Minnesota Twins Player of the Week: Nunez’ bat turning him into All-Star candidate
Another strong performance by Nunez nabs him Minnesota Twins Player of the Week
It was another rough week for the Minnesota Twins as the team won just one game but that didn’t stop one player from putting together yet another solid week’s worth of games.
Quite possibly the most consistent of all Twins, Eduardo Nunez had a stellar week at the plate and came up with the big hit in Saturday’s victory; a three-run blast to left field that put the Twins up 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth.
Overall, Nunez went 7-for-25 with four RBI’s, a homer, two doubles and two runs. His numbers were good enough to keep his average above the .300 mark (.320) as he continues to solidify himself as a potential candidate for the Twins’ All-Star representative come July.
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Nunez’ home run on Saturday came as part of a five-run inning that allowed the Twins to take the lead. Prior to the eighth, the Toronto Blue Jays had shut down the Twins, holding them to just one hit.
Eventually, the Twins got the better of starter J.A. Happ as Danny Santana drove in the tying runs with an RBI double, setting up Nunez’ clutch three-run blast.
This week has just been a continuation of what has been one of the long bright spots for the Twins.
Nunez entered the season as a utility player for the Twins but made the most of his playing time early and bought himself more at-bats.
He became an everyday player once Trevor Plouffe was sent to the disabled list and stayed in the lineup once Plouffe returned due to Eduardo Escobar’s injury.
It will be interesting to see what happens once Escobar returns as Nunez has done nothing to lose his spot. It seems likely the team will decide to move forward with Nunez at shortstop once Escobar is healthy but how the Twins will balance out the at-bats between the two will remain a topic to watch.
Recently, I gave my thoughts on who could be moved by the Twins this season. Nunez’ name was one I excluded due to the Twins not having an immediate answer at shortstop.
Despite the Twins potentially being able to get some decent value for Nunez, the team finds itself in a position where a chance at contending may not be far off and Nunez could definitely help bolster that lineup in the future.
With a young core of up and coming talent, Nunez was once considered the future shortstop of the New York Yankees. That alone should give one an idea of how much potential talent Nunez brings to the table.
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Still, whether he’s a long term option for the Twins or not, the team should consider keeping him as it finally looks as though Nunez may finally be starting to flash the potential the Yankees saw in him when they nabbed him to be the heir to Derek Jeter.