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Red-hot Teixeira: staying or going?
Can the Nats temper Pena’s power?
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Nats Wily Mo Pena, right, looks at home plate umpire Ed Hickox, left, after striking out against Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez on Sunday at RFK. Columnist Phil Wood thinks that hitting coach Lenny Harris can help Pena with his plate patience.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Wily Mo Pena. One “L,” no “E.” “Mo” is short for Modesto. Get it right.
In the vein of Joe Hardy, who led the Nats to the World Series in the 1950’s over those damn Yankees — at least on stage and screen — Pena brings an almost mythical ability to hit home runs to Washington. His actual big league stats display some long ball aptitude, but his average of 24 home runs every 162 games is somewhat less than legendary.
General manager Jim Bowden has openly coveted Wily Mo since he arrived in town, but the price was always too high. Pena began his career as a Yankee prospect — his original signing with the Mets as a 16-year-old amateur was voided by the commissioner’s office. Bowden traded for him the first time in 2001, with the Reds sending future NFL quarterback Drew Henson to New York. The Reds sent Pena to the Red Sox for pitcher Bronson Arroyo prior to the 2006 season, a deal that worked out better for Cincinnati last year when Arroyo went 14-11, 3.29, and pitched in the All-Star Game. Pena did okay as a 2006 part-timer in Boston, hitting a career-high .301 in 84 games, but hit just 11 homers.
That the Nats acquired Wily Mo for a player-to-be-named-later may mean no more than that Boston simply couldn’t find sufficient playing time for him, and needed to free up a spot on the big league roster. It could also mean they came to believe he’s already reached his performance ceiling.
One NL scout I speak with frequently says Pena needs to know it’s not against the rules for the pitcher to put spin on the ball. “He’s deadly when a breaking ball hangs high, but he’s a pretty easy out when the pitcher gets the ball to sink,” he told me. “He’s really not very disciplined at the plate.” Pena strikes out about 4 times for every time he walks, but that’s the kind of stat that can be turned around with a little extra work and at 25, Pena would seem to have the time for it.
Pena’s arrival would seem to indicate a platoon situation with Ryan Church may be under discussion. Church strikes out a little less than Pena, but much like Wily Mo, is another player whose potential thus far has far outweighed his actual production.
We’ve seen the local team acquire a big, free-swinging slugger before. When the Senators got Frank Howard from the Dodgers in 1965 he was 28 years old, and coming off a year where he had batted .226 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI, while striking out 113 times against 51 walks, numbers that pretty much mirror Pena’s projected full-season stats. Hondo continued to strike out in Washington, but hit a lot more home runs as the years went by, and eventually learned patience at the plate under Ted Williams.
Nationals’ hitting coach Lenny Harris — who coincidentally wears Williams’ number 9 — has had significant success with several hitters on the current roster, and there’s no reason to think he won’t tweak Pena’s approach at the plate as well. As we’ve already seen, Wily Mo can hit the ball a very long way — Howardian clouts, if you will.
One last thing — is it time to institute a quota system for ex-Reds on this team?
Hear Phil Wood Saturdays at 10 a.m. on SportsTalk 980 AM and weekly on Comcast SportsNet’s WPL through the World Series.
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:33 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 27, 2008 re: "‘The 21st Century Ripken’"
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2:00 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
re: "Don’t panic yet"
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10:34 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
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12:59 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007
re: "New park feels like home already"
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Examiner Reader said:
There are many Nationals fans who are still patient with the team. I remember how Edward Bennett Williams as well as Peter Angelos tried---and failed---to build a winner with the Orioles by buying free agents. But my biggest nightmare is that once Zimmerman's contract runs out, he will sign a lucrative deal with another club because (a) the Lerners are unwilling to pay the money to keep him when they have the chance, (b) Zimmerman has no faith that the franchise will become a playoff contender anytime in his career, or (c) all of the above. Maybe the Lerners are smart by forcing Zimmerman to prove his worth this year, but if he has a breakout year and then flies the coop like Alfonso Soriano, fans' faith in The Plan will vanish like the wind. Edward J. Cunningham Rockville, MD
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Examiner Reader said:
Gee, Phil, thanks. I'm glad you reminded us that we're all raving idiots and that you have been appointed by MENSA to set us straight. "It’s perfectly plain that the issue is offense." I'm glad we have an "expert" like you to tell us this. Hm. All along, I thought the problem was that Nationals Park doesn't have enough cupholders!!!
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Examiner reader said:
Phil, is it ok for fans who call in to your radio show to comment on the Nats' play? Or are they also ignorant folks who know nothing about facts or logic?
