A's rookie has talent and confidence of a veteran
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com


To any other rookie, the prospect of replacing Jason Giambi wouldn't
just be a challenge, but a burden to the point of paralysis. Imagine
being asked to fill a 38-home run deficit, drive in at least 120 runs
and hit .330 or better.

Talk about pressure. Talk about panic. How many veterans, let alone
first-year players, could live up to Giambi's standard?

But Carlos Pena is hardly a typical rookie -- practically as unique
as the situation he's being forced to embrace. Pena, only 23, has
already been deeded first base by the A's, and to hear him tell it,
he fully expects to exorcise Giambi's ghost.

Not next year or even next month. Pena means today.

"I want to be a superstar player, an impact player like Giambi and I
believe I have the talent to do that right away," Pena said the other
day. "I know experience is important, but it can also be overrated. I
don't want to use a lack of experience as an excuse for not
performing. I have goals that I'm striving for."

Pena is full of such powerful proclamations and if you listen long
enough, you realize it's not just rhetoric. The rookie, who was
acquired by the A's from the Rangers in the offseason, has an
enormous reservoir of self-confidence, an important weapon in the
cruel, cold world of major-league pitching.

Still, it's a fascinating curiosity: can Pena really be as good as he
says? Oakland general manager Billy Beane recently said, "I love his
potential. I think he's going to be a great first baseman. I have a
lot of faith in him."

So much faith that the A's say they have no deep regrets over the way
they pursued -- or didn't pursue -- Giambi during free agency. Club
officials knew they couldn't outbid the Yankees, so they began making
alternate plans as soon as it became obvious Giambi was looking for a
bigger stage.

The A's aren't reckless enough to base their 2002 hopes on Pena --
not when they still have Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson in
their starting rotation -- but awarding Giambi's job to a rookie is
consistent with Beane's trust in younger talent.

The A's were so impressed with the left-handed hitting Pena --
especially after he hit .299 with 28 homers and 105 RBI for the
Rangers' Double-A club in 2000 and followed that up with 26 homers
between Triple-A and the majors last season -- they traded away four
prospects to get him, including pitcher Mario Ramos and first baseman
Jason Hart. Oakland isn't worried about replenishing its almost-ready-
for-prime-time talent pool. The A's have seven of the first 39 picks
in the upcoming draft, as compensation for losing Giambi, Johnny
Damon and Jason Isringhausen to free agency.

But that still doesn't cushion Pena from the core-question: will his
talent match his charisma and self-confidence?

If spring training numbers mean anything, Pena's education has been
somewhat tougher than he anticipated. Through Thursday, he was
batting a mere .162 (6-for-37) with one extra-base hit and rumors
have started that he may begin the year in the minors.

Still, Pena remains unperturbed.

"I can see even now, in spring training, pitchers are trying to find
weaknesses in my swing," Pena said. "There's definitely been
different patterns in the way I've been pitched -- sometimes they'll
work me away, then inside, just to see what gets me out.

"As long as I remain focused on my goals, I'm going to be all right.
People constantly ask me about Giambi, but I try not to let it bother
me. Focus is the big thing for me."

Those who know Pena say this poise comes not just from his athletic
background, but from his upbringing, as well. When he was 14, Pena's
parents moved from Santo Domingo to Haverhill, Mass., near the New
Hampshire border.

It was culture shock: new friends, a new language, a new climate,
even. But Pena more than adapted -- he flourished. He quickly
mastered English and came within a year of obtaining a degree in
computer engineering at Northeastern before becoming a first-round
pick of the Rangers in 1998.

Even so, Pena's climb to the big leagues started at the very bottom.
As a high school player, he attracted so little notice from Division
I programs, he sent out more than 100 letters in an attempt to
generate some buzz. Only three schools replied.

It wasn't until Pena finally succeeded in the Cape Cod League -- the
prestigious college summer league that serves as an open audition for
big-league scouts -- that Pena finally glimpsed his future.

"That's when I had the proof that I was going to make it," Pena
said. "I had the confidence all along, but now I could tell
people, 'See. I really can do it.' From that point on, I felt good
about my chances."

Today, Pena's horizon is virtually limitless. First base is his, as
is Oakland's trust in him. If performance equals belief, Pena's
summer will certainly be worth watching.

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