What Ever Happened To: Oliver Perez/Brad Penny

Do you ever sit around wondering, what ever happened to (Insert Player Name)? Well, in this case we are going to be checking in on two players who have fallen off the map recently. One of them was in the playoffs last season, started the year in Japan, was miserable and is now back in the American Minor Leagues, and the other is a pitcher who simply never reached his full potential, but may have a shot to still.


Player A is Brad Penny.


Player B, Oliver Perez.


Both are currently on AAA rosters, and both will likely get another shot at the Major Leagues this season. With that, let's take a look at both, starting with Brad Penny.


Brad Penny has started 315 games in his Major League career, he is 119-99 with a 4.23 ERA over that career, and was a member of the 2003 World Series Champion Marlins. Twice he has won 16 games in his career. Yet at the end of 2011, after a miserable 11-11 season with a 5.30 ERA with the Tigers, Penny found himself at a crossroads.


Penny was unable to find Major League work and wound up agreeing to a deal with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan. The Hawks, eager for a recent MLB-caliber player rather than the traditional "AAAA" player snapped Penny up for $3 million USD. 


Penny made one appearance in Japan's Major League, lasting 3.1 Innings, allowing 7 hits and 3 walks, he struck out one and allowed 6 runs (4 earned). After his release his Japanese manager stated, "Penny...  It is unfortunate.  But part of it is his feelings and then there is also his shoulder.  It can not be helped."


But the San Francisco Giants didn't seem to mind, or notice, signing him to a minor league deal a week later, and proclaiming, "It just didn't work out. He wasn't happy where he was over there. He wanted to come back here. The shoulder or elbow, that's not an issue. He showed it today in the bullpen. We'll make sure he is healthy and make sure he will help us. It'll take a little time. When he thinks he's ready and he thinks he's ready, it'll be a mutual agreement, and we'll have him here to help us."


After three weeks in extended spring, Penny joined the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. His first appearance wasn't pretty, he got only one out, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, and ultimately getting credited with 5 runs (3 earned). His second appearance, two days later was much cleaner, one quick inning, 11 pitches, 10 strikes. He hit 95 on the gun and had no issues sitting down the Salt Lake Bees in order. If Penny is indeed healthy and can sit around 93-95 consistently in short outings, I could see him being an attribute to the Giants bullpen down the stretch. 


(H/T to YakyuBaku for the wonderful Japanese coverage and the Penny quotes)
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Oliver Perez is another interesting tale. Perez was released in 2010 by the New York Mets with $12 million remaining on his contract. He joined the Nationals on a minor league deal, and pitched in 16 games (15 starts) for the Harrisburg Senators (AA). He was effective, albeit without his best stuff, posting a 3.09 ERA over the 16 outings. But reports out of Harrisburg had his fastball in the mid-80s. Down from the low-to-mid 90's during his peak. He spent the winter in his native Mexico pitching in the Winter League and things began to turn around.


Re-inventing himself as a lefty-reliever Perez posted a 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings in the Mexican League. The Seattle Mariners (although they have a ton of left-handed relievers) gave him an opportunity and he joined the team on a minor-league deal worth up to $1 million if he makes the MLB Roster eventually. On June 13th, I was able to see Perez in short-relief and sure enough the fastball was back. He sat at 93-95 through his inning of work and was pleasantly surprised to see Perez.


As for Perez, during an interview with the Mariners during Spring Training he was quoted as saying, "Sometimes I'd see the [radar] gun at the games and it would be 92-94 and that felt good, because the past three years I was 85-87," he said. "That made me really happy, because I worked really hard and all that is paying off."


Now then, as a lefty-reliever it'll be crucial that he can get left-handed hitters out with regularity. So far that is not quite true, with AAA Tacoma this season Perez has faced 60 lefties and allowed only 13 hits, but he has walked 8 of them, meaning that 21 of the 60 Plate Appearances have resulted in baserunners (.250 batting average, and .350 OBP). He has struck out 24 of those 60 batters though, and if he can begin to harness that stuff, he may be able to have a future as a lefty-reliever after all.