AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Former Amarillo Sod Poodles third baseman Manuel Pena was named a Texas League All-Star.
Pena played 61 games for Amarillo before the Arizona Diamondbacks promoted him to Triple-A Reno on June 16.
He batted .311 with 26 home runs, 64 RBIs, 14 doubles, 48 runs scored and a 1.027 OPS with the Sod Poodles. From Opening Day on April 3 through his promotion, Pena led the Texas League in home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, extra-base hits and total bases.
Pena ranked second in the league in hits, third in batting average and fifth in runs during that span.
His 26 home runs remain the second-most in a single season in Sod Poodles history, despite his playing less than half the season with Amarillo. Pena homered in five straight games from April 11-16, becoming the first Sod Poodles player to homer in at least five consecutive games.
Pena was named Texas League Player of the Week during that stretch. He later earned Texas League Player of the Month honors after hitting nine home runs in April.
He followed with 11 home runs in May, setting a new monthly franchise record. Pena added six more homers in June before his promotion.
Pena’s 40 career home runs with Amarillo across the 2025 and 2026 seasons rank fifth in franchise history. His 205 career hits with the team rank fourth all time.
The Sod Poodles will face the Springfield Cardinals in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship on Tuesday. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, if necessary.. Games will stream free on the Bally Sports Live app and BallySports.com.