Pena Reunited With Mets Eleven Years Later
"I was thinking about that," Pena said. "When I signed originally it was with the Mets and now I'm back here again."
Pena was just 16 years old and a prized prospect from Lagunda Salada in the Dominican Republic. The Mets won the sweepstakes for his services, signing him in 1998. But the deal didn't last too long, voided because of issues with the signatures of Pena's parents on the contract.
"When they signed me I was 16 and for you to sign your parents have to sign," Pena said. "They didn't sign. My mamma didn't sign and my dad didn't either. They have to be my father and my mother's signatures and they weren't there. From there they call me a free agent."
And from there the Yankees swooped in and grabbed the young outfielder, signing him to a major league contract. The deal gave Pena four years to make it to the Bronx before his options expired. Pena had just four seasons in which the Yankees could send him to the minors while still protecting him from waivers.
"It came to me," Pena said of the contract. "They came to me so I took it. When they came to me with that offer I took it. No I didn't feel pressure. That was alright because they were saying by that time I would be ready for the big leagues."
So Pena ventured off on his career, and sure enough, by age 20 the gentle giant arrived in the bigs. But he didn't arrive with the Yankees. Pena debuted as a Cincinnati Red in 2002, traded for Drew Henson and Michael Coleman before the '01 season.
"It's tough," Pena said. "When I signed with the Yankees I thought it was going to be my team, my only team."
Instead of wearing Pinstripes, Wily Mo was now stuck in a crowded outfield with names like Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Jose Guillen, Reggie Taylor, Juan Encarnacion and Ruben Mateo. Pena spent just a handful of games with the Reds in '02. He made the club for 80 games the next year, but was still just one of many.
"I didn't have that much time to play," said Pena. "I just watched all those people to get ready. I watched how they played the game...I asked people about hitting, about the big leagues, about everything. I just step, step, step to make it to the big leagues."
And Pena did an admirable job picking the brains of his veteran teammates. When asked who he went to, the two names he rattled off were Barry Larkin and Griffey Jr. Pena said the latter broke down hitting easily, saying he simply needed to 'see the ball and hit it.'
"They've been around the major leagues for a long, long time," Pena said. "When you talk to those two guys you have to catch some stuff and learn some stuff because they're superstars."
And don't think for a minute that Pena would trade time learning and sporadically playing in the majors for a more everyday roll in the minors. Although conventional wisdom says more time to develop in the minors might have been a better option, the outfielder's happy with how everything has played out.
"I think it was luck," Pena said. "I always thank Jesus and God for giving me the blessing to sign a major league contract. I will always be thankful to God."
The watching, learning and question asking paid off for Pena, who spent all of 2004 on the Cincinnati roster, belting a career high 26 homers in the process. He's also spent time in the majors with Boston and Washington, racking up 77 career homeruns. Joining the Bisons in 2009, he injects a new life into the Buffalo team.
"He's a big threat when it comes to the offense," Herd manager Ken Oberkfell said. "It's helping get Fernando [Martinez] good pitches to hit because you don't want to pitch around Fernando to get to Wily Mo. And with Ramon [Martinez] hitting second, he's going to get good pitched to hit because of Fernando hitting behind him. It's kind of like that snowball effect."
Pena's path to the Mets began after he was released by the Nationals following spring training. Wily Mo returned home, but still took batting practice and worked to stay in shape. When the Mets signed him toward the end of April, Pena reported to Port St. Lucie to see live game action before heading north. New York also had something else it wanted Pena to work on.
"They want him to play outfield and they wanted him to play some first base," Oberkfell said. "We know he can play the outfield, he's done it in the past. I think he's just learning first base, but he's going to get a lot of time playing first base because of the surplus of outfielders we have."
The 27-year-old had played first only three times in his American baseball career before this season. All of those appearances came with the International League's Pawtucket Red Sox in 2006. Pena said he has also played first during winter ball in the Dominican. His approach this time is fairly straightforward.
"Just catch the ball, make the throw and make the play, whatever the play is," Pena, a veteran of 560 MLB games, said.
And all that time in the majors is a critical part of Wily Mo's makeup. Maybe more important than a strong bat and a newfound defensive versatility, Pena's experience brings a calm presence to the Bisons clubhouse.
"We're not going to stay like this," Pena said of Buffalo's tough start. "We just need to keep battling, keep hitting and doing the same stuff we've been doing and keep playing hard. It's going to pay off. That's what I [the team] them yesterday. We just have to play."
"What Wily Mo brings here is some excitement in the clubhouse," Oberkfell said. "He's always laughing and joking and he keeps the young guys loose. He plays hard and he knows he's going to play and he's almost like another coach also."