Pena's dream year honored

Most postseason awards are based on the greatness of one season, but Carlos Pena took special pride Tuesday in being recognized for how far he had come.

By EDUARDO A. ENCINA
Published October 3, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Dirk Shadd | Times] Carlos Pena, autographing his jersey for Jennifer Yancey after the home finale Thursday, shattered several Rays records.

ST. PETERSBURG - Most postseason awards are based on the greatness of one season, but Carlos Pena took special pride Tuesday in being recognized for how far he had come.

After the best season of his career, the Rays' 29-year-old first baseman was quick to put into context the news that he had won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

"I think there's a good message in the award about learning how to get up again after falling down," he said. "It shows that even though things might not go the way we want it, don't let any setbacks get in the way of your dreams.

"My whole entire life, from the time I was a kid, I had challenges to overcome. But you always tell yourself to keep going."

Pena, a nonroster invitee last spring, realizes how close his remarkable season came to never happening. After spending most of 2006 in Triple A for the Yankees and Red Sox, he was reassigned to Rays minor-league camp late in spring training, but a knee injury to Greg Norton opened a roster spot. Even after making the team, he didn't become the everyday first baseman until a month in.

He ended up reaching franchise highs with 46 homers (second in the AL), 121 RBIs (fourth), 103 walks, a .411 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage.

"It's a testament to who he is," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman. "He's faced a lot of adversity in his career and I think it's really helped him emerge from the other side of this. His outlook on life, his outlook on the game are all very refreshing, and even behind the scenes, I think, greatly benefited our young players."

The award, given to one player in each league who has re-emerged on the baseball field, is decided by a vote of MLB.com's beat writers. Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young, another nonroster invitee and the older brother of Rays rightfielder Delmon Young, won the NL award.

"You never put numbers in your mind," Pena said. "You focus on the process. But you have a vision. I envisioned having a good year, telling myself that was the type of hitter, the type of player I want to be. I went past what I envisioned, so I'm really happy."

The left-handed hitting Pena embraced taking the ball to all fields.

"He went into the season with a plan to hit the ball to the middle of the field and he stuck to that program all season long," hitting coach Steve Henderson said. "That's what I'm proud of."

MISCELLANY: The team is scheduled to formally announce its new name, logo and uniforms 4-8 p.m. Nov.8 at Straub Park. Players, manager Joe Maddon and former Rays Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff and Dave Martinez are slated to attend. There will be a noon event at Tampa's Gaslight Park the next day. ... Norton had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and had his ulnar nerve transposed.

[Last modified October 2, 2007, 22:54:28]