Background and career
Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball first baseman and current broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Kansas City Royals. Although Peña was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States.
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, in 1995. He initially went to Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, but returned home after one year and attended Northeastern University in Boston; there, Peña studied electrical engineering. As a collegiate player, he competed in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), which showcases top amateur prospects every summer. Peña was a member of the Harwich Mariners in 1996 and the Wareham Gatemen 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 to one NCAA tournament. Peña's career batting average at Northeastern was .324 and he finished with 24 home runs in two seasons.
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 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 runs in 138 games. Peña was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers 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, 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, 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.
On January 14, 2002, along with Mike Venafro, Peña was traded by the Rangers to the Oakland Athletics 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' 2003 book Moneyball and was a minor character in the 2011 film based on the book. He is portrayed in the film by actor Gerardo Celasco (credited as Adrian Bellani).
Peña was involved in a three team deal on July 6, 2002. The Athletics sent Peña, a player to be named later (later named as Jeremy Bonderman), and Franklyn Germán to the Detroit Tigers. The New York Yankees 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 Dmitri Young and the first baseman at the time of the trade for the Tigers, Randall Simon, 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 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, 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 of the Baltimore Orioles 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, 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 Carlos Guillén, 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 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, a 461-foot blast, in Comerica Park history.
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. 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.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
