McCarroll21
03-24-2007, 09:53 PM
Examining The Trade Of Tony Pena
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Let me begin this by saying that I have probably been over critical of Tony Pena, Jr. since he arrived in Atlanta, but seeing as how he is no longer here and has a chance to be the Kansas City Royals starting shortstop in 2007, I will be more impartial when writing this.
Little Tony Pena fits into the mold of the old school shortstop. The ones who cannot hit their way out of a paper sack, but can scoop up grounders like Jared Fogle used to snatch up the donuts. Because of the fact that Pena doesn't exactly strike fear into a pitcher at the plate, he has been passed over on the roster numerous times. This lead up to him running out of options, and still didn't appear to have a spot nailed down on the team. That scenario means one of two things: a) you place Tony Pena on the team because he is out of options, though he may be inferior to someone headed to the minor leagues, or b) you risk losing Tony Pena because he would have to clear waivers before getting sent back to the minor leagues.
The Braves did not want to lose Tony Pena for nothing, yet it was apparent that he was not going to have a job in Atlanta. Then our old friend Dayton Moore comes calling, after all, Angel Berroa, the previous Royals shortstop, is very comparable to Pena at the plate, but has a glove carved out of stone. There's no telling how long the conversations went on, but John Schuerholz somehow got Moore to give up a promising young pitcher in exchange for Pena.
So now the deal looks good, right? We aren't receiving immediate help to the Atlanta Braves, but at least we did not lose Pena for nothing. Not so fast. The pitcher the Braves received, Erik Cordier, is set to miss all of 2007 recovering from Tommy John surgery. But wait, Cordier is a former 2nd round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals, and you know that was an early 2nd round pick if it belonged to the Royals, so the man has obviously has the raw talent to become a star. The only thing standing in his way is his health.
But onto the trade. Tony Pena takes his career .253 average (composed of minor and major league at bats) to Kansas City and appears to be set to become their every day shortstop. The Royals sent Angel Berroa to Omaha today, thus clearing the spot for Pena. Pena's ZiPs forecast calls for him batting .228 with 6 homeruns and 18 steals given an every day job. Thank goodness that's not here, right? But in the Royals case, that may be more acceptable. Being an American League team, the Royals have the benefit of using a DH to help off-set Pena's offensive abilities, or lack of offensive abilities. Pena will hit 9th in the Royals lineup and provide stability to their young infield.
The Royals are building a good base of young talent, starting with highly regarded players like Alex Gordon, Mark Teahan and David DeJesus. While Pena isn't in their category, he still has a chance to be a good serviceable player with an AL team. He's a very good defender, and has actually been getting better at the plate in the last few seasons he spent in the minor leagues. Maybe he'll go to Kansas City and thrive, but I would hate to think that Dayton is expecting much out of Pena from the offensive side of things.
The Braves side of the deal includes a few things. First of all, they got something for Tony Pena, as already mentioned. Looking deeper, they got a former 2nd round draft pick that can touch 98 MPH on the radar gun when healthy. He also has two other plus pitches to complement the fastball, a very good slider and changeup. Before it was known he was going to sit out the season after having Tommy John surgery, he was one of the Royals top pitching prospects. Scouts say that his upside is something similar to that of Luke Hochevar, a player that has been drafted in the first round twice, the latest being number one overall in 2006 by the Royals.
Cordier's problem has been staying on the field. Since being drafted in 2004, Cordier has pitched in only 21 games. He missed all of the 2005 season with a leg injury, and will now miss all of 2007 due to Tommy John surgery. But when on the field, Cordier has done nothing but impress. Last season, between stops at Rookie League and A ball, Cordier posted a 2.91 ERA in 52.2 IP. He also had a 1.04 WHIP and close to a 2.5 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.
This trade will take a while to show which team got the better end of the deal. The Royals got the slick fielding shortstop they coveted, and the Braves added more pitching depth. The outlook on Cordier shows that he will sit out 2007 and then join the rest of the Braves young pitchers in Class A or AA ball in 2008. He is 21 years old, so we have some time to wait on him, but he may be on the fast track to Atlanta when returning from injury. We may see him in Atlanta as soon as September of 2008.
Overall, I'm pleased with the trade. I wish we got someone who isn't as much of an injury risk, but we would have lost Pena on waivers in about one week when he wasn't placed on the Braves 25-man roster. It's wait and see, but so far I'm treating it as trading a piece that would have never been in Atlanta for one that may prove to be a very valuable piece down the road.
