Wily Mo's Future

[TGov]

What are the Sox planning on doing with Pena?

 

Now I would like to see JD Drew on the Sox BUT, Why sign Drew to a 5 yr deal when you have a powerhouse like Wily Mo... and Drew is injury-prone so why sign a guy if he has a history of getting hurt and then not having a starter... and for the #5 spot, you could have maybe Youk?

 

I know, I know he doesn't have the best contact obviously, and hes not the greatest fielder, but why not start Pena in right(or Center, move Coco to Right) and give him at least the at-bats he needs so he can tune-up his hitting, because you know when he makes contact he will be a great hitter. He has amazing power, why waste it?... Manny's contract will be up in 2 yrs and by then, Wily Mo will be a better hitter and can possibly step into that Cleanup Spot...

[jacksonianmarch]

Manny in 2 yrs will still be head shoulders knees and toes over Wily Mo offensively.

[ksushi]

I don't know about that, Manny in two years will be 36 and on the decline and Wily Mo has a lot of talent. The Sox are probably going to groom wily mo to play left, because he just can't cut it in right at Fenway Park.

[SuperManny]

Manny in 2 yrs will still be head shoulders knees and toes over Wily Mo offensively.

 

I agree that Manny will probably still be a better overall hitter than WMP will be in 2 years. Manny will be 35 this season and 36 next season. These are the last two years that Manny is under contract assuming that Manny doesn't have his options picked up. Manny has said before that he will retire when his current deal is up so who knows if he will even play and if he does I doubt he would stay with the Sox unless they picked up his $20M option, which I really don't see happening unless he has a Bonds like resurgence in his late 30's.

 

WMP is still 24 so keep him for 2 years filling in for the aging Manny and injured Drew and let him play fulltime at age 26 in LF when Manny leaves. WMP's power will help lessen the loss of Manny in LF and that way WMP's defense can be hidden more like Manny's has been.

[jacksonianmarch]

Manny will still play, I just have a feeling it wont be in Boston.

 

Also, just keeping him on the bench will retard him. He needs to play full seasons. He really could use a minor league trip, but alas, he cannot go.

[ANiMAL]

Manny will still play, I just have a feeling it wont be in Boston.

 

Also, just keeping him on the bench will retard him. He needs to play full seasons. He really could use a minor league trip, but alas, he cannot go.

 

 

i hope they stick him in AAA to help improve his hitting. It's hard to improve when your on the bench 5 out of 7 days a week

[redsoxrules]

i hope they stick him in AAA to help improve his hitting. It's hard to improve when your on the bench 5 out of 7 days a week

 

:wtf:

[jacksonianmarch]

i hope they stick him in AAA to help improve his hitting. It's hard to improve when your on the bench 5 out of 7 days a week

 

therein lies the problem animal. He is on a MLB contract. He cannot go to the minors without being put through waivers and that wont fly.

[Cityofchampions33]

therein lies the problem animal. He is on a MLB contract. He cannot go to the minors without being put through waivers and that wont fly.

 

yea, f***in yankees ruin everything

[jacksonianmarch]

yea' date=' f***in yankees ruin everything[/quote']

 

if we had our way, Wily Mo would have been signed to a minor league deal and he'd be breaking in with us right about now, after having the last 3 or 4 seasons under his belt in AAA. But his agent bent George over a barrel and George said go balls deep and leave it all in.

[ANiMAL]

therein lies the problem animal. He is on a MLB contract. He cannot go to the minors without being put through waivers and that wont fly.

 

whoops, i forgot bout the major league contract he got from the yankees; now i have another reason to hate the yankees

[BSN07]

Wily Mo Pena, OF -- The Major League veteran is struggling in his first six playoff games for Aguilas, going 1-for-23 with two RBIs.:dunno: :thumbdown

 

 

That sure as hell doesn't make me jump for joy... I think he must be slightly retarded in the head, how are we supposed to take him seriously going 1 for 23 in the domincan winter league?

[jacksonianmarch]

Wily Mo Pena, OF -- The Major League veteran is struggling in his first six playoff games for Aguilas, going 1-for-23 with two RBIs.:dunno: :thumbdown

 

 

That sure as hell doesn't make me jump for joy... I think he must be slightly retarded in the head, how are we supposed to take him seriously going 1 for 23 in the domincan winter league?

 

dont get all bent out of shape over that. He's a hitter, they slump. Now if you told me Buchholz was topping out at 85 in the winter league, then I'd be worried. But for a hitter to go on a 1 for 23 slide, dont read much into it.

[hoke3182]

dont get all bent out of shape over that. He's a hitter' date=' they slump. Now if you told me Buchholz was topping out at 85 in the winter league, then I'd be worried. But for a hitter to go on a 1 for 23 slide, dont read much into it.[/quote']

 

I can't believe im actually agreeing with you

[ksushi]

Thank you jackson.

