Why does Abraham Nunez pinch-hit so much?

Nunez has a nice glove. He fields well at second, short and third, and when he plays the field he's a decent hitter.

But he has been a poor-to-frightening pinch-hitter for four seasons. Bobby Hill's dramatic two-out, ninth-inning pinch-hit single that completed the Pirates' sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals last week stands in stark contrast to the typical work of Nunez.

Let's go back in time.

In 2001, rookie Craig Wilson was the best pinch-hitter in the league, going 10 for 34, tying the major-league record for pinch-hit home runs with seven. Wilson batted .294 with a .442 on-base average, a ridiculous .912 slugging average and a 1.354 OPS (on-base average plus slugging average, the best basis for judging hitters).

Nunez was the 47th-best pinch-hitter that year, going .143/.143/.286/.429.

In 2002, Rob Mackowiak was the National League's second-best pinch-hitter at .333/.429/.708/1.137. Nunez was 51st at .116/.204/.116/.320.

Last year, Matt Stairs was the league's 11th-best pinch-hitter, going .229/.317/.457/.774. Nunez had one single in 26 at-bats for a .038/.161/.038/.200 line, making him the 60th-best pinch-hitter in the league. A .200 OPS is the equivalent of a 200 SAT score, which you get for just showing up.

When a guy is this bad, the manager talks about how he "likes his approach.'' That's the same thing handlers of boxing heavyweight Jerry Quarry would say in the 1970s just before they sent him into the ring to be knocked senseless. (For Quarry, the Me Decade was the Hit Me Decade.)

In 113 plate appearances as pinch-hitter the past three seasons, Nunez reached base 21 times. His line is .106/.174/.154/.328. So, naturally, he has the most plate appearances of any Pirates pinch-hitter this season.

In fairness, Nunez has been about twice the pinch-hitter of his recent past. But he's still not good. Going into the game last night, he was 7 for 32 for .219/.235/.313/.548. The National League average was .228/.299/.358/.657. Hill was 8 for 26, the league's second-best pinch-hitter at .308/.400/.462/.862.

So what gives? Well, Nunez is a left-handed hitter (who pretends he can also bat right-handed, but don't believe him.) And one of the reasons Nunez gets up so much is he's not that good. Manager Lloyd McClendon uses him early because he would like to save a Bobby Hill for the crucial situation that doesn't always come.

Another reason is that, apart from last season, McClendon has never had a deep bench. In 2002, when he scanned the dugout, he would see Nunez, Keith Osik and Mike Benjamin looking back. It's a good thing there's no crying in baseball. Currently, if Hill starts, McClendon is likely seeing Nunez, Chris Stynes and three rookies: J.J. Davis, Tony Alvarez and Jose Castillo. Or maybe two rookies and Randall Simon. Where have you gone, Manny Mota?

The bench would be deeper if the Pirates carried 11 pitchers. The recent stretch of starters pitching late in games opens that door slightly, but with Kris Benson and Jose Mesa destined for trades this summer, the bullpen can hardly be deep enough.

So what if the Pirates cut Stynes? If Nunez assumed Stynes' role as late-inning defensive replacement, there could be another bat on the bench.

Stynes, by the way, is 2 for 5 as a pinch-hitter, including a winning, two-out ninth-inning, run-scoring single in Chicago. But beware small sample sizes. Stynes is a right-handed hitter who isn't hitting anyone most of the time.

McClendon said recently that pinch-hitting is "the most difficult thing to do in baseball." Certainly, Nunez's repeated failures show that, because he is an otherwise competent ballplayer. In 491 at-bats as a second baseman the past three seasons, Nunez hit .259/.327/.346/.673. He was even better as a shortstop: .287/.354/.399/.753 in 268 at-bats. Take away his pinch-hit appearances the past three seasons and Nunez is no longer a .254 hitter, he's a .268 hitter with a glove.

When Freddy Sanchez is brought up from Class AAA Nashville for his audition at second base, Stynes could be cut. Jose Castillo could be sent down. Nunez could be traded. Or the team could do two of those and bring up another hitter. Good field/no hit doesn't make for much of a bench.