Rafael Peña Joins Philadelphia Phillies Coaching Staff

Philadelphia, Pa. – Following five seasons with the Houston Astros organization, former Drover Rafael Peña has been announced as an assistant hitting coach with the Philadelphia Phillies at the highest level of Major League Baseball. 

Within the Astros organization, Peña served as the hitting coach for the Bandits in 2019, the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks (2021) and the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys (2022).

Prior to beginning his professional coaching career, Pena graduated from USAO 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.

This past season, the Phillies concluded their season one win shy of advancing to the World Series, but Peña will help lead a motivated and talented team in 2024. The former Drover will get to work on a daily basis with the likes of former MVP Bryce Harper, Trae Turner, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber.

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