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Welcoming ‘The Hulk’ to Washington
By Chris Mottram | August 18, 2007
When you’re a Nationals fan, it’s the little things that get you excited (case in point). So you can imagine how thrilled we were to get Wily Mo Pena from Boston yesterday for a bag of peanuts. Although he rode the pine in Boston, he instantly becomes our best power hitter and a legit No. 4 in Washington’s murderer’s row. Some other notes to get your up to speed:
- Him and SS Felipe Lopez are BFFs. Lopez claims Wily Mo will hit Frank Howard-like bombs in RFK. I hope he’s right, but fear he isn’t.
- Wily Mo has a MySpace page which reveals that his nickname is The Hulk and he once kissed two girls in one day.
- He becomes one of four ex-Reds in the Nats everday lineup. For better or worse, Jim Bowden is a loyal GM.
- He hit 51 homers in 302 games while in Cincy, averaging a home run every 16.2 at bats. If Wily Mo plays everyday (which he should do in D.C.) he could be a 40 HR guy.
Something tells me I’m gonna love this guy. Unless of course he comes here and hits like Austin Kearns, in which case I’ll attempt to justify his spot in the lineup by saying things such as, “… but shit man, he has a cannon for an arm out there.”
Update: Wily Mo just hit his first homer as a National in his second game with the team. It was an absolute bomb off the upper deck facade. Yep, just as I suspected, I love him.
Topics: Nationals, Wily Mo Pena | 3 Comments »
August 18th, 2007 at 3:11 PM
I think this guy has a ton of potential, and I kind of wish the Giants could have landed him somehow. He does seem like a bit of a headcase, but sometimes long seasons on the bench can do that to you.
August 18th, 2007 at 4:46 PM
As a Sox fan, I loved Wily Mo, and always felt like it didn’t make much bringing him in if they weren’t going to play him regularly.
My bet in Washington? Next season, we’ll see 30-plus home runs, 90-plus RBI… and 180 strikeouts.
August 20th, 2007 at 5:56 PM
Im with dmonthe30. Im a Sox fan and he was wasting away in Boston. I hope he took away some of the culture and mindset papi and manny can impart and starts to spread the disease elsewhere. He’s going to tear it up in DC next season.