The Red Sox are gearing up for their first game of Spring Training this weekend and someone they hope is ready to go is Eduardo Nunez. The third baseman is set to be an important part of Boston’s plan to repeat.
It’s no secret that the Red Sox have a pretty big target on their backs after a franchise record 108 win season and becoming the world champions. This offseason was more than enough evidence that the other clubs will be gunning for Boston come Opening Day. If the Red Sox want to go back to back they’ll need to have a healthy Eduardo Nunez in the lineup.
Nuni came to Boston during the 2017 trade window and signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox going into the 2018 season. That deal is set to expire when the calendar closes on the 2019 season. But that’s not what we’re here for today, that’s a problem for down the road, today we’re focusing on the 2019 season.
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We all know that the hope is that Rafael Devers continues his momentous ascent into the potential that we all see in him. Where does that leave Nunez though? I see Nunez as the Opening Day starter at third base, with Devers getting his share of playing time. This will be a rehash of how Alex Cora ran the hot corner in 2018 and that worked pretty damn well.
As a lifelong Sox fan, I want to see Devers Become the franchise third baseman that we’ve always dreamed of, but I don’t know if it’s his time yet. We’ve all seen the reports of how great Devers looks already this early in camp, but he’s still incredibly young in his career and should still be groomed. With Nuni having a year left on his deal, he should be given double duty not only at third but as a mentor to Devers to get him ready to take over in 2020.
So with the season starting in a month, Nunez is not only the smartest but the safest bet at third base. The veteran will be entering his tenth season in the majors and will be playing for his career. To me that says that Eduardo will be coming out wanting to go guns blazing to prove that he is still a value to any and every club that needs a third baseman.
The Red Sox can rely on Nuni this year much like I see them doing with other veterans like Steve Pearce and Mitch Moreland. They’ll be a great compliment to the young core of the Red Sox that is the driving force of the team. Now, I can be honest and admit I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Nunez and I’m sure I’m not the only one that has had a love-hate relationship with him. But he is the definition of a team player and wants nothing more than to see his squad succeed.
Just look back to his magnificent pinch hit 3-run homer in the World Series that swung the momentum for the Red Sox. It didn’t matter that he was coming off the bench, he knew it was his chance to make something happen for the team and he succeeded.
With his injury woes seemingly in the rearview mirror, Nunez is poised to be a major player in 2019. The added benefit to the versatility of Nuni is that he can swap over to second if necessary. He started at second 70 times in 2018 and he can make a great sub if Dustin Pedroia isn’t 100% or needs rest. That gives Cora another weapon in his arsenal if he needs to call upon Nunez to move around the diamond.
With Spring Training games set to kick off this weekend, it will be imperative for his season that Nunez plays well. He’ll most surely get split time this spring with Devers but he needs to shine with it being a contract year. If Eduardo can stay healthy all season he will be a major asset to the Red Sox in their quest to bring another World Series banner to Fenway Park.