The Baltimore Orioles have sent relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their slugging, strikeout-prone third baseman Mark Reynolds.
Even though it happened only a couple hours ago, every Orioles fan knows that by now.
Reynolds is a legitimate, right-handed power bat, having hit 32 homers last season, and 44 in 2009.
But he strikes out a lot. In fact, more often than anyone else in history, being the only player to strike out over 200 times in a season.
He’s done that the past three years.
He also hit .198 last year, but did have a .320 on-base percentage.
Knowing that, the Orioles front office now should focus on adding a solid bat.
By solid, I mean someone who can put up good power numbers with at least a decent average. Someone named Adam LaRoche.
I’ve seen some fans calling for the signing of Carlos Pena since this deal has happened, and I can understand that. The O’s need a first baseman, and Pena is a guy who plays a good first, is a leader in the clubhouse, and can hit the ball far.
Pena is also the same kind of hitter that Reynolds is—a guy who hits a homer or strikes out.
Pena has seen his average drop every year since his stellar 2007 season when he hit .282 with 46 homers and 121 runs batted in.
This past year, he put up a .196 average, but did have an OBP of .325.
Comparing power numbers between Pena and Reynolds, Pena put out 28 balls in 2010 while Reynolds smacked 32.
Pena drove in 84 runs; Reynolds tallied 85.
And while Pena stuck out 158 times compared to Reynolds ridiculous total of 211, you can see the similarities in the hitters pretty obviously.
Pena is almost a left-handed version of Reynolds, or vice-versa, when at the plate.
The O’s lineup doesn’t need another hitter like that.
They need someone who has been consistent, someone who the manager, coaches, and hitters batting around him know what he’s going to put up. Adam LaRoche is that guy.
While he won’t put up monster power numbers like Pena, LaRoche has managed to hit at least 20 homers in every season of his seven-year career except his rookie campaign, a year in which he hit 13 bombs in 324 at-bats, as well as driving in at least 78 runs every year besides his rookie year.
In 2010, he put up a line of .261/25/100, and his .320 OBP is identical to Reynolds’ and just five points lower than Pena’s.
He did strike out 172 times, but he had a much higher batting average.
Many fans point to the hitting coach in Tampa Bay as the reason why Pena’s average has dropped so much each year since 2007, and maybe a change of scenery combined with the help of manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Jim Presley can help Pena return to form a bit.
But that’s just a maybe.
LaRoche has bounced around a bit in his career, and he has hit everywhere.
He’s a guy who the O’s would know what they’re going to get from at the plate, as well as a good glove defensively and a respected clubhouse member.
He would help add balance to an Orioles’ lineup that needs it even more so after the acquisition of Reynolds.
Like always, I could be wrong.
Pena could bounce back and be great for the Orioles if they were to sign him, or another team.
Obviously, both players have their drawbacks, but personally I feel that it’s more important for the O’s to grab a known commodity in LaRoche as opposed to another player who could mash the ball with a Reynolds-like batting average.
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