Wladimir Balentien, Wily Mo Pena crushing the ball in Japan

[malcontent]

Considering the vacuum we have in LF, why couldn't these guys help?

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/07/wladimir-balentien-wily-mo-pena-crushing-the-ball-in-japan/

[R_Webb18]

no

no

and

did i say

no?


he will crush double a triple a japan in his backyard but not in the majors

[malcontent]

Balentien never got much of a real shot, IMO.

Only 559 PA. And he's still only 27.

Wily Mo, OTOH, will undoubtedly return in the next life to absolutely crush all the naysayers and teams that bailed on him after two-week stints.

The other good thing about Mo Pena, is that he actually strikes out less than at least one current Red.

And when he does, he goes down swinging, not watching.

[R_Webb18]

willy mo had a shot last year

[texasdave]

Not sure why Balentien didn't get more of a shot. Some players seem to come out on the short end of the playing stick.

[malcontent]

Not sure why Balentien didn't get more of a shot. Some players seem to come out on the short end of the playing stick.
Yep. IMO, Roberto Petagine was one of those guys.

I'd take Petagine over Sean Casey, for instance.

[DirtyBaker]

As good as Balentien may be this year, last year in 555 plate appearances he only hit .228 in Japan.

Matt Murton by comparison has averaged .330 the last two years in Japan.

Have the Reds ever signed a Japanese league player before? I'd hope Walt at least keeps tabs on them to some extent.

I answered my own question. The answer is apparently no. Only Reds and Marlins have never had a Japanese player.

http://blog.japaneseballplayers.com/2011/12/florida-marlins-and-cincinnati-reds-remains-the-only-teams-without-any-japanese-players-in-its-history/

[Ironman92]

I wanna see Wily Mo in the HR for distance contest.....that is all

[Wonderful Monds]

No thanks on WMP, I would be on board with bringing Balentien back on a minor league contract though.

[joshua]

I always liked Wlad...I'm surprised he's not in the majors.

The Weapon of Mass Pena has had enough chances. I'm surprised he hasn't worked out.

[Tadasimha]

No thanks on WMP, I would be on board with bringing Balentien back on a minor league contract though.

Of the two, Balentien is the one who I'd want to see in Louisville as a possible Sept. callup. Pena has had more than enough chances at the big league level and we know what he can (and can't) do.

[Grouse]

Japan = Batting Practice, and willy mo is the king of batting practice. willy mo for Arroyo was a great trade.

[Red in Atl]

The reason they can't help is the old adage:

Been there, done that.

They had their chance and didn't grab hold of the opportunity. I see the same issue with Ludwick and Heisey. Ludwick has had success, but it was short lived. Heisey has had flashes of brilliance, but it may just be time to consider that he is only a 4th outfielder, pinch hitter and late inning defensive replacement.

We really need someone to step up, and I think Frazier has the best chance to fill that vacuum. Let Cairo spell Rolen on a regular basis and put Todd in left. He can't do any worse than what has transpired so far this year.

[markymark69]

Balentien never got much of a real shot, IMO.

Only 559 PA. And he's still only 27.

Wily Mo, OTOH, will undoubtedly return in the next life to absolutely crush all the naysayers and teams that bailed on him after two-week stints.

The other good thing about Mo Pena, is that he actually strikes out less than at least one current Red.

And when he does, he goes down swinging, not watching.

Not that he was All-Star material but I agree that Balentien never really got a shot - I always wondered what he could do if he'd had 400 or so at-bats - not interested in Pena any longer.

[OGB]

As good as Balentien may be this year, last year in 555 plate appearances he only hit .228 in Japan.

Matt Murton by comparison has averaged .330 the last two years in Japan.

Have the Reds ever signed a Japanese league player before? I'd hope Walt at least keeps tabs on them to some extent.

I answered my own question. The answer is apparently no. Only Reds and Marlins have never had a Japanese player.

http://blog.japaneseballplayers.com/2011/12/florida-marlins-and-cincinnati-reds-remains-the-only-teams-without-any-japanese-players-in-its-history/
I assume you're referring to an actual Japanese player, but didn't the Reds sign Cincinnati product and Japanese league home run champion* Tuffy Rhodes to a minor league contract back in the mid 00's?


*When you are one HR away from tying the record and a bunch of ignorant, jingoistic Japanese pitchers spend the rest of the season intentionally walking you so you don't have a chance to tie or pass it, then I consider you the champion.

[malcontent]

*When you are one HR away from tying the record and a bunch of ignorant, jingoistic Japanese pitchers spend the rest of the season intentionally walking you so you don't have a chance to tie or pass it, then I consider you the champion.
Good point.

[LaFlamaBlanca]

I assume you're referring to an actual Japanese player, but didn't the Reds sign Cincinnati product and Japanese league home run champion* Tuffy Rhodes to a minor league contract back in the mid 00's?


*When you are one HR away from tying the record and a bunch of ignorant, jingoistic Japanese pitchers spend the rest of the season intentionally walking you so you don't have a chance to tie or pass it, then I consider you the champion.

No thanks to both.

And that's a great word.

[jwmann2]

Some people on this message board could probably take some Japanese pitchers deep. All this means is that maybe they deserve another shot at the AAA level in the minors.