Tony Pena (penato02)
From BR Bullpen
Tony Francisco Pena
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lbs.
[edit] Biographical Information
Shortstop Tony Peña is the son of former All-Star catcher and manager Tony Peña. He is the cousin of Rudy Pena and nephew of Ramon Pena. He made his big league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2006. As a member of the Kansas City Royals, Tony earned the nickname "trips" after hitting two triples on opening day and finishing April with four.
In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, Peña hit .294/.333/.471 as the primary shortstop for the Dominican national team, which won Bronze, its first Medal in an Intercontinental Cup in over 20 years.
Peña batted .429/.429/.571 with 5 RBI in the 2008 Caribbean Series and made the Series All-Star team at shortstop but led the Series with four errors, helping cost the Águilas Cibaeñas the title.
Pena struggled mightily with the bat in 2008, when he hit .169 with an OPS+ of 7, and in 2009, when he fell to .098. Released by the Royals, he decided to try his hand at pitching. He had made one appearance as a reliever in 2008, and had impressed observers with his velocity. He pitched 10 games with a 2.33 ERA in the minors in 2009, then was signed as a full-time reliever by the San Francisco Giants organization in 2010, opening the year with the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels.
