Yanks need Nunez in the outfield

Yanks need Nunez in the outfield

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Eduardo Nunez brings a lot to the park, but can he play the outfield? It's time for the Yankees to find out,< /p>

BOSTON -- There are some logical reasons the Yankees ought to be playing Eduardo Nunez in left field while Brett Gardner is on the disabled list, even beyond the oh-by-the-way fact that he is hitting .455.

For one thing, he continues to be an error waiting to happen in the infield. For another, if the Yankees are truly determined to lower payroll over the next couple of years to avoid severe luxury-tax penalties, Nunez could be the low-cost replacement theyll need to replace Nick Swisher in right field.

With that in mind, wouldnt this be a good time to give him some experience in the outfield?

For some reason, Joe Girardi doesnt seem so inclined. He has indicated hed rather platoon Andruw Jones and 40-year-old Raul Ibanez in left, partly because he already is using the DH spot as a way to help keep Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and even Robinson Cano fresh.

No, I cant quite figure why Cano, who DHd on Thursday , needed a day off from second base so early in the season, either, but whatever.

And yet when Girardi was asked a couple of days ago if Jones, the former Gold Glove center fielder, would fill in for Curtis Granderson if necessary while Gardner was on the DL, he said no, it likely would be Nunez.

Hes athletic enough to do it, Girardi said.

So Nunez is the backup center fielder, for the moment, but he apparently wont be playing much outfield.

Does this make sense?

Nunez is a dynamic offensive player, theres no doubt. The more you see him, the more you can understand what scouts were saying this spring that if he were given regular playing time, his combination of power and speed would make him an impact hitter.

Nunez, who stole 22 bases last season in his part-time role, already has three this season in the same utility-infielder role, and if he were playing every day hed provide the speed element t he Yankees miss without Gardner.

Nunezs offensive potential is the reason, of course, that GM Brian Cashman refused to include him in the near-trade for Cliff Lee two years ago when the Mariners asked for either Nunez or Ivan Nova, in addition to Jesus Montero, to complete the deal.

All along Cashman has said he sees Nunez as an everyday shortstop, something that would further enhance his offensive value. But Nunez continues to be erratic in his second season filling in regularly in the infield, raising questions about whether hell smooth out those mistakes enough to eventually justify him as a starting shortstop.

And then theres this to consider: When exactly is there going to be a shortstop vacancy in the Bronx? Derek Jeter appears to be reborn this season, hitting .382 and moving well at short, still as sure-handed as ever with the glove.

Jeter has another year on his contract and then a player option in 2014. Hell turn 40 that season, but the way he looks right now, would you bet against the Captain holding onto his position for another two years?

Meanwhile, with a healthy Eric Chavez backing up A-Rod, there isnt much need for Nunez in the infield right now other than to occasionally spell Jeter. When Gardner went down it seemed to make sense to bring up Ramiro Pena, a slick backup infielder, but Girardi told Cashman hed rather have an extra pitcher instead.
So Cody Eppley is now in the bullpen, and while Girardi used him in both games against the Red Sox, you have to ask: Do the Yankees really need 13 pitchers?

I know Girardi always wants to keep his relievers fresh, and so far its paid off in the form of an American League-best 2.14 bullpen ERA, but putting Nunez in left every day would have plenty of benefits as well.

The big-picture intrigue in all of this is what the Yankees do in right field next season. Swisher is off to a strong start, l eading the American League with 20 RBI, but because hell be a free agent after the season, the math doesnt work for him if the Yankees are going to trim their payroll to $ 189 million by 2014. At least it doesnt if they want to re-sign Cano and Granderson, who will be top priorities.

Even that depends largely on the Yankees being able to rely on their young pitching in the coming years, rather than overpaying via the free-agent market, and so they better hope Michael Pinedas shoulder injury isnt major.

In any case, the Yankees dont have an obvious replacement for Swisher in the minors. Nunez would seem to make a lot of sense. Maybe the Yankees have other ideas, but the bottom line is they should want his bat in the lineup as often as possible.

At the moment, left field beckons.