Minnesota Twins: Eduardo Nunez is on Fire
Infielder Eduardo Nunez is one of the lone bright spots for the Minnesota Twins in 2016 and has been the team’s best hitter. Will his numbers finally lead to him becoming an everyday player in the Majors?
One of the biggest surprises so far this season for the scuffling 17-40 Minnesota Twins is the suddenly hot bat of long-time utility man Eduardo Nunez. Nunez has seen regular playing time in 2016 after averaging 69 games a season from 2010-2015 thanks to injuries to both Eduardo Escobar and Trevor Plouffe, and he is making the most of his opportunity.
In 48 games (as of June 8), Nunez is batting .337/.364/.545 with nine home runs. His previous career high was five in 2011 when he was with the New York Yankees and played in a career high 112 games.
This season, Nunez is flourishing at the plate and had a good series against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. Nunez had at least one hit in all four games going 7-for-18 with two home runs. And his productive hitting continued on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins when he went 2-for-5 with two home runs in a 6-4 Twins’ victory.
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When Nunez first joined the Twins in 2014, he told his future manager, Paul Molitor, who was the infield coach under former Twins’ skipper Ron Gardenhire, that his goal was to be an everyday player. And even now, Molitor still isn’t sure whether or not the 28 year-old infielder will remain in the lineup every day. He thinks it’s too early to tell if this performance is an aberration or an indication of what Nunez can really do.
Nunez, of course, doesn’t agree. He believes that he is finally able to show everyone what he is actually capable of because he is being penciled into the lineup every day.
“I think I’m the same player, I just have more an opportunity to play,” Nunez said. “I think the key is more consistent playing time. I know that because I’m in the lineup, I can make adjustments quicker than before. Before, I used to play once a week, and it was hard to make adjustments.”
In 72 games in 2015, Nunez did a nice job with his fill-in role, batting .282/.327/.431 with four home runs and 20 RBI. Those numbers were closer to his career numbers of .276/.316/.410. This season, he’s hitting more for average and he’s slugging at a career pace. Nunez’s favorite part of the zone this season is high middle and if you pitch to Nuñez directly in the middle of the plate, Nunez can’t hit the ball. But, if you pitch him slightly inside or outside, he’s hitting it and he’s hitting it well.
One negative of Nunez’s 2016 is that he’s walking at a three precent rate. He has six walks to 31 strike outs, but if he keeps hitting and getting on base, those numbers may not matter that much.
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For now, Nunez’s performance is one of the only positive storylines to come out of Minnesota in 2016 and it could be fun to watch how he does the rest of the season.