Born02/16/1975 in San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic
ProfileHt.: 6'0" / Wt.: 176 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School
Escuela San Pedro De Marcois (DR) HS
Debut09/08/1998
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
Background: Pena was signed as a 17-year-old by legendary Dominican scout Ralph Avila, but his career was sidetracked by elbow surgery in 1994 and shoulder surgery in 1997. Healthy and in better shape last year, Pena had a dominant offensive year in the Texas League's toughest hitter's park. He led all Double-A hitters with a .376 batting average on the road, where he hit 16 of his home runs and had 65 of his RBIs. Pena also led all Double-A and Triple-A regulars by hitting .410 against lefthanders.
Strengths: As well as Pena hit in 1998, scouts save their highest praise for his defensive abilities. He has an innate feel for handling pitchers and calls an excellent game. Pena's arm strength is above-average and he is surprisingly quick and nimble for his size. At the plate, Pena has above-average bat speed and an aggressive approach early in the count. He adeptly drives the ball to all fields but also has the strength to hit tape-measure home runs when he turns on pitches.
Weaknesses: As one Dodgers official said about Pena, "the chest protector just looks a little smaller on him." Pena has often weighed well in excess of his listed 228 pounds, and his body has been a constant source of concern. Better conditioning has helped Pena's hitting (he hit .205 in 1996 in his first 127 Class A at-bats), but the Dodgers are resigned to the fact he'll never have an ideal athletic body.
The Future: Todd Hundley has a lock on the Dodgers everyday catching job for the next two years--if his elbow remains healthy. So Pena will have to bide his time in Triple-A or on the Dodgers bench. If Pena maintains his conditioning until he gets an opportunity, he could be the rare catcher who can impact a game both offensively and defensively.
Top 100 Rankings
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