Wily Mo Peña

Wily Mo Peña
Peña with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2015
Born: (1982-01-23) January 23, 1982 (age 35) Laguna Salada, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: September 10, 2002, for the Cincinnati Reds
NPB: March 30, 2012, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
MLB statistics (through 2011)
Batting average	.250
Hits	495
Home runs	84
Runs batted in	240
NPB statistics (through 2015)
Batting average	.264
Hits	401
Home runs	71
Runs batted in	222
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (2002–2005) Boston Red Sox (2006–2007) Washington Nationals (2007–2008) Arizona Diamondbacks (2011) Seattle Mariners (2011) Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2012–2013) Orix Buffaloes (2014) Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2015)
Career highlights and awards
NPB 2× NPB All-Star (2012, 2014) 1x Best Nine Award (2012)

Wily Modesto Peña (born January 23, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, and in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes. At 6 feet, 3 inches in height and nearly 300 pounds, the right-handed batting and throwing Peña is considered a pure power hitter best known for his long-distance home runs and high strikeout rate.

Originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1998, Peña signed with the New York Yankees about a year later and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman/designated hitter Drew Henson and outfielder Michael Coleman in 2001.

He debuted with the Reds as a September call-up in 2002, and got a single while pinch hitting in his first major league at-bat. Peña proved his label as a power hitter, hitting a home run in his second major league game off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Smyth.