Carlos Pena has done it all this year. Not only has the former Northeastern slugger taken the American League by force, but he’s drawn the admiration of former All-Star first baseman and current “Baseball Tonight” analyst John Kruk, giving Northeastern nationwide publicity.
There’s a reason for Pena’s increased exposure. Pena hit two home runs and knocked in seven runs as his Tampa Bay Devil Rays routed the Baltimore Orioles 17-2 last night. With the two home runs, he now has 37 on the year, second in the American League (AL) behind only New York Yankee’s Alex Rodriguez and tied with Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard for third most in all of baseball, ahead of notable sluggers like David Ortiz, Albert Pujols and even Barry Bonds. His 105 RBI (4th) and 79 walks (T6th) also rank him near the top of the AL and his .639 slugging percentage is second in the league.
In the final month of his incredible season, Pena was able to reflect on what led to his success.
“I’m more mature. I’ve made a natural progression as a hitter,” Pena said. It’s a lot of fun to come to the park. It’s a great environment in Tampa Bay. I never thought I could go to the beach and two hours later be taking batting practice,” he said before Tampa Bay’s 8-4 loss to Baltimore Tuesday night.
After transferring from Wright State, Pena played two seasons at Northeastern, compiling a .324-24-93 line in 100 games. He helped the Huskies win the America East title in 1997, which he said was one his favorite memories while at NU.
“It was a great time, and a lot of fun. Being able to go to the [NCAA] regional in California was a lot of fun. It was great just being with the guys on the team,” Pena said.
He entered spring training this year as a non-roster invitee of the Devil Rays, and made the opening day roster when first baseman Greg Norton was placed on the disabled list.
“My goal in spring training was to make the opening day roster. When that came about, I was very happy, and I wanted to see if I could contribute and get to play,” Pena said.
His hot bat gave Tampa manager Joe Maddon little choice, as Pena hit over .400 in May and June, and became Tampa Bay’s regular first baseman and a staple in the heart of the lineup.
His 35th home run of the season Sunday against the Yankees set a Devil Ray single season record for home runs, and was a double blow to New York. Andy Phillips and Doug Mientkiewicz, the two players who have logged the most innings at first for New York this year, have as many home runs (six) in 310 at bats as Pena has 45 at bats against the Yankees in 2007.
His home run hitting exploits drew the attention of Kruk several weeks ago. Upon learning Pena had attended Northeastern, Kruk wondered where Northeastern was and asked for a Northeastern jersey on air.
“It was a Sunday night episode of Baseball Tonight when Kruk mentioned he wanted the jersey,” said Mark Harris, assistant director of the Husky athletics club. “The next morning, [baseball manager] Neil McPhee’s, [athletic director] Peter Roby’s and my phones were all ringing off the hook.”
Pena was a first round pick (10th overall) of the Texas Rangers in the 1998 Major League baseball amateur draft, and was the first Husky to be taken in the first round. He made his major league debut in 2001, appearing in 22 games for Texas before being traded to the Oakland Athletics in the off-season
Pena was then traded to the Detroit Tigers in July 2002. He enjoyed modest success from 2003-2005 with the Tigers, averaging 21 home runs a year, with a then career best 27 home runs and 82 RBI in 2004.The Tigers released him in March 2006 and he was signed by the Yankees, where he languished in Triple A until he was released in August of that year.
Pena, who attended Haverhill High School, was signed by the Red Sox and appeared in 18 games during the final month of the season, hitting a walk-off home run against the White Sox in September.
Though he’s been shuffled through the MLB, Pena is pleased about the publicity he is generating for his former school.
“It’s great,” he said. “Northeastern is a great school, not only on the [athletic] field but academically as well. It’s very pleasing to be able to put the university in a positive light.”
