Ramiro Peña has been the definition of clutch for the Atlanta Braves in 2013. Meanwhile, Juan Francisco has been traded by the organization. This leaves Peña in a very comfortable position as he will have the opportunity to get more playing time and the Braves will have a functioning bat in the lineup.
Peña started on Sunday's game as the Braves faced the Washington Nationals and he got the team on the board early on. With the right-hander, Nathan Karns on the mound for Washington, Fredi Gonzalez was able to plug Peña's bat at the top of the lineup and there was no disappointing. Peña went deep in the first inning giving the Braves and Paul Maholm an early 2-0 lead.
So far in the season, Peña has come up with huge hits this season and provided clutch at bats. He is currently on a 6-12 tear with one home run and six RBI in his last four games played. Gonzalez loves mixing and matching his lineup and as Chris Johnson continues to rake in 2013, Peña will surely get playing time if he continues to bat this well throughout the season.
For Francisco, it was simply his last chance. The Braves held on top him knowing they needed somebody to take over at third base following Chipper Jones' retirement. By having Francisco around, the organization was able to patiently test out their best option at third base. Johnson has not stopped hitting and Peña has played very well when given the opportunity. Francisco was not producing enough in comparison to both of these guys.
The Braves first designated Francisco for assignment, but they traded him away to the Milwaukee Bucks for Thomas Keeling, a left-handed minor league pitcher. The 25-year-old is not expected to be a major part of the bullpen now, but they are looking to make space for him next season. As Braves beat writer, Mark Bowman pointed out, Keeling can hit 93 mph and has a sidearm delivery to the plate.
These are the stats comparing Juan Francisco's production to Ramiro Peña:
Francisco: 35 G, 115 PA, .241 avg. 5 HR, 16 RBI, .287 OBP, 43 SO
Peña: 40 G, 90 PA, .325 avg. 3 HR, 14 RBI, .382 OBP, 13 SO
Peña brings more production to the table in fewer opportunities at the plate. The Braves hope they can continue getting decent contributions from their new backup third baseman.