[ANiMAL]

dont get all bent out of shape over that. He's a hitter' date=' they slump. Now if you told me Buchholz was topping out at 85 in the winter league, then I'd be worried. But for a hitter to go on a 1 for 23 slide, dont read much into it.[/quote']

 

i thought yankee fans didn't have a heart... or a brain...

[jacksonianmarch]

i thought yankee fans didn't have a heart... or a brain...

 

eau contraire monsieur animal. We have lots of both!!

[TGov]

eau contraire monsieur animal. We have lots of both!!

 

doubt it...

[HeadOfSoxNation]

I love Wily Mo, have I mentioned that?

 

In my opinion, the Sox should have done what they had to do in addition to Crisp (within reason, of course) to get Andruw and set the outfield at Wily, Andruw, and ManRam. I wouldn't have glanced twice at J.D. Drew.

 

I'd give my left foot for Wily to get some consistent at bats and consistent starts in the field so he can grow comfortable. He's a baby with biggest boy power...we NEED to harness this and refine it.

 

J.D. f***ing Drew? I know that's not what this thread was about...but screw J.D. Drew and screw his $14 dollars.

 

Wily is one of our future outfields...and I'm not just talking immediate future. God I love this guy.

[VA Sox Fan]

I love Wily Mo, have I mentioned that?

 

In my opinion, the Sox should have done what they had to do in addition to Crisp (within reason, of course) to get Andruw and set the outfield at Wily, Andruw, and ManRam. I wouldn't have glanced twice at J.D. Drew.

 

I'd give my left foot for Wily to get some consistent at bats and consistent starts in the field so he can grow comfortable. He's a baby with biggest boy power...we NEED to harness this and refine it.

 

J.D. f***ing Drew? I know that's not what this thread was about...but screw J.D. Drew and screw his $14 dollars.

 

Wily is one of our future outfields...and I'm not just talking immediate future. God I love this guy.

 

I'll love him more if he turns out to be another Papi or close to it.

[Fried Neckbones]

I'll love him more if he turns out to be another Papi or close to it.

 

Yeah, me too. :thumbsup: But Papi wasn't Papi until he got consistant AB's (and Papa Jack told him to screw trying for singles and to let 'er rip).

[BSN07]

Wily Mo Pena is eligible for arbitration, and the Red Sox are dealing with that. They are also dealing with the reality that Pena, an extraordinary talent who cannot improve if he doesn't get some at-bats, won't have a clear avenue to get at-bats consistently this year. David Ortiz is locked in at designated hitter, and the starting outfield is set, with Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew. The chance for Pena to play is a little better as a backup to this group than it would be if he were a member of another team, because of the injury history of Drew and because of Ramirez's habit of occasionally checking out for a few days at a time.

But if Ramirez, Crisp and Drew stay healthy, that won't allow for enough at-bats for Pena, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Red Sox ask Pena to take some ground balls at first base this spring, just to see what they see. Maybe he would be adequate, decent enough for manager Terry Francona to use him as a fill-in for Kevin Youkilis, or for third baseman Mike Lowell, with Youkilis moving over to third base on the days that Lowell sits. A gut instinct after watching Pena play the outfield for years is that it would not work out; Pena is so big and wouldn't seem to have the kind of agility required by the position, and he might struggle to throw the ball at all. But it never hurts to try, and maybe he'll be a surprise.

 

The Red Sox investment in his talent was theoretically long-term when they traded Bronson Arroyo to Cincinnati for him last spring. His birthday is this month, and he'll be just 25 years old. His at-bats improved over the course of last season; gradually, it seems, he's learning how to identify pitches, to lay off the breaking ball away. He looks terrible some days, but there were a lot of at-bats when he'd only flinch a little when he saw a good 1-ball, 2-strike breaking ball. Look at his numbers hitting in various counts:

 

 

I'd love to see WMP at 1st or 3rd, should be entertaining at the very least!:thumbsup:

[Mr Crunchy]

I'd love to see WMP at 1st or 3rd, should be entertaining at the very least!

 

ha

youre idea of entertaining will have me buying maalox by the 55 gallon drum

i want to see pena play too

but he can do far less damage to us in the outfield than in the infield

he needs the abs

he needs to see the field

give him as many innings as possible this march and see what gives

 

i think we should bail on drew today

[BSN07]

Thye hole Drew saga has me teetering on the top of the fence daily. I would love to see him come to Boston and flurish and finally have a competent hitter in the 5 hole. But with his price tag and shaky history makes me teeter the other way. Either way I would just like them to either sign him or move on to the next option if Boras won't let them protect themselves.

 

WMP is a good talent that looked to get better last season seeing the ball at the plate, like the article said. His D needs alot of improvement, if not Drew or WMP the Tornonto is looking to move Rios, he might be a decent player. Not that I ever expect Toronto to deal him to us, but it was just an idea for conversation sake.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

The only way I'm still onboard with the whole Drew thing is if they can change his guaranteed money into incentives. Those were pretty much my feelings from the beginning, but I became even more passionate about it when the whole new shoulder thing came out. Giving a guy who's played less than 100 games every other year since his birth in the league, and never truly lived up to his potential (who remembers 'the next mickey mantle' comparisons? Not that they were fair...but they were there nonetheless) that much money guaranteed just seemed assinine to me. Plus, the fact that it was taking at-bats away from Pena hurt me even more. We don't pay Pena a lot, and he's got the most raw power I've ever seen out of a guy not-yet 25. Something's gotta give here.

