Rafael Pena | University Of Science & Arts Of Oklahoma
Rafael Pena | University Of Science & Arts Of Oklahoma
On Sunday, the Houston Astros made a change to their staff, promoting Triple-A Sugar Land hitting coach Rafael Pena to minor league hitting coordinator, Astros Dominican Summer League hitting coach Elvis Rodriguez announced.
Pena graduated from Science & Arts with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2016. He was a standout utility player on the field, and he later began his coaching career with the Drovers.
Pena joined the USAO coaching staff in 2016, assisting with hitting, base running and fielding.
Before becoming a coach, the Dominican-native hit .400 in his senior season, earning All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors as a utility player.
Over two seasons as a player, Pena appeared in 84 games, tallying 111 hits, 25 doubles, nine homeruns, 77 runs batted in, and 59 runs scored. He produced a career batting average of .384, along with a .442 on base percentage and .564 slugging percentage.
Pena began his professional coaching career in 2018 as a development coach with the Quad Cities River Bandits, where he was a hitting coach in 2019. He was the Space Cowboys hitting coach for one season after spending the previous year in Double-A Corpus Christi's dugout for the same position.
Pena was appointed the hitting coach of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in 2020, but the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He made the jump to Double-A the following season, joining the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League for October and November.
Original source can be found here
Alerts Sign-up