Wily Mo Pena has a good thing going overseas.
Pena, who hasn’t played in the majors since 2011, has drawn interest on both sides of the Pacific, according to Sportsnet.ca. However, the 31-year-old slugger reportedly is expected to re-sign in Japan this offseason.
Pena has spent the last two years in Japan playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. He hit .233 (35-for-150) with one home run and 16 RBIs in just 55 games in 2013, but hit .280 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs in 130 games in 2012.
The best fit for Pena seemingly is in Japan, as the outfielder struggled to stick at the major league level despite tremendous raw power. Pena hit 26 home runs in 110 games with the Reds in 2004 and 19 in 99 games in 2005 before being dealt to the Red Sox in exchange for Bronson Arroyo prior to the 2006 season. He hit .301 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs in 84 games with Boston in 2006, but was later shipped to the Nationals in August of 2007, at which point his big league career really began to fizzle out.
Pena, known for both striking out and mammoth batting practice home runs, hit .204 (23-for-113) with seven homers and 15 RBIs in 39 games split between Arizona and Seattle during the 2011 season. After that, he signed a two-year contract with the SoftBank Hawks, apparently sparking somewhat of a baseball renaissance inside the veteran.
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Photo via Wikipedia/Wily Mo Pena
