Down: Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez came over to Boston last season in an unheralded trade with the San Francisco Giants and proceeded to inject electricity and life into the Red Sox. His nose for the clutch hit quickly made him a fan favorite. When Dustin Pedroia began the year on the disabled list and Nunez took over at second, some wondered if Pedroia would get his job back once healthy.
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Wonder no longer. Nunez has been just short of a natural disaster at second. It’s an adventure, and not the good kind, whenever the ball comes his way, so much so that even the staunchest of Pedroia detractors now yearn for his speedy return. He’s been worth a -0.4 WAR in the field thus far, and his bat hasn’t done much to make up for that.
While Nunez has come up in the clutch a couple times, His offensive production has been lacking overall. He’s currently hitting just .243 and is getting on base at a paltry .278 clip, well below his career OBP of .318. Nunez might improve as the weather warms up, but it’s safe to assume Pedroia’s job is in no imminent danger.