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Examiner reader said:
What an arrogant, condescending column this is. Fans shouldn't comment about and criticize the team because they don't know enough about baseball? Fans don't know what's going on in the dugout or in the clubhouse? Well why don't you tell us then, Phil, and disabuse us of our shallow, uninformed nonsense. And most fans agree that Lenny Harris did a terrific job last year? Really? Maybe it is you who is uninformed, Phil. (And anyway, who cares what the uninformed *fans* think?) Did you know that the Nats came very close in the offseason to not retaining Harris because they thought that he did not do a good job and was not ready to be a major league hitting coach?
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natsbaseball.com said:
Thanks Phil. Sounds wonderful - can't wait to see it. Being about the same age I remember attending the first baseball game at DC Stadium after experiencing Griffith for one or two seasons as a young child. It was a world of improvement over the falling down older park. After baseball returned 34 years later and about 15 years of going to Camden, RFK was, of course, kind of stark (I think is was designed by Joseph Stalin) but we all knew it was temporary and to have a home team again we would have put up with a lot worse. My only regret is the new stadium is in a location that couldn't be harder to get to for most of the area's fans. People are whining about the lack of parking - but it doesn't matter as there are no roads. Metro is bragging about being able to carry about 10,000 fans and hour. Since most of the 41,000 fans who could show up will have to go by metro - I cringe at the 4 hour trips it will take to get home. In that regard RFK had it all over the new park.
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kjack said:
Another great article Phil. Why those idiots at espn[The world wide leader in crap]and fox don't hire informed,aware, and intelligent individuals like you. To inform the general public of the things that really matter in baseball. I'll personalll never understand.
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EdDC said:
Phil, What do you think of going after Coco Crisp? He is still young and had back to back .300 seasons not long ago in Cleveland. Nats need a CF. Crisp didn't do much in BoSox pressure cooker, like Wily Mo Pena. So Crisp might benefit from just relaxing, knowing the world is not on his shoulders. His contract is reasonable: Covelli Crisp of 3 years/$15.5M (2007-09), plus $8M 2010 club option As to Bowden, I like him asking for the world. He tries hard and contacts many many teams, and if one or two bite, then Nats come out ahead. This is better than just trading to make trades.
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Pope John Paul Ringo George said:
"Did you ever hear any specific player’s names that would’ve ended up here in exchange for the Fonz?" This is a poor argument. The reason the Nats never get serious offers in trade for Soriano, Dmitri, Cordero, Rauch, etc is becuase Bowden's asking price is not serious. He makes it known that you can only trade for a Nat if you're willing to be ripped off in the trade. His asking price starts so high, teams won't even attempt to negotiate with him. Then he comes back and says "hey, we never got any serious offers!" No sane, competent GM will ever trade with him on anyting above replacement level players.
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Norm said:
Trembley has got this team behind him. I like his vision. You can see it in the way this team is playing since he replaced Perlozzo. The Weaver like experience you cite nails it and is a huge bonus. It's precisely what the O's need to get to the next level. The way I see it, NONE of the other current candidates brings anything comparable to the table. With McPhail and Trembley, we are already on the right track.
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree in that the Orioles should trade for Teixeira. There will be many teams after him. The "Dallas News" has an article that Boston, Dodgers, and Tigers may be interested. We should offer Cabrera, and two other players. Texas needs a starting pitcher. In the article he says the other teams would offer a pitching prospect. At least Cabrera has pitched in the majors the last three years. The Orioles would be set for the next 8 years at first base. That would be a nice infield. Also, go get Torri Hunter next year in free agency for center field.
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Dan said:
So is MLB saying that the score of a game has no impact on strategy? As far as Jay's comment: "The rules were followed." I don't think I ever read anywhere in the MLB rule book where you can score a run while you are on defense. The apeal was not that the run should not count, but that it is not fair to the Tribe that the run was awarded 3 innings after the fact. Contrary to MLB I beleive that the score of the game is the #1 item that determines strategy. The Tribe was denied 3 innings of basing their strategy on the current situation. my thought is that the game should be continued from the point where the controversial run scored, with Baltimore leading 3 to 1. In every other instance I can recall you must apeal a decision before the next pitch. Runner leaves too early when tagging up. Appeal has to be made before next pitch. G Brett's infamouse non home run? Had to be apealed before next pitch. Same for runner missing a base. O's did not raise issue for 3 inn, but thats O
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Jay said:
The run counted, why are you crying? The rules were followed, and the Indians are tryng to get by on a technicality, shame in them...very unsportsmanlike
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