Brayan Pena, Retired

Date of Birth: 1/7/1982
Birthplace: Havana, Cuba

Brayan Pena, retired catcher, played professional baseball in Cuba before defecting to the United States in 1999. He was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2000 and he played in their minor league system from 2001 through most of 2007. From 2005 through 2007, he played in just 57 games with the Braves.

After playing in 14 games with them in 2008, the Braves designated Pena for assignment on May 23, 2008. Six days later, he was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals but they designated him for assignment at the end of May. He spent the rest of the 2008 season in the minor leagues.

In 2009, Pena played in 64 games with the Royals. He finished the season with 45 hits and a .273 batting average. For the next three years, he was a part-time player with the Royals, playing in 60 games in 2010, 72 games in 2011, and 68 games in 2012.

Pena signed a one-year contract with the Tigers in December, 2012. In 2013, he was a backup catcher for the Tigers, playing in 71 games and finishing with a .297 batting average.

In November, 2013, Pena signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He finished the 2014 season with 88 hits, 18 doubles, and a .253 batting average in 115 games.

Pena batted .273 with 91 hits and 17 doubles in 108 games in 2015. As a catcher, he made 31 assists, 683 putouts, and 1 error in 86 games. He caught players trying to steal 18.3% of the time and he had a .999 fielding percentage.

Pena signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on November 30, 2015. He played in just 9 games with the Cardinals in 2016. He also played in 23 games in the minors.

The Cardinals designated Pena for assignment on November 21, 2016, and they released him on November 28th. He returned to the Royals on a minor league contract on February 7, 2017. He spent the 2017 season in the minors.

Pena elected free agency on November 6, 2017. He returned to the Tigers on a minor league contract on January 9, 2018. He was released on June 11, 2018.

Pena retired in June, 2018.

Career batting statistics for Pena through 2018 include:

• 638 games played
• 468 hits
• 93 doubles
• 164 RBIs
• 214 strikeouts to 105 walks
• .259 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Pena as a catcher through 2018 include:

• 437 games played
• 162 assists
• 2,911 putouts
• 16 errors
• .278 caught stealing percentage
• .995 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Brayan Pena
ESPN - Brayan Pena