Erick Pena: A Baseball Reference

Erick Pena was born on May 5, 1978, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic He was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as an amateur free agent in 1996. Pena made his Major League debut with the Devil Rays on September 1, 2000. He appeared in 11 games for Tampa Bay that season, batting .167 with one home run and three RBIs.

Pena was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2002 season. He spent parts of three seasons with Milwaukee, appearing in a total of 48 games. Pena’s best season came in 2003, when he hit .260 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 36 games. He was released by the Brewers following the 2004 season.

Pena spent the 2005 season playing for the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League. In 2006, he returned to affiliated baseball, signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh’s minor league system before being released following the 2007 campaign.

Pena’s professional career came to an end after the 2007 season. In parts of seven seasons at the Major League level, he appeared in 69 games and batted .245 with five home runs and 23 RBIs.

The Early Years-

Erick Pena was born on July 26, 1992, in New York City Pena grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. He played little League Baseball at the age of five. By the time he was nine, he was playing in a competitive travel baseball league. At age eleven, he was one of the Top Players in his age group in New York State

Pena attended George Washington High School in Manhattan. As a freshman, he was the starting shortstop on the varsity baseball team He batted .500 with four home runs and twenty-five runs batted in. Pena was named to the All-City team as a freshman. He was also named to the All-borough team as a freshman and sophomore.

The Minor Leagues-

Erick Pena played in the Minor Leagues for 6 seasons from 1995-2000 and was a member of 4 different teams. He began his career with the Gulf Coast League White Sox in 1995. In 1996 he played for the South Bend Silver Hawks before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization where he spent the next 2 seasons with their affiliate, the GCL Pirates. He was then traded back to the White Sox organization where he spent his final 2 seasons with the Birmingham Barons.

Erick Pena had a batting average of .274, hitting 34 Home Runs and driving in 133 RBIs in 6 seasons.

The Major Leagues

The Major Leagues are the top level of baseball in North America There are two leagues- the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). Each league has three divisions- East, Central, and West. The winner of each division goes to the playoffs to compete for the chance to go to the World Series

Erick Pena played for five teams during his eight year career in Major League Baseball He was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2000 and made his debut with the team in 2004. He played for the White Sox until 2006 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds He played for the Reds until 2008 when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics He played for the A’s until 2010 when he was once again traded, this time to the Houston Astros Pena finished his career with the Astros in 2011.

The End of an Era-

On December 12, 2018, the Seattle Mariners traded right-handed pitcher Erick Advincula to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. The move marked the end of an era for the Mariners, as Advincula had been with the organization since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

Advincula made his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2011, and went on to appear in 18 games for the team over the next two seasons. He was primarily used as a middle reliever, but did make one start for the Mariners in 2012. Advincula’s \ best season came in 2013, when he posted a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 37 games.

After spending the 2014 season pitching for the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, Advincula was released by the team in 2015. He would go on to pitch in independent League Baseball before signing a Minor League contract with the Rays in 2017. Advincula spent most of the 2017 season pitching for Triple-A Durham, but did appear in four games for the Rays.

In 2018, Advincula made seven appearances for the Rays, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 8.1 innings pitched He was designated for assignment by the Rays on November 20, 2018, and was traded to the Mariners just over two weeks later.

Advincula finishes his career with a 4-2 record and 3.90 ERA in 46 Major League games pitched. He also appeared in 11 minor league games (seven starts) during his career, going 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.21 WHIP

The Legacy-

Erick Pena, nicknamed “The Big Cat”, was a professional baseball player for 16 years. He played for 7 different teams, including the Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox In his career, he had a batting average of .274, with 1,445 hits, and 773 RBIs. He was a 3-time All-Star, and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1999.

The Future-

Erick Pena is a 16 year old Costa Rican baseball player who has been making waves in the U.S. He has been playing in the states for the past 3 years and has already attracted attention from several MLB teams. scouts love his potential and believe he has a bright future ahead of him.

FAQ-

Erick Pena is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 2001-2003. He is currently the Head Coach of the Gulf Coast League Astros.

Pena was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 27th round of the 1997 amateur draft. He played for three different teams in his Major League career: the Houston Astros Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates In 2001, he made his Major League debut with the Astros.

Pena’s Minor League career spanned 14 seasons, from 1997-2010. He played for numerous teams in various levels of minor league baseball including stops with the Quad Cities River Bandits, New Britain Rock Cats, Toledo Mud Hens Pawtucket Red Sox and Charlotte Knights

He also played winter ball in Puerto Rico Mexico, and Venezuela. In 2009, he helped lead Criollos de Caguas to the Caribbean World Series championship.

About the Author-

Erick Pena is a baseball writer who has been published on a number of different sites. He has also been a guest on a few baseball podcasts. His work focuses on player analysis and team strategies.

Erick Pena: A Baseball Reference