Ramiro Pena's Utility

To my surprise and yours, Ramiro Pena is still a Yankee. It somehow boggles the mind but Pena has been able to stay on the roster all year despite posting a .193/.236/.205 line. Yes, you’re reading that correctly- a .205 SLG% (That’s the lowest in baseball for anyone over 90 PA’s- besides of course, Ken Griffey Jr.) While I can’t really buy into a UZR with the sample size of Ramiro Pena’s, the defense has been average at best according to several metrics leading to a team worst WAR of -0.6 (17^th worst in baseball for 90 PAs).

Most of Pena’s value as we know is tied up in his ability to play SS. Somewhat surprisingly though we’ve seen Pena play 20 more innings at 3B this year than SS. This is pretty unfortunate because until recently, Kevin Russo would have been the best choice to play 3B when ARod is at DH.

Does it matter? It’s pretty crazy to quibble about a bench spot on a team who has the best record in baseball. However the Yankees are playing Pena a bit more than he probably deserves and they’re actively searching the trade market for a utility player that, you know, doesn’t suck. Are there any internal upgrades over Pena though? After all, how hard is it to find someone better than .193/.236/.205?

We know the Yankees like Pena because he has positional utility, they like his defense and ability to run a bit. Let’s take a look at some internal candidates who could fit this bill.

Eduardo Nunez- It pains me to say it, but Nunez would almost be a certain upgrade over Pena at this point. Nunez has a MLB translated line of .271/.316/.349- it’s amazing this would constitute a drastic upgrade. Nunez has reportedly been better with the glove, but defense isn’t his calling card at all. Coupled with the fact that almost all of Nunez’s abilities are tied up in batting average, it’s tough to say how much of an upgrade this would be.

Eric Bruntlett- Just wanted to point out that this would NOT be an upgrade, at all- Bruntlett is an awful, awful player. Should there ever be a sad day in the Bronx in which he hits the field, I’ll strongly consider committing seppuku in the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar.

Justin Snyder- Snyder would be a risk and likely end up like Ramiro Pena- totally overmatched at the plate. The big difference between Snyder and Pena (who can play around the infield some) is Snyder’s ability to reach base. He walks a lot, currently 19% in AA (!). With park and luck adjustments (.278 BABIP) he has a .839 OPS in Trenton. Snyder also bats from the left side and performs slightly worse against LHP for his career. In the end, Snyder probably just isn’t ready for MLB duty, but then again look at Pena. He wasn’t considered ready when he made the team last year and look how well….oh wait.

Kevin Russo- To me, this would be the most rational move. Russo got almost no playing time in New York but is almost certainly an upgrade over Pena. Although Russo is more of a 2B/3B guy, he HAS played SS in a pinch and is passable once every 2 weeks (about as often as Jeter is at DH).

And that’s really it. Trying to find guys who can play SS, 3B and 2B that can run, play some defense and are close to MLB ready is not an easy task in the Yankee organization. Reegie Corona is having a really bad year in AAA. Luis Nunez in Trenton isn’t the fielder that Pena is but has a similarly bad bat- yikes. Jose Pirela might be an interesting utility option down the line, but the 21 year old is in Tampa and isn’t anywhere close to MLB ready.

Again, does it matter much? I would say no if Pena was only playing SS every few weeks but with ARod’s hip issues, he’s seeing more time than he deserves. The Yankees have shown a reluctance to bring up real prospects and have them rot away on the bench so I can’t really see Nunez up until rosters expand. The best option is probably to trade for a low cost utility piece.