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Tigers release 1B Carlos Pena


SSH2005

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http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/n...t=.jsp&c_id=det

Tigers part ways with Pena

Once-heralded prospect's tenure in Detroit at an end

 

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

 

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tigers unconditionally released first baseman Carlos Pena on Sunday morning, closing the chapter on the former top prospect's mercurial four-year tenure in Detroit.

 

The 27-year-old Pena, acquired midway through the 2002 season in the Jeff Weaver trade that also brought Jeremy Bonderman to Detroit, lost his starting job last June. He was sent to Triple-A Toledo with a .181 batting average. Chris Shelton took his place and soon supplanted him as the first baseman of the present and future.

 

Pena's future might've been over at the end of the last season, but a mighty six-week stint salvaged his roster spot and gave the team hope it could get something in return for him. He batted .286 with 15 home runs and 30 RBIs in 38 games after his recall from Triple-A Toledo. He finished the year with a .235 average, 18 homers and 44 RBIs in 79 games.

 

Detroit tendered Pena a contract in December and avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.8 million deal. Prior to that deal, the Tigers had tried to deal him throughout the offseason and that effort had continued this spring, but there had been little interest on the part of other teams.

 

Manager Jim Leyland had said he could keep Pena, Shelton and Dmitri Young all on his roster, using Young as a utility infielder and Pena as a left-handed bat off the bench. Even so, having both Pena and Shelton presented roster problems and wouldn't have allowed Leyland to keep more than one utility infielder.

 

By releasing Pena before Wednesday, the Tigers owe him 45 days' termination pay, equaling $700,000. Had they released him before March 15, they would have owed him 30 days' pay, or $500,000.

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QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 26, 2006 -> 11:24 AM)
Inge is nothing special.  He just hit some big homers against us last season.

 

He's very versatile, and kills us. That infield in general is sick, Shelton is going to be a monster, if Guillen is healthy he's an all star, and Polanco is a very solid player.

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He's very versatile, and kills us.  That infield in general is sick, Shelton is going to be a monster, if Guillen is healthy he's an all star, and Polanco is a very solid player.

Inge is versatile but he is now their starting third baseman and he's not very good defensively there. And I think we saw the real Carlos Guillen last season after the roids from 2004 wore off. There's no way he's a 20 homerun shortstop. I really like Polanco though and Shelton looks like a good hitter.

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QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 26, 2006 -> 11:31 AM)
And I think we saw the real Carlos Guillen last season after the roids from 2004 wore off.  There's no way he's a 20 homerun shortstop.

 

Maybe not, but he also had a .320/.368 average and obp in 87 games last year with 15 doubles. That's pretty damn good.

 

I guess teams don't value low AVG, decent OBP and power first basemen off the bench. Both Choi and Pena have massive holes in their swings though.

 

Oh I can tell you people value solid OBP, lefty hitting 1st basemen with power. Problem is, when you have swings with as many holes as Choi and Pena, your going to have a ton of strikeouts and unproductive/easy outs. That's not a good thing at all, and isn't a stat you can really track unless your a hardcore moneyballer.

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QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 26, 2006 -> 12:45 PM)
He's a virtual clone of Hee-Seop Choi.  I guess teams don't value low AVG, decent OBP and power first basemen off the bench.  Both Choi and Pena have massive holes in their swings though.

 

Hey SSH2005, who's in you avatar? Is that Boone Logan.

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