That dude was on major market radio last week and it was damn near the best interview i've ever heard an athlete give. He said something to the effect of that everyday is a chance to improve. he was very personable, very articulate. he also said that he was in a latin only players meeting and he told the rest of the guys, who i guess are all very young, to make the best of being able to play in the states. he is going to be awesome in the clubhouse, he really gave me a reason to take a little more interest in the team. i seriously think dude could do color on baseball broadcasts after retiring.
hit twenty eight homers just two seasons ago, isn't that old, 34, and despite sub par batting avgs has gotten on base in his career
28 HRs doesn't impress me. He has a .745 OPS over the last 3 years playing 1B/DH, which is terrible for those positions.
I think I heard that interview, wasn't it with Matt Thomas? He was very articulate and insightful. Seemed like a great guy to have on the team.
This is true. Where is Jeff Bagwell or Lance Berkman when you need them. Heck, I'll settle for Glenn Davis.
yeah, i call matt thomas's show major market radio. he's hilarious with the whole "i'm a major market radio host" bit. the first time i listened to his show he really upset me it was after a texans loss just this season, and he was defending schaub. anyway don't want to get into it two deep other than he has my favorite show on the station and i'm a big fan of wexler, palilo, and lance. and pena' does seem like he's gonna be a real asset as far as mentoring
I've always liked Pena as a player and person, but he is getting up there in age for a ballplayer and doesn't really fit what the Astros are trying to do, especially now that they have so many 1B/DH types on the roster.
They are not paying him big bucks (by mlb standards) It is likely they brought him in for mentoring role as much as anything, with the thought also being if he hits well in the first half and has a power surge at mmp, he could bring back another prospect or two.
if he hits well in the first half and has a power surge Carlos Peña is a .234 career hitter. Please define "hits well"?
If has a low 0.800's OPS, he'll probably have some kind of trade value. He doesn't hit for average, but at his best, he gets on base at a good clip and hits HRs and gets RBIs. Even in last year's terrible sub-700 OPS, sub-200 BA season, he would have been 3rd or 4th in our lineup in terms of on-base %.
Certainly isn't a reach to say he hits better than Carlos did in the 1H last year, and he netted us a prospect that is now likely our starting 3B If you want this guy to be Pujols then obviously you are going to be very disappointed, but he was signed to a very low $ salary, very little risk here at all, and at the very least it seems he will be a great clubhouse influence Sorry that so many people want us to be signing the top guys in baseball right now, it's just not where we are as a franchise at this point
I really like Matt Thomas's show. It's one of my favorites to listen to, he has a great sense of humour. I am glad they brought in Pena, with such a young group players they need a vet who is willing to take on a mentoring role. From the interview it certainly seems Carlos is willing to embrace that role.
I also really enjoy MT. What a breath of fresh air he was compared to the "monsters of the midday" drivel they used to run out there.
Not impressed by Pena. His last 3 seaon avgs have been awful. I like what I see so far in grossman and Frieman. If Carter can play LF, then we can play Wallace/Frieman at 1st (and the other DHing). JD Martinez should act like his career depends on it...because it does.
In my opinion, batting average can be the most misleading stat out there. If you hit .300 with a .315 on base average and little power, you really aren't doing a lot, and yet people will talk about how great a hitter you are cause you hit .300. Yet if you hit .240 with a .330 on base and some power, not only are you getting on base more you are very likely producing more also with the power. Another way to look at batting average is this. If you play everyday, depending on how many walks you take, you will get around 560 at bats or so. The difference between hitting .300 and hitting .240 is about one hit per week. Give me the guy who hits with some pop, and will add in a walk so the on base stays respectible
The problem is that Pena hasn't been hitting .240. He's been hitting below the mendoza line. Last year in 600 PAs he had a .684 OPS. If he can replicate his 2011 line, he'll certainly have value. There is no question he shouldn't be allowed to face lefties anymore, but he even struggled against righties last year.
