MiLB Player of the Day: Yordalin Peña, Palm Beach Cardinals

The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day: Yordalin Peña
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Yordalin Peña helped Palm Beach deliver the perfect answer.

One night after the Cardinals were no-hit by St. Lucie, Palm Beach came back and hammered the Mets 17-0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Peña was right in the middle of it, earning The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day honors after the first two-home run game of his professional career.

Peña homered twice, drove in three runs, scored three times, and helped set the tone in one of Palm Beach’s most complete wins of the season.

That is how you respond.

The Cardinals had every reason to come out tight after being shut down the night before. Instead, they came out swinging. Peña helped get things started in the second inning, going back-to-back with Chase Heath on solo home runs to give Palm Beach an early 2-0 lead.

That was only the beginning.

Palm Beach broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning, then followed with a nine-run fifth. Peña added his second home run of the night during that fifth-inning outburst, helping turn a comfortable lead into a runaway.

By the time the night was over, Palm Beach had scored 17 runs, collected 20 hits, matched a season high with four home runs, and saw every starter score at least one run.

That kind of team-wide response matters, but Peña’s night stood above the rest.

Ryan Mitchell deserves strong mention after hitting a grand slam. Matthew Miura also deserves mention after collecting four hits. Chase Heath homered and drove in three as well. There were plenty of candidates in a game like this.

But Peña’s two-home run performance, three RBIs, three runs scored, and role in flipping the tone of the series make him the choice.

For a young hitter, nights like this are part of the building process. Production matters. Confidence matters. Responding after a rough team loss matters, too.

Peña did all three.

Old School Take

Baseball will humble you in a hurry.

One night, you get no-hit. The next night, you score 17 runs.

That is why you show up the next day.

Yordalin Peña showed up with two home runs, three RBIs, and the kind of performance that helped Palm Beach turn the page in a hurry.

That is a good day at the ballpark.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary:
www.cardinalchronicle.com

Photo Credit: Yordalin Peña, Palm Beach Cardinals | MiLB