Power still is a valuable commodity in baseball, which helps explain why Wily Mo Pena is getting another chance at returning to Major League Baseball.
The Cleveland Indians signed the journeyman slugger to a minor league deal, Fan Rag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported Tuesday night. According to Heyman, Pena will make $700,000 if he’s able to make Cleveland’s big league club.
The 35-year-old outfielder hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2011 when he split time with the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The scouting report on Pena is obvious: When he gets a hold of the ball, he hits it a very long way. The problem, of course, is that he didn’t make contact nearly enough in his big league days.
Pena blasted 84 home runs in 599 major league games, but he also struck out an astounding 559 times, roughly once every three at-bats.
He spent four seasons in Japan where he hit 71 home runs in 450 games … while also striking out 417 times.
Let’s celebrate Pena’s signing by watching him hit the baseball miles and miles.
Thumbnail photo via YouTube screenshot
