Top Could-Have-Beens of Yankees History: Wily Mo Peña
01/17/2025 12:00 PM
Peña's prodigious power tantalized fans; traded to Cincinnati, he showed flashes during a ten-year career spent elsewhere.
"Sit 'round the fire, children, and let me tell you a tale. Once there was a man named Wily Mo Peña." Thus goes the introduction to a FanGraphs article on the subject of this one. Some players have a tool. Their calling card.
For Wily Mo, it was power. Surreal, ungodly power. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, his physical presence matched his ability to demolish baseballs. Unfortunately, the rest of the skill set didn't keep up enough to facilitate reaching his maximum potential. But ye gods, when Peña hit a baseball, that thing stayed hit.
Years in Yankees Organization: 1999-2001
How They Left: Traded to the Reds in March 2001
Career MLB Statistics: 599 G, .250 BA, 84 HR, 240 RBI, .748 OPS, 93 OPS+, 0.4 fWAR, -1.2 rWAR (never played with the Yankees)
Wily Modesto Peña was born in Laguna Salada, in the Dominican Republic. By the age of 16 he'd become a coveted prospect. Initially, he signed with the Marlins, though that contract was voided. Then, the cross-town Mets swooped in, signing Wily Mo in July 1998. Alas, that contract did not last long either. Due to issues with his parents' signatures on the contract, Major League Baseball voided his deal with the Mets in February 1999 and Peña was once again a free agent.
"When they signed me I was 16 and for you to sign your parents have to sign," Peña 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."
Weeks later, the Yankees approached Peña, and signed him to a major-league contract in early April 1999. Peña inked a four-year, $3.7 million deal, starting his clock. The Yankees would need to have him stick in The Show prior to the onset of the '03 season or expose him to waivers.
New York assigned their young phenom to Rookie ball for the 1999 season, where he gave a preview of what was to come. In 45 games, he had 18 extra-base hits, including seven home runs. There's the power. He also struck out 54 times while walking only 12. There's the swing and miss, and the lack of plate discipline. Despite his initial shortcomings, the potential was enough for Baseball America to slot him in as their 88th-ranked prospect headed into the 2000 season.
The following year, Wily Mo made it to A-Ball, where it was much the same story until a mid-season injury cut his season short. In mid-July 2000, he damaged cartilage in his knee, which shelved him for months. Despite the lackluster back of his baseball card, however, the sky was still the limit. Heading into the 2001 season, BA ranked Peña ninth in the Yankee system, remarking that he looked like the much-coveted five-tool prospect.
But before the 2001 season even began, Wily Mo found himself departing the Bronx. The Yankees dealt their talented young slugger to Cincinnati, bringing Drew Henson* back into the Yankee fold for the second time, along with journeyman outfielder Michael Coleman.
*SPOILER ALERT: Check in another day for more on that Henson fellow.
Peña spent '01 in the minor leagues for the Reds then made his big league debut in 2002 as part of a 13-game cameo with Cincinnati. He was with the Reds from Opening Day in 2003, but saw sporadic playing time to start the season. Thanks in no small part to spotty playing time in all likelihood, he struggled at the dish. It took until September 5th for his batting average to hit the Mendoza Line for the first time all season.
But from that day on, he looked like a different player. Over the final three-plus weeks of the season, he hit .263 with a .759 OPS. That final stretch set him up well for 2004.
And in '04, for really the only time in his big-league career, his performance matched his potential. In just 336 at-bats, he clobbered 26 home runs. By the end of the season, he boasted a .527 SLG and a 115 OPS+.
2005 marked his final season with the Reds, and arguably the indelible moment of Peña's career. On April 17th, Wily Mo went upper deck for a three-run blast, one of the truly titanic home runs of this century. It's fair to say those Cincinnati fans went to that day's game with little expectation a souvenir would end up there.
Prior to the '06 campaign, the Reds dealt him to Boston. There was still hope in some circles that Peña could put it all together. Writing for FanGraphs, David Appelman, perhaps optimistically, opined that he could have a 40 home run ceiling, with 30 round trippers a realistic target number. In roughly a half-season worth of playing time for the BoSox, he managed 10 dingers and a 110 OPS+.
Over the next two seasons, he played for the BoSox and Nationals, technically winning a World Series with Boston in 2007 — though he had been traded to the Nats in August. Washington released him in March 2009, and that began a two-year hiatus from the big leagues. Peña returned in 2011, playing for the Diamondbacks and Mariners in the finale of his eight-year MLB career.
From 2012 through 2015, Peña took his power across the Pacific, playing the next several seasons in Japan, where he continued crushing mammoth dingers.
Peña took one last crack at The Show in 2017, signing with Cleveland prior to spring training. His power was still there. But alas, it was not to be, and Peña had already played his last major-league game.
This is not a case of prospect who, due to injury, failed to reach his potential with the Yankees. Nor is Wily Mo's the story of the one who got away, reaching greatness and success in another uniform. Instead, his is the tale of the young player for whom the sky was the limit. Unfortunately, he never reached those exalted heights in MLB.
Works Cited
Appelman, David. "Daily Graphing - Wily Mo Peña ." FanGraphs. January 6, 2006.
Godett, Joel. "Peña Reunited With Mets Eleven Years Later." MLB.com. May 6, 2009.
Kelly, Matt. "We wish these HRs were tracked by Statcast." MLB.com. January 22, 2023.
Monagan, Matt. "Our home run king hath returned: Wily Mo Pena reportedly signed by the Indians." MLB.com. January 31, 2017.
Olney, Buster. "Yankees Notebook: Neagle Is Scheduled To Start on Monday." New York Times. July 14, 2000.
Stellini, Nicolas. "The Grand Return of Wily Mo Peña." FanGraphs. February 2, 2017.
