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Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978) is a Dominican former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and current broadcaster. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
,
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
,
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays,
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
,
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, and
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
. Although Peña was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from
San Francisco de Macorís San Francisco de Macorís is a city in the Dominican Republic located in the northeast portion of the country, in the Cibao region. It is the capital of the Duarte Province and the sixth most populated city in the country since 2010. The name ...
, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States.


Early life

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 Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census. Located o ...
, in 1995. He initially went to
Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio, United States. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in ...
in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, but returned home after one year and attended
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
; there, Peña studied electrical engineering. As a collegiate player, he competed in the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
(CCBL), which showcases top amateur prospects every summer. Peña was a member of the
Harwich Mariners The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...
in 1996 and the
Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...
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 The Northeastern Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey (in Hockey East); men's baseball, men's and women's basketball ...
to one NCAA tournament. Peña's career
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
at Northeastern was .324 and he finished with 24
home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
in two seasons.


Professional career


Texas Rangers

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 ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...
'' 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 run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s in 138 games. Peña was promoted to the Double-A
Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...
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 Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, 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 A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
, 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.


Oakland Athletics

On January 14, 2002, along with Mike Venafro, Peña was traded by the Rangers to the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
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 Moneyball or money ball may refer to: * '' Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'', 2003 book by Michael Lewis ** ''Moneyball'' (film), 2011 film adaptation of the book * ''Moneyball'' (album), 2025 album by Dutch Interior * Sabermetrics ...
'' and was a minor character in the film based on the book. He is portrayed in the film by actor Gerardo Celasco (credited as Adrian Bellani).


Detroit Tigers

Peña was involved in a three team deal on July 6, 2002. The Athletics sent Peña, a
player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
(later named as Jeremy Bonderman), and Franklyn Germán to the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. The
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
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 The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
Dmitri Young Dmitri Dell Young (born October 11, 1973) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left fielder, first baseman, and designated hitter, for the St. Louis Cardinals ...
and the first baseman at the time of the trade for the Tigers,
Randall Simon Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975) is a Curaçaoan former professional baseball first baseman. He has played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), LVBP and one in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) between 1997 a ...
, 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 In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pl ...
for an American League rookie in 2002. Peña played in his first full season in 2003 as the Tigers' everyday first baseman. On May 19, against the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
, he established career highs with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. Peña also missed nearly a month in June when he suffered a left calf strain. He played in 131 games for the Tigers in 2003 and batted .248 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs. In 2004, Peña established career highs in games played (142), at bats (481), hits (116), doubles (22), home runs (27), runs scored (89), RBIs (82), total bases (227), stolen bases (7), walks (70), and strikeouts (146). Peña also batted .241 in 2004. On May 27, 2004, against the Kansas City Royals, Peña matched a Tigers' nine-inning, single-game record with a career-high six hits. He became the fifth player in franchise history to do so and the first since Damion Easley on August 8, 2001, against the Texas Rangers. He batted in the eighth spot in the batting order and his six hits were the most from the eighth spot since
Wilbert Robinson Wilbert Robinson (June 29, 1864 – August 8, 1934), nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) ...
of the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
collected seven hits on June 10, 1892 against St. Louis. Peña began the 2005 season as the Tigers' starting first baseman. After playing in 40 games in which he batted .181 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, Peña was demoted to the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...
, where he played in 71 games for the Mud Hens and batted .311 with 12 home runs and 71 RBIs. Following an injury to
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
Carlos Guillén Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers. Guillén was signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft a ...
, Peña was recalled on August 17. Following his recall, he hit 15 home runs in 38 games. Overall, he played in 79 games for the Tigers in 2005, and batted .235 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs. In
Spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
during 2006, Peña batted .160 with one home run and four RBIs in 17 games for the Tigers, and the Tigers released him on March 26, 2006. While with the Tigers, Peña hit the longest
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
, a 461-foot blast, in
Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...
history.


New York Yankees

Peña signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on April 15, 2006. He played at the Triple-A level for the
Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...
. Playing in 105 games, Peña batted .260 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs. He exercised a clause in his contract and became a free agent on August 16.


Boston Red Sox

On August 17, 2006, Peña signed a minor league contract with the
Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...
and was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket. At Pawtucket, Peña played in 11 games and batted .459 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs. His contract was purchased on August 28. On September 4, Peña hit his only home run of the season. He was a defensive replacement and when he batted in the bottom of the ninth, he hit a walk-off home run off Brandon McCarthy of the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. Peña ended up playing in 18 games for the Red Sox in 2006. He batted .273 with 1 home run and three RBIs. Following the season, he opted for free agency.


Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Peña signed a minor league contract with the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...
on February 1, 2007 with an invitation to
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
. The Rays reassigned Peña to minor league camp. With a knee injury to
Greg Norton Gregory James Norton (born 13 March 1959) is an American bassist, formerly of the band Hüsker Dü. Early life Norton was born in Davenport, Iowa, as this was the most local Catholic hospital to his family’s home in Rock Island, Illinois. He ...
on the last day of spring training, the Rays re-signed him, this time to a Major League contract on April 1. Peña was on the Rays' active roster throughout the 2007 season. Peña had a slow start to his 2007 season, batting .213 with four home runs in the month of April as a backup player. Peña hit .356 with six home runs and 15 RBIs in May as an everyday player and was the Rays' first baseman for the rest of the season. He had four multi-home run games from August 26 to September 22. Peña would go on to have the best season of his career in 2007 and set numerous career highs. He finished the season with a .282 batting average, 46 home runs and 121 RBIs. His batting average, home runs, and RBIs were career highs, as well as games played (148), at bats (490), runs scored (99), doubles (29), total bases (307), on-base percentage (.411), slugging percentage (.627), walks (103), and strikeouts (142). He was second in the American League in home runs to
Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...
' 54, and first in at bats per home run (10.7). His home run, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walk totals also set Rays franchise records. In 2007, he had the lowest
range factor Range Factor (commonly abbreviated RF) is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by the number of innings or games played at a given defense position. The statistic is premised on the notion ...
of all AL league first basemen, 8.73. Peña's season led to his being named the 2007 American League Comeback Player of the Year and he was considered as an
AL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League (baseball), National League. The award has been present ...
candidate. He also was named the Player's Choice AL Comeback Player of the Year by fellow players. Peña was allowed to donate $20,000 to Dominican youth under the poverty line. In 2008, Peña had .227 batting average and 11 home runs in 207 at-bats through June 4, 2008. A day after going 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in against the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, Peña was placed on the fifteen-day disabled placed on June 4, 2008 due to a broken finger. He returned to action from the disabled list on June 27, and finished the season with a .247 batting average, 31 home runs, and 102 RBIs. Peña homered once every 15.8 at-bats, the highest ratio on the Rays. One of his home runs, on September 19 against the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
, was the result of the first call overturned by
instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred, both shot and broadcast live TV, live. After being shown live, the video is replayed so viewers can see it again and analyze what just happened. Spo ...
in MLB history. After the 2008 season ended, he was awarded his first (and also the first for a
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
franchise player) AL Gold Glove. Peña was elected for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, replacing
Dustin Pedroia Any addition of 2018 will be reverted. Only players who were on a winning team's active roster during a World Series are listed as "World Series champions" in this context. Note that this is the same criterion as is used by Baseball-reference.com ...
and participated in the 2009 Home Run Derby where he lost in a bat-off against
Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...
in the first round. On September 7, 2009, Peña suffered two broken fingers after getting hit by a pitch, which put him out for the rest of the 2009 season. Despite missing the last few weeks of the season, he still finished tied for the lead for home runs in the American League at 39 with
Mark Teixeira Mark Charles Teixeira ( ; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed "Tex", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anahe ...
of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. He also led the AL in at bats per home run (12.1) despite having the lowest batting average of all qualified hitters (.227). Peña's three-year contract with the Rays, reported by the ''
St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...
'' as worth $24.125 million, expired at the end of the 2010 season. In 2010 with the Rays, Peña hit 28 home runs drove in 84 runs and finished the season with a .196 batting average (below the
Mendoza line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a .200 batting average, the supposed threshold for offensive futility in Major League Baseball. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine big l ...
), the lowest average of anyone in the Majors who qualified for the batting title. He also started 135 games at first base for the Rays and played in 144 games. In the 2010 American League Division Series against Texas, Peña got his first triple of the year off Rangers starter
Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, ''Country Hoedown''. ''Th ...
in Game 4 on October 10, helping the Rays even the playoff series at two games apiece. The day before, he had gone 2-for-3 with a home run. The Rays would lose the series, 3–2.


Chicago Cubs

On December 8, 2010, Peña signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $10 million. He received $5 million in 2011 and $5 million in January 2012, counted against the 2011 payroll. In 153 games, Peña hit .225 with 28 home runs and 80 RBIs as Chicago's starting first baseman.


