Player Focus: Wily Mo Pena
Big-hitter Wily Mo Pena was traded to the Nationals on 8/18; a move that should prove beneficial to both Pena & his new team. With the Red Sox this season, Pena was kind of always in limbo. He didn't have a regular spot in the line-up (with Ramirez, Crisp & Drew playing the outfield), so he never had the chance to get his offense going. Through 4-1/2 months, he only had 141 at-bats, and was hitting just .218 with 5 HR & 16 RBI. Such a waste of a long-ball talent.
Now, with the Nationals, Pena has been utilized as a regular outfielder, and is providing an additional home run threat in the middle of their line-up. In his first 5 games with them, he's hitting .300 with 2 HR & 5 RBI. He's still striking out a little too often (once every 4.38 at-bats), but less than before when he wasn't getting regular playtime in Boston (once every 2.56 at-bats).
Pena's best base rookie card is his 99 Bowman Chrome RC (his name is spelled "Willi" on this card). There aren't many of these listed on auction right now, but you can probably pick one up for around $5-7 TAC. I would rate Pena on the higher risk side as an investment.
Ramblings of a sportscards collector (baseball & basketball) and fan of the game.
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1 comment:
Talk about a guy that bleeds everyday player! When Pena struck gold back in '04 playing for an injured Griffey I thought he would be playing everyday soon enough. Unfortunately since then, he's had to wait his turn everywhere he's been and has not received the AB's to progress in his career. I'm glad to see him playing and hopefully he'll show what he's capable of doing.
Oh, for those that are not aware, he's on the Yankees for his Bowman RC. The Yankees sent him to the Reds for Drew Henson.
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