News
Pena having a powerful but odd year
Rays slugger has hit more home runs than singles
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
08/27/09 12:10 PM ET
TORONTO -- Carlos Pena currently owns one of the odder distinctions for a Major League hitter: The Rays first baseman has 37 home runs and 35 singles."It's almost like, 'How do you do that?'" Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It's pretty impressive in a way."
According to Dave Haller of the Rays' public relations staff, only two players in Major League history have hit as many home runs as singles while hitting a minimum of 30 home runs. Mark McGwire did it four times and Barry Bonds did it once.
Of those seasons, Bonds had the biggest disparity in 2001, when he set the single-season home run mark with 73 while hitting 49 singles.
Steve Henderson, the Rays hitting coach and once a teammate of McGwire's on the A's, called the stat "strange."
"I never really thought about it," Henderson said. "All I know is when [Carlos] has come up with guys in scoring position he's come up with some big hits for us. That's my main concern -- getting those runs in.
"The biggest thing is he's hitting the home runs when he needs to. If he hits 40 or 50 home runs and 30 singles, I don't care."
A big factor in the imbalance for Pena has been the shift toward right field that opposing teams often play against him, which Henderson conservatively estimated has cost Pena anywhere for 25 to 30 base hits, which translates to fewer points on his batting average.
"And he knows it," Henderson said. "He should be hitting higher than that, but they've got that shift on. That's baseball. He's got to make some kind of adjustment. That's what you've got to do by hitting the ball up the middle or out of the ballpark."
Based on the fact that fewer teams shift against right-handed hitters, Henderson believed McGwire's imbalance was more difficult to quantify.
"I still believe if he learns to stay on the line a little more consistently on [the left side of the field], I still think he'll hit the same number of home runs," Maddon said. "With more singles and a higher batting average."
MORE HOMERS THAN SINGLES | |||||
| Two players have hit at least as many home runs as singles, while hitting at least 30 home runs, in a single season. Mark McGwire did it four times. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena had 37 home runs and 35 singles through Aug. 27. | |||||
PLAYER | YEAR | HRs | SINGLES | DIFF. | |
| Mark McGwire | 1995 | 39 | 32 | 7 | |
| Mark McGwire | 1998 | 70 | 61 | 9 | |
| Mark McGwire | 1999 | 65 | 58 | 7 | |
| Mark McGwire | 2000 | 32 | 32 | 0 | |
| Barry Bonds | 2001 | 73 | 49 | 24 | |
Pena just smiled when asked about the stat and the possibility of finishing the season with more homers than singles.
"It's interesting, isn't it?" Pena said. "I can see how it can be odd if you just look at it. But if you were to see it every day, the batting average really doesn't tell the truth. The shift has taken its toll.
"I know that's not my priority, to have a high batting average, but it's really nice to have that. As a hitter you like that. It's good. What I do is try to step back and be objective about it all. And say, 'Am I helping the ballclub out?' And that's all I care about."
Pena actually seemed a little embarrassed about the statistic and said he just tries to keep his mind focused on improving.
"Don't look at the numbers, get better," Pena said. "That's kind of my mentality. So like today, when I come to the park, I'm going to work on the things that I need to work on to become a better hitter. And I'm going to try and help the ballclub win today. And that's not easy to do.
"We're all human. We all have egos that sometimes get the best of us. And pride. And that's one thing that we as a group talk about. We've got to check that pride at the door and egos. The pride we must have is that healthy one that says I'm going to come out today and do the best I can with the ballclub. And that's all that matters. That stuff is what we have in this culture here in Tampa."
Pena said he constantly monitors his thinking to see if he's at a point where he's too concerned about his numbers.
"I check myself all the time," Pena said. "If I catch myself checking my numbers or something that's not conducive to what we're trying to do here, I immediately catch myself and I'm like, 'Hey, does that really help us win today?' You can't come to the park with that kind of baggage. I think of it as, 'Have you been able to help your ballclub out?' That's it, regardless of whether you have more home runs than singles."
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