Second stint with the Tampa Bay Rays

On January 20, 2012, Peña returned to the Rays for a second stint, signing a 1-year, $7.25 million deal. He was introduced four days later on January 24 after passing a physical earlier in the day. He returned to his #23 uniform number he had in his previous tenure with the Rays. During opening day on April 6, 2012 against the Yankees, Peña hit a grand slam off of CC Sabathia in his first at-bat and later, the game-winning hit off of
Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...
to seal a 7–6 victory for the Rays. Peña played in 160 games, serving as the primary first baseman and occasional DH. He finished the 2012 season with a .197 average (lowest among all qualified MLB batters), 19 home runs, and 61 RBI.


Houston Astros

On December 17, 2012, Peña signed a one-year deal with the Houston Astros, worth $2.9 million with another $1.4 million in incentives, to be their designated hitter in their inaugural American League season. On July 21, 2013, Peña was designated for assignment. He was released by the Astros on July 31, 2013.


Kansas City Royals

Peña was signed to a minor league contract by the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
on August 28, 2013. He played in 4 games for the Royals with three hitless at bats before the end of the season.


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On January 28, 2014, Peña along with
Brennan Boesch Brennan Philip Boesch (born April 12, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2010 with the Detroit Tigers. After being released from Detroit before the 2013 season, Boesch ...
, signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
. The contract included an invitation to spring training. On March 23, Peña was released by the Angels.


Second stint with the Rangers

On June 17, 2014, Peña signed a minor league deal to return to the Rangers. He was called up on June 24. He played 18 games for the Rangers, batting .136/.190/.237 with 2 RBI in 59 at bats before being designated for assignment on July 17. On August 17, Peña was officially released by the Rangers. After remaining out of the game for over a year, failing to find another team to play for, Peña signed a one-day contract with the Tampa Bay Rays so he could officially retire as a member of the team. Peña first became eligible for the
National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...
during the 2020 balloting, but he received no votes and was removed from future consideration.


Broadcasting

In December 2014,
MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...
announced that Peña had joined its team as a studio analyst. In September 2017, Peña appeared on
New England Sports Network New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of the Boston ...
(NESN) as a studio analyst, and also worked as a
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
with
Jerry Remy Gerald Peter Remy (November 8, 1952 – October 30, 2021) was an American professional baseball player and sports broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for ten seasons—three with the California Angels (1975� ...
and play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien during the Red Sox' final series of the regular season, against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. In 2018, Peña was featured on a Season 7 episode of Impractical Jokers during a punishment for Joe Gatto, one of the Jokers. In February 2019, Peña was announced as part of the NESN broadcast team for the Red Sox' 2019 season, to fill in when regular color commentators Jerry Remy and
Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...
are not available. Peña also contributed to Cubs Postgame Live on
Marquee Sports Network Marquee Sports Network is a regional sports network operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, launched on February 22, 2020. It replaced a trio of channels (cable channel NBC Sports Chicago and broadcast partners WLS-TV and WGN S ...
. In January 2024, Peña was announced as part of the Detroit Tigers Bally Sports Detroit broadcast team for the Tigers' 2024 season, to handle color commentary for multiple games alongside play-by-play announcers Jason Benetti and Dan Dickerson.


Personal life

In the wake of the
2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
, Peña donated food and medical supplies to the victims and made fundraising appearances, which he described as, "people uniting for a good cause, people showing their good heart". Peña is also a spokesman for
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to "create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth". Adult volunteers are matched with children from ag ...
and, in 2008, was the Rays' nominee for the
Roberto Clemente Award The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball positions, player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community#Psychology, community involvement and the individual's contribution to ...
, given for exemplifying on-field achievement and sportsmanship with off-field community service. He has also worked with Uncork for a Cause and "Rays on the Runway" charity event held by his former team. Carlos and his wife, Pamela, have three children.


See also

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List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit so far that the batter is able to circle all the bases ending at home plate, scoring himself plus any runners already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play. An automat ...
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List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most career home runs in regular season play (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games). In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by ci ...
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List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders In baseball, a Hit (baseball), hit is credited to a Batting (baseball), batter when he reaches first base – or Extra-base hit, any subsequent base – Safe (baseball), safely after hitting a fair ball, without the benefit of an Error (baseball) ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Carlos 1978 births Living people American League home run champions Baseball players from Haverhill, Massachusetts Boston Red Sox announcers Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Rangers players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Chicago Cubs players Columbus Clippers players Detroit Tigers announcers Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gold Glove Award winners Gulf Coast Rangers players Harwich Mariners players Houston Astros players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic MLB Network personalities Northeastern Huskies baseball players Oakland Athletics players Omaha Storm Chasers players Oklahoma RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players Savannah Sand Gnats players Silver Slugger Award winners Baseball players from Santo Domingo Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Tampa Bay Rays players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players Vero Beach Devil Rays players Wareham Gatemen players Wright State Raiders baseball players