Pending Pinstripes Latest Posts
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Has Jeter Lost His Swing?
01.16.11 -
A Pitch F/X Look at Cliff Lee
12.13.10
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A Pitch F/X Look at Cliff Lee
12.13.10 -
Yankees and...Crawford?
12.03.10
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01 September 2009
As the rosters expand as September call-ups will start to rumble in today and the days and weeks following, I will take a look at three players that will likely be getting promoted in the month of September that have already made some sort of impact on the Major League ballclub this season and what I think their future holds with the Yankees in 2010 and beyond.
The first player is Ramiro Pena. Ramiro Pena entered Spring Training after a full 2008 season with Yankees affiliate team Double-A Trenton, mostly as a 23-year-old, where he put up an unimpressive line of a .266AVG .330OBP .357SLG .687OPS. He had never impressed with the bat since being signed out of Mexico in 2005 as he was more known for his glove. However, Pena impressed Major League scouts in Spring Training so much that many scouts believed he could be a starting shortstop on some Major League clubs currently. The Yankee organization obviously also liked what they saw in Spring Training from him since he made the club without even having a single at-bat in Scranton to his name, beating out Angel Berroa, for the last bench spot.
Once Cody Ransom went down with a quad injury running the base paths at Fenway in April, Pena started to receive more playing time and many fans started to like what they saw out of Ramiro Pena, a small-framed switch hitter with a good glove and some speed. Since the Eric Hinske acquisition however, he has shuttled back and forth from the Yankees to Scranton as the organization wanted to give him reps in the outfield so he can become a 'super-utility' guy in the future.
He has not gotten as
many reps as I thought he would in the outfield but nonetheless he has gotten a
few but what does the future hold for Ramiro Pena on the Major League club in
2010 and beyond? He did hit .277 in 94ABs but only walked 5 times and had an
unimpressive .351 slugging and .664OPS. He was only 1 for 19 (.053) vs. lefties
and his time in Scranton has been a struggle where he is only hitting .231 in
156ABs with a .310OBP, .327SLG, .637OPS. He has shown he has a great glove at
short, and a developing one at third and the organization seems to love his
versatility but it seems to me they are trying to mold him into a Jerry
Hairston-type player.
In my opinion, I do not think Pena will even be that type of player in the years ahead. Not to make Hairston Jr. out to be better than what he is, especially after getting handcuffed on a groundball to third last night that ended Andy's perfect game attempt, but he has already shown to be a 'super-utility' type player in the Majors for a few years as he can play all outfield and infield positions. He also has great speed that you can grab off the bench late in the game as a pinch runner.
As admirably as Pena filled in when Ransom went down, I do not see a future where he is more than a defensive replacement. He does not hit with enough power and his speed is slightly above average but I am not one to trust him to steal a base in a pinch running situation in a late and close game. I would prefer the Yankees to re-sign Hairston Jr. and try to make Pena expendable and see if a team bites on his great glove. I would love to see him make it with the Yankees as he is another 'homegrown talent' but I think there are better options than him to fill the type of utility player that the organization is looking for and one of those options is already on the Major League club in Jerry Hairston Jr.
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