 

I don't think Boras will let the contract be structured the way I want it to...don't get me wrong, I'd love to pay JD Drew $14 million a year...nothing would make me happier than handing him that check, so long as his numbers make him worth it.

 

That being said...the idea of him taking some GBs at 1st and 3rd is definitley worth a shot to see what happens. Frank Thomas couldn't play 1B to save his life...but damn, the guy could hit.

[seabeachfred]

What are the Sox planning on doing with Pena?

 

Now I would like to see JD Drew on the Sox BUT, Why sign Drew to a 5 yr deal when you have a powerhouse like Wily Mo... and Drew is injury-prone so why sign a guy if he has a history of getting hurt and then not having a starter... and for the #5 spot, you could have maybe Youk?

 

I know, I know he doesn't have the best contact obviously, and hes not the greatest fielder, but why not start Pena in right(or Center, move Coco to Right) and give him at least the at-bats he needs so he can tune-up his hitting, because you know when he makes contact he will be a great hitter. He has amazing power, why waste it?... Manny's contract will be up in 2 yrs and by then, Wily Mo will be a better hitter and can possibly step into that Cleanup Spot...

 

TGov, I just read that Nick Cafardo is saying that sources in the Red Sox front office say the deal with Drew will be concluded this weekend, though most of us have heard that song before. As for Pena, he does have light tower power but in RF he is a disaster and you really can't move Coco to RF because his arm is almost as bad as Johnny Damon's. What I'm beginning to believe is that the Sox are going to nurture Pena, play him as a 4th outfielder and hopefully give him enough at bats to keep him semi-sharp by resting the other three from time to time and hopefully he will get the strike zone down pat and in two years will take over in LF when Manny's contract expires. We don't have a whole lot of power in our farm system from what I know and the team is still reluctant to give up on the guy.

[seabeachfred]

I don't know about that' date=' Manny in two years will be 36 and on the decline and Wily Mo has a lot of talent. The Sox are probably going to groom wily mo to play left, because he just can't cut it in right at Fenway Park.[/quote']

 

ksuchi, I think the Red Sox are going to try and give Pena enough at bats as a 4th OF to keep him sharp and help work on his hitting mechanics so he can take over in LF when Manny leaves after the 2008 season. Righthanded power hitters are in short supply and I think that is why the team drafted Jason Place first last spring. We need power in the future unless we go out and sign some free agents in a couple of years. Still, I really don't have the confidence in Wily Mo that so many others of you do. He is a poor outfielder and as he showed in Cincinnati, he has a tendency to regress. I'm also not too pleased that he is what, 2 for 38 in the DWL? If they are going to keep the guy they have to at least give him enough at bats to keep him sharp and it could be they want to do that not only to help him but to keep Manny fresh and Drew injury free. If Coco has another off season, who knows? Pena could wind up in center. Just my thoughts.

[seabeachfred]

Wily Mo Pena, OF -- The Major League veteran is struggling in his first six playoff games for Aguilas, going 1-for-23 with two RBIs.:dunno: :thumbdown

 

 

That sure as hell doesn't make me jump for joy... I think he must be slightly retarded in the head, how are we supposed to take him seriously going 1 for 23 in the domincan winter league?

 

Bo, there are lot of fans who are shaking this Pena slump off as nothing more than that. I think it is symptomatic with his history of improving and then regressing. I have never been a Pena fan but the Red Sox really seem to like him down the road in a couple of years when Manny leaves the team. If they can keep working on his mechanics and his non-existing fielding, he might emerge in 2009 at a solid power hitter for us, though if I could keep my fingers crossed when I type this I would.

[Mr Crunchy]

pena has had too many 300 ab seasons as it is and has suffered because of it

he needs 5-600abs

he wont get them in boston

 

if we dont move him and sign drew then pena will be just another phil plantier

[hoke3182]

TGov' date=' I just read that Nick Cafardo is saying that sources in the Red Sox front office say the deal with Drew will be concluded this weekend, though most of us have heard that song before. As for Pena, he does have light tower power but in RF he is a disaster and you really can't move Coco to RF because his arm is almost as bad as Johnny Damon's. What I'm beginning to believe is that the Sox are going to nurture Pena, play him as a 4th outfielder and hopefully give him enough at bats to keep him semi-sharp by resting the other three from time to time and hopefully he will get the strike zone down pat and in two years will take over in LF when Manny's contract expires. We don't have a whole lot of power in our farm system from what I know and the team is still reluctant to give up on the guy.[/quote'] Iagree they traded a starting pithcher to get this guy for a reason. When Manny's days are done at Fenway, I think WMP will be his replacement.