Wily Mo Pena Provides Power from the Red Sox Bench

Theo Epstein avoided arbitration once again when he signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena to a one year deal last winter. Epstein has never been required to attend an arbitration hearing in his tenure with the Boston Red Sox. The 1.875 million he offered Pena was enough to keep that streak alive. Pena is the fourth member of an outfield platoon that includes Manny Ramirez in left, Coco Crisp in center and the newly acquired J.D. Drew in right field. Wily Mo's ability to play all three outfield positions coupled with his power at the plate makes him first in line when one of the starters needs a break. The 25 year old fly shagger has been used as a back up for a majority of his career and will look to make 400 plate appearances for the first time as a reserve this year.

There are a few questions Terry Francona will need to answer before he can determine how to best use Pena. Keeping him productive despite limited playing time could prove to be a challenge as he is a free swinger with a tendency to strike out about one third of the time. He had 90 strike outs in 276 at bats for the Red Sox in 2006. On the bright side, he hit .301 with 11 home runs and 42 runs batted in. With some added patience at the plate, Wily Mo Pena could wind up being a lethal weapon off of the bench and give the regulars a day off once in a while. He may be the key component in keeping the Red Sox outfield healthy and rested all season long.

One area Pena could use some work on is his defense. He seemed to feel the same way when he asked his winter league manager to play him in right field instead of the more comfortable center field. It's no secret that the Red Sox encouraged Pena to focus on improving his defense during the off-season. At the close of winter ball Wily Mo was looking much more comfortable in right field and should do nothing but get better throughout spring training. He has the tools to play gold glove caliber defense, he has tremendous speed for his size and a powerful arm, but he lacks experience. In time, his full potential will be realized.