[Spitball]

Was Wily Mo Pena in danger of being exposed if he had played full time in Cincinnati?

I'm not sure that Pena wasn't in danger of becoming exposed if he had been placed in full time duty in Cincinnati. A batter's tendencies get around and holes in a swing become common knowledge. His second half line was .290/.401/.691 was not pretty. How much was hamstring and how much was "the book" on Pena?

Pena has obvious holes, and I personally feel the Reds did Pena a huge favor by trading him to a situation where he can continue to develop in a limited role. He hits very well against left handed pitching so being in a platoon situation should help him.

I don't believe it helped Pena's future in Cincy that he chose to play for the Dominican Republic rather than get needed at bats to work on his development. If he had continued to put up numbers like he did in the second half, his value would have fallen badly.