AMARILLO, TX (September 21, 2026) – Minor League Baseball today announced that Amarillo Sod Poodles infielder Manuel Pena has been named a Texas League All-Star at Third Base. The slugging infielder had a remarkable Double-A campaign that began on Opening Day with the Soddies until his promotion to Triple-A Reno on June 16.
Over 61 games with Amarillo, Pena slashed .311/.354/.673 with 48 runs, 14 doubles, 26 home runs, 64 RBI, and a 1.027 OPS. Between Opening Day on April 3 and June 16 when he was promoted, he led the Texas League in home runs, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS, extra-base-hits (40), and total bases (171) while ranking 2nd in hits, 3rd in batting, and 5th in runs.
The long ball was Pena’s calling card this year in Amarillo, as his 26 blasts are the 2nd-most in a single season by a Sod Poodle despite playing less than half the season with the club. He homered in five straight games (4/11-4/16) earlier this year, making him the first Sod Poodle ever to go deep in at least five consecutive contests. His effort from that stretch earned him Texas League Player of the Week honors.
In April, Pena became the first Sod Poodle to hit nine or more home runs in a single calendar month, leading to his first career Texas League Player of the Month award. The month included only the fifth five-hit game in Sod Poodles history (4/16 vs. FRI) where he also laced three doubles, becoming the only Sod Poodle in the history of the club with multiple career three-double games. Since 2005, Pena is only the fourth player in the Texas League to collect 9+ doubles and 9+ home runs in a single calendar month and the first to do so since J.D. Davis accomplished the feat for Corpus Christi in May 2016.
In May, he one-upped himself by going deep 11 times to set a new monthly club record that he had just set himself in the month prior. With six more blasts in June, he brought his career Amarillo total (2025-26) to 40 which ranks as the 5th-most career home runs in Sod Poodles history. He is also one of seven Sod Poodles to hit the 200-hit mark for his Amarillo career, ranking 4th on the all-time list with 205.
Fans can watch the Sod Poodles battle the Springfield Cardinals for the Texas League Championship for free on the Bally Sports Live app or at BallySports.com. For radio listeners, every Sod Poodles postseason game will be broadcast live on NewsTalk 940 AM, the Official Radio Home of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Listen Live and Watch Live links are available HERE.