The Curious Case of Brayan Pena

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 11:39 AM EDT

As we head into the 14th game of the season, one has to wonder:

Who is Brayan Pena and why is he on our roster?

Originally, the company line was that B. Pena was being kept on the 25-man roster to provide flexibility and give him a chance to audition for a spot. Neither has occurred.

Brayan has exactly one start in the first 13 games...at DH. He has yet to audition for, or provide flexibility at, the catcher position.

Even more puzzling is the fact that the Royals' starting catcher, Miguel Olivo, has struggled mightily. Consider this, Olivo has struck out twice as many times as Pena has even had at-bats (13 vs. 6).

Pena is 2-6 with two doubles in his limited exposure. We have no idea how he might call a game, handle pitchers, throw out runners, etc. Olivo has 28 plate appearances. He has struck out half of those appearances. Last night, when I actually prayed for a strikeout as he came up, he hit into a crucial ending-inning double play. On the year, Olivo has a whopping 4 hits, exactly twice the number of the forgotten Bryan Pena.

At the end of the day, I'm not holding any grand illusions that B. Pena is some sort of saviour sitting on the bench waiting to reveal himself if given the chance. I am saying, however, that if we aren't serious about him possibly contributing, let's trade him and get something in return.

Soon, Guillen and Bale will return (and God forbid even Waechter). The roster will have to adjust, and it will become apparent (even to Hillman), that carrying 3 catchers is not practical. Will Pena get a chance prior to that, or will he always be the guy that Royals fans refer to as the guy who was "probably" a better choice than Olivo?

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I think the plan all along...

was to keep Brayan on the roster long enough until they could trade one of the catchers. It would be very difficult to trade Brayan because other teams that might be interested know his status and know that the Royals will need to do some roster shuffling soon. I think they’d rather gamble that they’ll be able to sign Brayan for nothing instead of trading anything of value for him.

It’s obvious that Brayan and Buck should be splitting the catching duties right now. Olivo is just absolutely atrocious at the plate. The Royals are simply giving 3-4 outs away every time they start him.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 22, 2009 11:48 AM EDT reply actions

I think it was pretty clear that B. Pena was on the roster because there was some roster flexibility due to injuries and because the Royals didn't want to expose him to waivers and then lose him.

He wasn’t added to the roster with the expectation in anyone’s mind that he’d get a lot of playing time and audition for a greater role. He’s here because the Royals have no depth at catcher in the system and they’d rather keep him than lose him.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

But don't we expose him if we send him down now?

I could be wrong on that, but I thought he had to be MLB or hit waivers.

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, he can't be sent down without exposing him to waivers

But putting him on the 25-man roster to begin the season allowed the Royals to postpone when they expose him to waivers. If they had put him on waivers back when the initial 25-man roster was set, that would have been back when teams were still in the process of finalizing their opening day rosters. Things were in flux and teams had more flexibility to acquire a backup catcher like Pena. But now rosters are much more set. If they expose him to waivers now, the chance that they’ll lose him is smaller. That doesn’t mean he’s at the top of my list of guys who should be DFA’d when Guillen and/or Bale return. But it does mean putting him on the 25-man roster to begin the season was probably the right move, even if they planned to expose him to waivers eventually.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, I am not sure how demand there would be for Pena

He can hit lefties fine (just like the other two catchers on the roster), but he has a substandard major and minor league track record against RHP, he might have trouble hitting for any kind of power based on his unusually high groundball rate from the minors, and he apparently has some problems with defense.

by Gopherballs on Apr 22, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

He should be safe until Gordon returns

shouldn’t he…Mitch will go back to omaha when Guillen returns, I assume.

We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan

by Royal Kingdom on Apr 22, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, but there's also the pitching situation

I believe the Royals have a 11-man staff right now. They said from the beginning that this would be temporary. They want to go with a 12-man staff, meaning 7 relievers. So when Bale comes back (or maybe Waechter), a position player will likely have to go.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Nope, I'm sure you were counting the Spork twice...

Active Roster

We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan

by Royal Kingdom on Apr 22, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

honest mistake

the Spork can easily be double-counted; he exudes as much GRIT as any two other players combined

MF'ing six consecutive GIDP's gave me aneurisms

by BillyMojo on Apr 22, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Also

I like JR House and he is off to a terrific start at Omaha. And he doesn’t have the downside of aging backwards like Brayan Pena apparently does?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 22, 2009 12:15 PM EDT reply actions

House, though, has the defensive reputation of a 60 year old

by Gopherballs on Apr 22, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, he's another guy who would make a good third catcher

He can hit off the bench, DH sometimes and catch when you really need a third guy to catch.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

Seems like a luxury on a team with limited roster space like ours, but yea, that would be a nice guy to have in that role.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 22, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions

which is pretty much the role that Brayan Pena has now

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

And I don’t know that the Royals should have a third catcher at all. But given the alternatives (Shealy? Costa?), I don’t mind B. Pena being on the 25-man roster since waiving him might mean losing him. I mean would waiving him to bring up Shealy or Costa really help the team much, or any?

