when then we do?