Carlos Pena

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #1 prospect in 2002
  Pena established himself as the top first-base prospect in the game last year. After driving in more than 100 runs in each of his first two full pro seasons, he slumped at the start of 2001. Hamstring and ribcage problems contributed to him hitting just .229 in his first 50 games. He got healthy and batted .326-15-50 in the second half and was impressive during his September callup with the Rangers, which included a two-homer game against Oakland. Because Rafael Palmeiro is still at first in Texas, Pena worked out in right field in the Dominican Republic this winter. He was born in the Dominican before moving to Boston with his family in 1992, later becoming a local star at Northeastern and in the Cape Cod League. Any chance that Pena might switch positions ended in mid-January, when the Athletics acquired him and Mike Venafro for four of their top prospects. Pena showed opposite-field power in the majors that was better than advertised. He had gotten into trouble in the past by trying to pull too many pitches. He has a silky smooth lefthanded stroke and always has maintained solid strike-zone judgment. Pena is a good athlete who runs well enough to leg out doubles and steal an occasional base. He's smart and has the character to be a clubhouse leader. He must stay back on breaking pitches to handle them better. He looks for fastballs too often, contributing to his average of 129 strikeouts the last three seasons. Big league lefthanders noticed and held him to one hit and five whiffs in 11 at-bats. Pena sometimes tries to be too flashy at first base, and he got caught in between hops on too many balls while in the majors. The Athletics are giving the daunting assignment of replacing Jason Giambi to Pena, who has the tools and makeup to handle it well. He's a leading candidate for American League rookie of the year and has the potential to be a perennial all-star.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #1 prospect in 2001
  Pena is a classic American success story. In search of a better life for his children, Pena's father brought his family to Boston from the Dominican Republic in 1992. Pena rocketed to prominence with a strong showing in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 1997, leading college baseball's top summer circuit in homers and RBIs while taking his team to the championship. He hasn't stopped hitting since. Pena batted .342-13-52 in 146 at-bats during his final season at Northeastern, after which the Rangers took him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 1998 draft. Pena has driven in 100 runs in each of his full seasons as a pro. The Ballpark in Arlington favors lefthanded power hitters who can pull the ball. That's Pena's main asset. He smacked a combined 46 homers in his two seasons at Class A Charlotte and Double-A Tulsa. By comparison, Juan Gonzalez had 29 homers in his two seasons with those clubs (though he was three years younger). Pena is more than an all-or-nothing power hitter. He reached base in 45 consecutive games last season. He also can run, legging out 36 doubles and stealing 12 bases without being caught. Defensively, Pena is excellent at first base. He brings the intangible of outstanding character as well. He's smart and hard-working, and he has an advanced understanding of how to play the game. He can be a franchise centerpiece on and off the field. Pena sometimes gets too pull-happy and out of control with his swing. The elite power hitters can take the outside pitch to the opposite field with force, but he too often tries to yank it to right field. Pena came in with no concept of the two-strike approach to hitting the Rangers stress. He made great strides in that aspect of his game last season, cutting his strikeouts by 32 while increasing his walks by 27 over the previous season. He needs to continue that progress. The Rangers resisted the urge to push Pena to Triple-A Oklahoma last year. They'll continue to move him pragmatically after signing free agent Andres Galarraga to a one-year deal, which should give Pena a full year at Oklahoma. He could appear in Texas late in 2001 and should be the starting first baseman in 2002.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #4 prospect in 1999
  Background: Pena started college at age 16, just three years after his family moved from the Dominican Republic to the Boston area. As a freshman, he was at Wright State because it was the only school that would give him a scholarship. After a year there, he returned home and flourished at Northeastern. Strengths: Despite his age and small-school background, Pena is poised and polished both on and off the field. He has a classic swing and is equally graceful at first base. Though he has the athletic ability to play the outfield corners, the Rangers have no plans of moving him there. Weaknesses: Scouts had questions about Pena's power potential when he was drafted, but he showed extra-base power in his first pro stint. The Rangers will be careful not to emphasize that skill until Pena has a chance to mature as an overall hitter. The Future: Texas already has one Gold Glove first baseman in Rafael Palmeiro and feels it has a future candidate in Pena. He will start 1998 in the high Class A Florida State League, and with fellow top prospect Shawn Gallagher one level ahead of him, he'll likely advance one level at a time.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #2 prospect in 2001
  After a slow start, Pena left no doubt that he's the Rangers' first baseman of the future. If Rafael Palmeiro will accede to it, Pena should be ready to take over next season. Pena's average didn't get above .260 for good until August as he battled nagging injuries, but then he finished at a blistering .375 with seven homers in the final month to leave a definite impression on the league. He also showed his plus power with several tape-measure shots. "Some of his home runs, I haven't seen any longer here," Oklahoma manager DeMarlo Hale said. This was the first time in three seasons that Pena didn't have at least 100 RBIs, but managers had little doubt that he'll be a consistent run producer in the big leagues. Though he passed 100 strikeouts again, his power and ability to draw walks more than make up for it. He also showed a willingness to go with pitches more this year, and his defense at first base is impeccable.
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  Ranked Texas League #2 prospect in 2000
  The league's top power prospect, Pena reached base in 45 consecutive games while leading the league in runs scored. After hitting 24 homers in his first season-and-a-half in pro ball, he blasted 24 long balls in 2000. He showed patience when pitchers refused to challenge him, drawing an impressive 101 walks. "Pena is a smart and dangerous hitter," Wichita manager Keith Bodie said. "He hurt us even when we thought we had him pitched perfectly." Pena is more than just an offensive force. He’s a good athlete who stole 12 bases, he’s very proficient at playing first base and he constantly exhibits well-honed baseball instincts. "When it comes to knowing baseball fundamentals and being able to execute them Pena is far ahead of most players his age," one scout said. "He's probably ahead of a few major leaguers, too."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #5 prospect in 2002
• Ranked Baseball America's #11 prospect in 2001
• Ranked Baseball America's #93 prospect in 1999

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  The league's top power prospect, Pena reached base in 45 consecutive games while leading the league in runs scored. After hitting 24 homers in his first season-and-a-half in pro ball, he blasted 24 long balls in 2000. He showed patience when pitchers refused to challenge him, drawing an impressive 101 walks. "Pena is a smart and dangerous hitter," Wichita manager Keith Bodie said. "He hurt us even when we thought we had him pitched perfectly." Pena is more than just an offensive force. He’s a good athlete who stole 12 bases, he’s very proficient at playing first base and he constantly exhibits well-honed baseball instincts. "When it comes to knowing baseball fundamentals and being able to execute them Pena is far ahead of most players his age," one scout said. "He's probably ahead of a few major leaguers, too."