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

House might make the most sense of all (if you are willing to risk losing Pena)

He could start once or twice per week at 1B/DH against LHP, pinch hit against LHP for the left-handed starters with platoon issues (Teahen, Jacobs), and pinch hit for the starting catcher against RHP late in games when trailing so his exposure behind the plate is limited to an inning or two.

by Gopherballs on Apr 22, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions

for what it's worth

CHONE projects Olivo at -1, Buck at -2, Pena at -7, and House at -18

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I wonder what Matt LeCroy was

The funny thing is if House had been left-handed, he would have been converted to 1B and given a chance to be a regular like Jacobs. But as a right-handed hitter short of Mike Sweeney hitting skills, he falls somewhere between Josh Phelps and Matt LeCroy on the career path of right-handed hitting catchers who cannot catch.

by Gopherballs on Apr 22, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

What Matt LeCroy was? Awesome, that's what he was.

don’t even get me started on my unfulfilled dream of a “Fat Matt” DH platoon combo. As I’ve said many times, given how drunk the managers and umpires are all the time, and the somewhat similar built of these two bearded defensive wonders, if you gave one #33 and the other #88, or one #52 and the other #25, you could probably even switch them more than once a game without anyone noticing.

I’m too lazy to combine LeCroy’s with his innings behind the plate, but Rally has LeCroy at -15 in a little over 1500 career PAs… considering how negative his positional adjustment was, that’s remarkable when you consider what a small proportion of his career was actually behind the plate.

Olivo and Buck have little trade value. If they’re going to carry a third “catcher,” I say they do what most thought they should have done: kept one of Olivo or Buck (I say it’s clearly Buck, and was before the season started, but I know others disagree), use B. Pena as the backup, and have House in Pena’s current role.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Who was the other Fat Matt

In your platoon? Stairs?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 22, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

yes

i guess it would have made more sense to include him

am i wrong, or would that have been one of the awesomest things ever?

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

That would be as awesome

As my imagined Russ Branyan/Wily Mo Pena platoon.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 22, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

but could you switch those two out without anyone knowing?

also, Branyan is actually pretty cut, from what I can tell.

Fat guys = more awesomer

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions

what about Sal Fasano then?

His fattness makes him totally awesomer

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

except that he couldn't hit righties or lefties well enough to DH

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

but man you should see him hit a softball

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

+1 and rec'd

for use of awesomest

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

The awesomest thing ever in terms of roster/starters/subs shenanigans...

would be to make every single one of your players wear the same number (like Jackie Robinson Day EVERY day!) and force them all to wear sunglasses and fake mustaches every game (even night games). You’d totally be able to bamboozle the umpires and opposing team. Just ask Bobby Valentine.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 22, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Bobby V is the other manager I would hire in a hearbeat

besides Ron Gardenhire. Ron for his ability, Bobby for his entertainment value

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Whatever tic Miggy's got

holding him back I wish they’d get it fixed so everyone could see him live up to what he’s been touted to —

MF'ing six consecutive GIDP's gave me aneurisms

by BillyMojo on Apr 22, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

but I don't see it happening

so like devil_fingers said keep Buck and BPena; but I’m still not fond of 3 backstops on the 25-man.

(Hey Mark… wanna start at another position?)

MF'ing six consecutive GIDP's gave me aneurisms

by BillyMojo on Apr 22, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions

It's all part of DM's master plan

to build an entire roster of Pena’s

"I've seen the future and it's much like the present only longer." - Dan Quisenberry

by Safe@First on Apr 22, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions

Why didn't we sign Wily Mo?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 22, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the answering is staring you in the tomahawk

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

how about 9 catchers?

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Apr 22, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I have an awesome Spanish keyboard

that allows me to type Peña (a “peña” is a cliff or a crag, while “pena” is sorrow, and let’s not even get into the difference between año and ano) and Avilés and Ramírez and De Jesús (should be two words, but he’s American and has changed the spelling of his name just like a lot of other folks have).

The most obvious mispronunciation of a famous guy’s name is probably Minnie Miñoso, “meen-YO-so,” generally known as “MEN-oh-so.” There’s also César “se-DAYN-yo.” And, of course, Leo “NUN-yez,” who we’re still all rooting for even though he got traded to the inferior league.

I seem to remember Dave Concepción getting the accent put on the back of his jersey about halfway through his career with the Reds.