Only time will tell.
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Let me begin this by saying that I have probably been over critical of Tony Pena, Jr. since he arrived in Atlanta, but seeing as how he is no longer here and has a chance to be the Kansas City Royals starting shortstop in 2007, I will be more impartial when writing this.
Little Tony Pena fits into the mold of the old school shortstop. The ones who cannot hit their way out of a paper sack, but can scoop up grounders like Jared Fogle used to snatch up the donuts. Because of the fact that Pena doesn't exactly strike fear into a pitcher at the plate, he has been passed over on the roster numerous times. This lead up to him running out of options, and still didn't appear to have a spot nailed down on the team. That scenario means one of two things: a) you place Tony Pena on the team because he is out of options, though he may be inferior to someone headed to the minor leagues, or b) you risk losing Tony Pena because he would have to clear waivers before getting sent back to the minor leagues.
The Braves did not want to lose Tony Pena for nothing, yet it was apparent that he was not going to have a job in Atlanta. Then our old friend Dayton Moore comes calling, after all, Angel Berroa, the previous Royals shortstop, is very comparable to Pena at the plate, but has a glove carved out of stone. There's no telling how long the conversations went on, but John Schuerholz somehow got Moore to give up a promising young pitcher in exchange for Pena.
So now the deal looks good, right? We aren't receiving immediate help to the Atlanta Braves, but at least we did not lose Pena for nothing. Not so fast. The pitcher the Braves received, Erik Cordier, is set to miss all of 2007 recovering from Tommy John surgery. But wait, Cordier is a former 2nd round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals, and you know that was an early 2nd round pick if it belonged to the Royals, so the man has obviously has the raw talent to become a star. The only thing standing in his way is his health.
But onto the trade. Tony Pena takes his career .253 average (composed of minor and major league at bats) to Kansas City and appears to be set to become their every day shortstop. The Royals sent Angel Berroa to Omaha today, thus clearing the spot for Pena. Pena's ZiPs forecast calls for him batting .228 with 6 homeruns and 18 steals given an every day job. Thank goodness that's not here, right? But in the Royals case, that may be more acceptable. Being an American League team, the Royals have the benefit of using a DH to help off-set Pena's offensive abilities, or lack of offensive abilities. Pena will hit 9th in the Royals lineup and provide stability to their young infield.
The Royals are building a good base of young talent, starting with highly regarded players like Alex Gordon, Mark Teahan and David DeJesus. While Pena isn't in their category, he still has a chance to be a good serviceable player with an AL team. He's a very good defender, and has actually been getting better at the plate in the last few seasons he spent in the minor leagues. Maybe he'll go to Kansas City and thrive, but I would hate to think that Dayton is expecting much out of Pena from the offensive side of things.
The Braves side of the deal includes a few things. First of all, they got something for Tony Pena, as already mentioned. Looking deeper, they got a former 2nd round draft pick that can touch 98 MPH on the radar gun when healthy. He also has two other plus pitches to complement the fastball, a very good slider and changeup. Before it was known he was going to sit out the season after having Tommy John surgery, he was one of the Royals top pitching prospects. Scouts say that his upside is something similar to that of Luke Hochevar, a player that has been drafted in the first round twice, the latest being number one overall in 2006 by the Royals.
Cordier's problem has been staying on the field. Since being drafted in 2004, Cordier has pitched in only 21 games. He missed all of the 2005 season with a leg injury, and will now miss all of 2007 due to Tommy John surgery. But when on the field, Cordier has done nothing but impress. Last season, between stops at Rookie League and A ball, Cordier posted a 2.91 ERA in 52.2 IP. He also had a 1.04 WHIP and close to a 2.5 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.
This trade will take a while to show which team got the better end of the deal. The Royals got the slick fielding shortstop they coveted, and the Braves added more pitching depth. The outlook on Cordier shows that he will sit out 2007 and then join the rest of the Braves young pitchers in Class A or AA ball in 2008. He is 21 years old, so we have some time to wait on him, but he may be on the fast track to Atlanta when returning from injury. We may see him in Atlanta as soon as September of 2008.
Overall, I'm pleased with the trade. I wish we got someone who isn't as much of an injury risk, but we would have lost Pena on waivers in about one week when he wasn't placed on the Braves 25-man roster. It's wait and see, but so far I'm treating it as trading a piece that would have never been in Atlanta for one that may prove to be a very valuable piece down the road.
Only time will tell.