Over the last few days, the future of the Nats shortstop position has been discussed very heavily following CJ Abrams’ move to second base. For the rest of the season it seems like Nasim Nunez will be the team’s primary shortstop. Honestly, that is not an idea I am thrilled about given Nunez’s lack of production.
Even with Abrams at second base, I believe that the Nats have a better answer at the shortstop position in Seaver King. This weekend when I was in Rochester, King’s bat looked big league
ready. However, in Spencer Nusbaum’s recent sourced piece, he theorized that Nunez’s glove could provide more value in each of the next two seasons.
Nunez does have a good glove, but I simply do not buy this. The bat is simply not good enough for Nunez to be an everyday player. On the season, Nunez has a 67 wRC+, meaning he is about 33% worse than even the average hitter. To have that kind of production in the lineup nearly every day, your defense has to be perfect. Nunez has good defense, but he has been pretty mistake prone this season with 13 errors.
Simply put, the batted ball data is ugly. His 84.9 MPH average exit velocity is lower than Max Scherzer’s in 2021, the last year where pitchers hit. After showing flashes of power at the end of last season, that has totally evaporated in 2026. His .265 slugging percentage is one of the lowest numbers you will ever see. Sure, it is not Nunez’s job to slug, but there also needs to be a certain floor you have to hit.
This season, Nunez is not reaching that offensive floor. His .578 OPS is the worst among all qualified hitters this season. For me, that is a sign that he is being overplayed and his skills are being overextended. Nasim Nunez in small doses can be effective, but it is just not working as an everyday player.
Interestingly, the two WAR models disagree pretty heavily about Nunez. Baseball Reference has Nunez at a 2.1 WAR, which is actually quite solid. However, Fangraphshas him at 0.7 wins above replacement.
Personally, I think the truth is a lot closer to Fangraphs assessment, but that is up for interpretation. Second base defense has value, but I struggle to see how very good but not quite Gold Glove caliber second base defense and great baserunning get you to 2 WAR with that bat.
I am actually curious to see how Nunez does at shortstop to finish the season. Everyone seems to assume he will be a great defender, but I am not 100% sure. We know Nunez can make exceptional plays like the one he made against the Cubs on Opening Week. However, he has been shaky at short when he has played there.
It has been a small sample size, but Nunez has already made 4 errors at short this year and has -3 outs above average at the position. Once he is playing the position every day, I think those numbers will improve, but the question is how much.
Nunez can’t just be an average defender at short, he needs to be great. His lack of offensive ability gives him very little margin for error on the bases and in the field. Nunez is very good in those two areas, but I would like to see a bit more consistency.
On the bases, it has felt like Nunez has been getting a little sloppy lately. He had an incredible run on the bases to start the year and still leads the majors in steals. However, in the last two months, Nunez has 8 steals but has been caught 4 times. In August, Nunez only has one steal and has been caught twice. With a .368 OPS and .133 average this month, the opportunity just has not been there.
Nunez brings good vibes and has clear athletic ability. I think he has a spot on a big league roster. However, this is just not a player that I value in an everyday role. The only reason I would keep Seaver King down is concern about the looming lockout. If King is on the 40-man, he will not be able to play minor league games next season during a potential lockout.
I do not buy the idea that Nunez can be a long term bridge to Eli Willits though. At the start of next season, the Nats should have King as the starting shortstop with Abrams at second, assuming he is still around. Nunez can be on the bench as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. However, this season has shown us that he is not a viable everyday option.