It's pronounced Poo-ZHOLS in Catalan.

by Juancho on Apr 22, 2009 3:42 PM EDT reply actions

I have a question

Is the accurate Spanish pronunciation of “Brayan” much like the standard English “Brian”? That’s what all of the announcers are calling him, and I assumed it was more like “Bray – awn”.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

En espanol...

it would probably sound more like “Brah-ee-an” rather than the Americanized “Bri-an.” Then again, he’s Cuban, so who knows. They do all sorts of crazy stuff that Juancho would probably be better able to summarize.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 22, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Hmmmm

I don’t thin the first “a” and “y” make separate vowel sounds in Spanish unless there is the appropriate accent mark. I think the “ay” makes a single vowel sound, but I’m not sure if that’s true or what it is.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Apr 22, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, the "y" or ee sound...

doesn’t become a separate syllable, and as far as I know (8 years of Spanish classes, but not much full immersion) an accent’s only function is to indicate which syllable you place emphasis upon. But you definitely pronounce the “ee” sound as part of a word that has the “y” in it. I would think you’d definitely notice a different pronunciation than an Anglo-American saying Bryan or Brian (as most of the Anglo-American media members I’ve heard pronounce his name).

Then again, like I said, he’s Cuban. They do things a little differently down there. Like naming a kid Vladimir. Probably pronounced “BLAHD-ee-meer.”

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 22, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

For example the word cayó (he fell), the “y” doesn’t make an ee sound. If anything, spelling it Brayan seems to be intentionally making it pronounced as closely to how it would be pronounced in English as possible.

by PopeSoria on Apr 22, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

In LatAm

People make up all sorts of crazy first names (anybody remember Runelvys?). Often they’re taken from other languages, especially English. In this case “Brayan” is the Spanish phonetic equivalent of the English Brian, since the “ay” diphthong in Spanish is pronounced like the English sound “eye.” So Pope Soria is right. Brayan’s parents wanted to name him “Brian,” and they wanted other Spanish-speakers to pronounce it as in English, instead of as “BREE-ahn,” the Spanish pronounciation.

Changing names to fit spelling conventions not unusual at all. My mother’s great-grandfather was a Bukovina German who came with his (large) family (and the rest of their village, as a group) from Austria-Hungary to Ellis County in 1888. His last name was Ast, which is pronounced in German with a long “aah” sound. The Americans pronounced it with a short A, so it sounded an awful lot like “ass.” Solution: Change the spelling to Aust, which is much closer to the correct German sound when pronounced in American. In Ellis County there are still both Austs and Asts. Same extended family, different spelling.

It's pronounced Poo-ZHOLS in Catalan.

by Juancho on Apr 23, 2009 4:19 AM EDT up reply actions

I assumed it would be like "Bray-awn"

by Top Ramen on Apr 22, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Anybody put any weight

on the apparent fact that Olivo seems to have become a personal catcher for Greinke? Greinke was positively effusive in his praise for Olivo after that last game – much more than a normal nod to your catcher would sound like, IMHO.

Just sayin – personally, I think I’d rather have Buck than Olivo – but it might be more important enough to keep Greinke happy than to devise a way to keep B Pena by trading Olivo, for example.

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Apr 22, 2009 3:47 PM EDT reply actions

Game calling is very important...

But I don’t think Buck is that big of a dropoff is he?

Maybe we should just have Farny pitch Olivo some BP. Then at least one of them has to get their mojo back, right?

Russ Gload = Doug Mientiewicz....without the pop

by Dubya on Apr 22, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

and we were told

the opposite last year. But, I don’t recall any players actually saying anything (maybe Meche did). But, the line was that Buck called better and the pitchers were more “comfortable” with him.

"I'll be the first one to tell you, Don't follow me. I'll let you down. Follow Jesus." Trey Hillman

OK, got it.

The General Theory of Royaltivity

by kabrink on Apr 22, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

i think if i called a game for greinke it would work

although whether or not we should keep zaq happy is a seperate matter

by Freneau on Apr 22, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

that's why olivo is on the roster

he seems like a great guy: very smart, easy to work with. In one word?

Accomodating

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

or whatever real word i was trying to spell there

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

i'm digging your new sarcasm-based approach

like with the line about Gload yesterday… totally threw me for a double-take and I was thinking I was gonna see some arguments about Nunez being the best player on the royals.

by Freneau on Apr 22, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

unfortunatley, it means I can't tell when other people are being sarcastic

I hadn’t noticed a change. I guess I’m trying to make my jokes a bit more obvious and things everyone else would agree with, rather than getting into arguments that go on endlessly and end up getting more … heated… than I feel good about, which might explain the hordes of readers I’m getting at Driveline

It’s funny ~~- people who’ve known me for a long time would say I’ve mellowed on the sarcasm/snark over the years. If you think I’m an a~~-hole now, you should have known me at 21. Yikes.

ON the other hand, maybe I’m just stealing your schtick.

Maybe it’s just the pressure of pinning all the Royals’ 2009 offensive hopes on Billy Butler getting to me.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 22, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions