Did The Yankees Give Up Too Quickly On Eduardo Nunez?

Mar 11, 2014; Melbourne, FL, USA; New York Yankees shortstop

(26) throws to first against the Washington Nationals in spring training action at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

I may be the only Yankee fan left who thinks Eduardo Nunez had any value for the squad and I’m going to keep believing in that. Maybe I’m stubborn, but hey, I’m going to keep pounding the pavement for him anyway. Here’s why…

Yes, I know all the bad things that came with Nuni. The fact that he will never win a Gold Glove. The fact he can’t keep his batting helmet on when running…ever. The fact that he didn’t take a lot of pitches.

Here’s the thing though, was he given an actual full season to prove himself? The fact is he wasn’t.

The Yankees yo-yo’d him like they did Joba Chamberlain. They told Nunez he had to play second, third and short. They wanted him to become a utility infielder. The thing with Nuni was that even in the minors, he only played 17 games at third and 18 at second. Every other game he ever played in the minors was at shortstop.  How can you expect the guy to learn one position, let alone three at once?

Last year, with all the injuries, he was given a shot to play everyday, and guess what, he got hurt too and that happens. He finally got healthy down the stretch. These were his stats in August and September after he got back and got in the swing of things; .290/.329/.370. That’s not terrible for a shortstop.

Nunez has speed, hits line drives and just needed an opportunity to play everyday at one position. Now, Nunez will more than likely find himself somewhere else (Phillies, Rangers, Mets) It could be that the Yankees just gave up too quickly on Nunez.