Carlos Peña

Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball first baseman and current broadcaster.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Kansas City Royals.

Although Peña was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States.

Peña is the second-oldest of five children born to Felipe and Juana Marisela Peña.

The family moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when Peña was 12, initially living with one of his uncles.

Peña graduated from Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1995.

He initially went to Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, but returned home after one year and attended Northeastern University in Boston; there, Peña studied electrical engineering.

As a collegiate player, he competed in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), which showcases top amateur prospects every summer.

Peña was a member of the Harwich Mariners in 1996 and the Wareham Gatemen in 1997.

In 1997, he was named CCBL league MVP and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2003.

During his time at Northeastern, Peña led the Northeastern Huskies to one NCAA tournament.

Peña's career batting average at Northeastern was .324 and he finished with 24 home runs in two seasons.

Peña was selected in the first round (10th pick overall) by the Texas Rangers in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft.

Peña played for three different Rangers affiliates in 1998.

Prior to the 1999 season, Peña was named by Baseball America as the 93rd prospect in their top 100 prospects list.

In 1999, Peña played for the Charlotte Rangers, the Rangers Advanced Single-A team.

He batted .255 with 18 home runs in 138 games.

Peña was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in 2000, where he batted .299 with 28 home runs and 105 RBI in 138 games.

Peña appeared in Baseball America 's top 100 prospect list in 2001, this time at number eleven and was the Rangers' top prospect.

He advanced another level in 2001, this time playing for the Oklahoma Redhawks, the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate.

He played in 119 games for the Redhawks, in which he batted .288 with 23 home runs and 74 RBIs.

Peña was also a Triple-A All-Star in 2001.

Following the 2001 minor league season, the Rangers called Peña up to the big leagues during September, when rosters expand.

He made his big league debut on September 5, starting at first base, wearing number 15, and going hitless in three at-bats.

Peña finished the 2001 season with a .258 batting average and three home runs in 22 games played.

On January 14, 2002, along with Mike Venafro, Peña was traded by the Rangers to the Oakland Athletics for Jason Hart, Gerald Laird, Ryan Ludwick, and Mario Ramos.

In 40 games with the A's, Peña hit .218 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs.

During a stint with Triple-A Sacramento from July 2–5, he hit .438 with two home runs and six RBIs.

Peña was mentioned several times in Michael Lewis' book Moneyball and was a minor character in the film based on the book.

He is portrayed in the film by actor Adrian Bellani.

Peña was involved in a three team deal on July 6, 2002.

The Athletics sent Peña, a player to be named later (later named as Jeremy Bonderman), and Franklyn Germán to the Detroit Tigers.

The New York Yankees sent Ted Lilly, John-Ford Griffin, and Jason Arnold to the Athletics.

The Tigers sent Jeff Weaver to the Yankees and cash to the Athletics.

The Tigers acquired Peña due to a season-ending injury to designated hitter Dmitri Young and the first baseman at the time of the trade for the Tigers, Randall Simon, immediately became the Tigers' designated hitter following Peña's acquisition.

Peña made his Tigers' debut the next day against the Boston Red Sox, as he went 3–4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs.

Peña played in 75 games for the Tigers in 2002 and batted .253 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Overall, he batted .242 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs in 115 games.

His 2002 season included a 12-game hitting streak from September 8–21, which tied teammate Omar Infante for the longest hitting streak for an American League rookie in 2002.

Peña played in his first full season in 2003 as the Tigers' everyday first baseman.