Eduardo Nunez

The Red Sox re-signed Nunez last February to serve as a stopgap at second base until Dustin Pedroia recovered from offseason knee surgery. Nunez's shortcomings as a full-time player became apparent early on, and when Pedroia suffered a season-ending setback shortly after returning in late May, Boston was eventually motivated to bring in a rental at the position in Ian Kinsler. The elevated HR/FB rate that Nunez enjoyed both of the prior two seasons fell back in line with his career norm, sending his OPS crashing along with it. Nunez’s poor on-base skills often relegated him to the bottom third of the lineup and limited his running opportunities, with the 31-year-old chipping in just seven steals after amassing 64 thefts between 2016 and 2017. Pedroia’s health outlook is still murky, but even if an opening at the keystone should again arise, walks machine Brock Holt may have moved ahead of Nunez in the pecking order.

Nobody expected Nunez to repeat his brilliant 2016 season and indeed he did not as injuries limited him to 114 games, but the per-game production was pretty similar. He hit over .300 with both San Francisco and Boston, adding eight homers and six steals in just 38 games after being traded to the Red Sox in late July. Another 100 plate appearances and Nunez would have breezed past 30 steals again. The power production over the past two years still seems fluky -- he had just a 1.4 Brls/PA last season -- but Nunez has proven that he's capable of reaching double digits in the right hitting environment. He qualifies at second base, third base and outfield and he's a 40-steal threat in a time when stolen bases are on the decline league-wide. However, Nunez is probably closer to a true-talent .280-.285 hitter as he puts the ball in play consistently but rarely walks (4.9 percent walk rate).

Nunez had a true breakout campaign in 2016, setting career highs in home runs (16), RBI (67) and stolen bases (40) while slashing a combined .288/.325/.432 with the Twins and the Giants. After never topping 338 plate appearances in his six-year career, Minnesota unearthed an All-Star infielder and dealt him to the west coast in exchange for pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia. Nunez proved that his first half wasn't a fluke, continuing his success (albeit with slightly less pop) after joining a contender midseason. A hamstring injury in late September derailed his season and rendered the third baseman useless during the Giants' postseason run. The injury isn't serious in nature, and he should be good to go by the time spring training rolls around. With the Giants' 2016 Opening Day third baseman, Matt Duffy, being dealt to Tampa Bay, the Giants are positioned to lean on Nunez as their starter at the hot corner in 2017. Though some of the plate numbers may dip a bit, his ability to steal bags remains real, and potentially elite.

Nunez ended a three-year decline to have a solid year at the plate in limited playing time as a utility player. While he rarely walks, Nunez makes good contact with few strikeouts and added more power last season. He also adds some speed on the basepaths for fantasy purposes. His glove grades as an asset at both shortstop and third base. However, it's not clear how much longer he'll be needed in Minnesota with several infield prospects on the cusp of reaching the majors.

The Twins traded for Nunez from the Yankees to help stabilize the infield, but the emergence of Danny Santana and Eduardo Escobar left him with a small bench role. Minnesota may be better off going with a younger player in the role, as Nunez had a career-worst .654 OPS and was a below-average fielder at shortstop and third base. He offers some speed if he gets enough playing time, but his steady decline at the plate the past few years make winning any sizable role unlikely. He'll compete for a utility job again this spring with the Twins.

Nunez has likely missed his window of opportunity to make an impact with the Yankees. While the speed that seemed so promising a few years ago is still there, he's never been able to get it together in the field, and he was held back by injury as well. The Yankees stated that they don't see Nunez as a potential successor to Derek Jeter, and he may only find work as a utility man if he can improve work with the glove. Although, it's possible that the departure of Robinson Cano will lead the Yankees to see if he can be a viable option as part of a platoon at the position depending on their success in finding an everyday option.

Nunez's strengths and weaknesses as a player are obvious. He has proven that he is a more than competent major league hitter, putting up a .272 average with a .701 OPS over about a full season's worth of at-bats. He's very dangerous on the basepaths, stealing 38 bases over that same span. Where Nunez fails is in the field. His arm is strong, but erratic, and the Yankees have gone as far as to experiment with him in the outfield in an attempt to find a position where he can be reliable. Nunez's bat could help the Yankees right now, and his speed makes him worth picking up if he does find a regular role, but he could benefit from more work in the minors to see if he can handle an infield position well enough to start there for the big club.

Nunez produced for fantasy owners while filling in for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, putting up 22 steals and 30 RBI in just 309 at-bats. While Nunez has a great arm, he needs a lot of work on his defense, as he made 21 errors in 2011.  Nunez has a solid bat and plus speed, and at just 24 years old is likely the heir apparent to Jeter if he isn't used as a trade chip. Nunez's speed and his status as a backup to two aging veterans make him an interesting endgame play in fantasy drafts, and if he's dealt somewhere where he'll play every day. Snap him up and enjoy the steals. 

Nunez got his feet wet in 30 major league games last season, hitting .280/.321/.360 in 53 plate appearances. He doesn't have a lot of power, but his fielding and plate discipline improved nearly every year in the minors, and the Yankees have enough confidence in him to use him as a backup to Derek Jeter who can step in whenever the veteran needs a day off.

Nunez was once touted as one of the Yankees’ better young talents, but a couple of weak minor league seasons dropped him from most prospect lists. Last year witnessed something of a Nunez resurgence, as he hit .322/.349/.433 with nine homers and 19 steals at Double-A Trenton. He’s young enough (22) that the productive year could be a sign that he’s finally starting to put things together, but he also benefited from an abnormally high .352 BABIP that likely skewed his final numbers. Don’t be surprised if he reverts back to mediocrity when given a chance to produce at Triple-A this season.

Nunez is a Dominican infielder, well-regarded by scouts due to his athleticism and offensive potential. His defense is questionable and he may end up in the outfield eventually, but his bat could be very good if it develops as expected.