Look at the above picture. Does that look like the swing of a position player? If you said yes, you are lying. LYING!
Okay, not really. But Tony Pena Jr., he of the .098 batting average this year, has finally agreed to let the Royals try to make him a pitcher.
It all started last year, when the Royals got their butts kicked on July 21, 2008 by the Tigers, 19-4. Down by a ton and not wanting to waste the arm, the Royals did what all awesome teams do and put a position player on the mound. Only Tony Pena Jr. wasn't any normal position player/pitcher. After getting his feet set after a few pitchers, he put the side down in order, striking out future hall of famer Ivan Rodriguez in the process.
Well first came the Deadspin commentary. But that was followed up with a very serious Joe Posnanski article, asking whether Pena really should consider moving to pitcher. The points were good, and Pena sucked at offense anyways, so I agreed and made a facebook group: Tony Pena Junior: The Anti Ankiel.
The support was there, but Tony struggled on, trying to remain a shortstop. But recently Tony was waived, and desperate times call for desperate measures. There is a glimmer of hope for Tony, however: Teammate Ron Mahay did a similar thing back in 1995, switching from outfield to pitching. And I'd say that, 14 years later, Mahay has been pretty successful. So maybe we'll see Pena before we know it, pitching in the 8th inning to get the game to Soria (or maybe Soria will get the game to Pena?).
Note: Noticed this article on Joe Posnanski's Twitter, so I'm giving credit where credit is due.
I Love the Internet - Tony Pena Jr. is Finally Becoming a Pitcher
