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	10.13.05 Season wrap-up Now that the season is over it is time to check back on some issues that I have raised over the past year. Wily Mo Pena - Before the season started I wrote an article discussing Pena's predicament in Cincinnati.  The conclusion of that article was that the injury histories of the players involved would probably mean that everyone would get just as many at bats as they could handle.  Well, that proposition was true and then some.  Pena himself spent considerable time on the DL and Austin Kearns was so ineffective that he spent time in the minors.  The major surprise is that Ken Griffey, Jr. was healthy for most of the year.  Because of Pena's and Kearns' absence, however, the door was opened for another player, Ryan Freel to get some playing time.  Here are the season stats for all five players: Wily Mo Pena            .254/.304/.492    19hr    51rbi    2sb    311ab Ken Griffey, Jr.          .301/.369/.576    35hr    92rbi    0sb    491ab Adam Dunn               .247/.389/.537    39hr   100rbi    4sb    538ab Austin Kearns            .238/.332/.442    17hr    66rbi    0sb    382ab Ryan Freel                 .274/.374/.375     4hr     21rbi   36sb    365ab Freel also spent some time at second base and third base and ended up being a super-utility player.  He is obviously a different breed of player from the other four, as his power is almost non-existent, but he far outpaces the rest in steals.  Griffey and Dunn were relatively predictable (as far as production when healthy, goes) but Pena and Kearns remain enigmas.  Pena started very strong, but struggled some after his injury.  He is still a liability in the field, even though his athletic abilities make up for most of his mental mistakes.  It looks as though the Reds will probably go into next season with the same situation as they did this past season and hope that either Pena or Kearns distinguish themselves as a solid player (unless, of course, they trade Griffey in order to dump salary). The Shortstop Triangle I wrote earlier in the year about the three shortstops that traded teams during the offseason: Renteria to Boston, Cabrera to Anaheim, and Eckstein to St. Louis.  Interestingly, all three made the playoffs, allowing them to bolster their value to their new teams.  Here are how their season statistics compare: Edgar Renteria          .276/.335/.385    8hr    70rbi    9sb Orlando Cabrera       .259/.311/.368    8hr    56rbi   21sb David Eckstein          .294/.363/.395    8hr    61rbi   11sb Eckstein has only improved his numbers since I last wrote about this situation, making his acquisition far and away the best of the three.  His power numbers are similar to the others, while his averages are much better.  And remember, he did all this for far less money than the others got paid. Preseason Predictions Drew correctly picked 3 out of 8 playoff teams, Tim correctly picked 2 out of 8 playoff teams, and I correctly picked 5 out of 8 playoff teams.
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