By Howard Ulman, Associated Press writer
BOSTON -- The college kid was so excited when Pedro Martinez
phoned to invite him over that he wouldn't erase the message from his answering
machine. That same kid -- cool and confident with a bat -- might not be so
awestruck if he hits against Martinez. Carlos Pena may get that chance. "He's tough and everybody knows it," Pena says as
one of his frequent smiles starts spreading, "but I'll give him a
battle." Against difficult odds, that determination made him a
first-round prospect -- perhaps a top 10 pick -- in the baseball draft starting
Tuesday. Not bad for a boy who hit popcorn kernels and bottle caps in the
Dominican Republic to sharpen his eye. His stock soared last summer in the Cape Cod League, where
he led the Gatemen to a championship. He was just as dangerous with a wooden bat as the aluminum
one used in college, leading the league in homers and RBIs and finishing third
with a .318 average. He made one error in 419 chances and won the Sportsmanship
and MVP awards. He has come a long way. At 14, Pena was uprooted from his native country by parents
who gave up their jobs as an engineer and an accountant to seek a better life
for their four children. He wasn't highly recruited out of high school and took
a partial scholarship to Wright State in Ohio. But he missed his family and hit only .247 as a freshman
first baseman. So he transferred to Northeastern and began to blossom. He's
grown to a 6-foot-2, 210-pound power hitter and has worked hard to improve his
speed and defense. But Northeastern was an unlikely place -- an urban school
beside a busy street where trolleys clatter -- for a star to emerge. Unlike
prospects from southern and western colleges, he was limited by the chilly
climate. In the winter, he'd improvise by hitting pitches from 20 feet away in a
racquetball court. "The more you struggle," he said, "you learn
to appreciate things." Yet he never lost sight of his dream. "Other people become engineers, become doctors, which
is incredibly great. For some reason my goal in life is to be a professional
baseball player," Pena said. "I have this in my head to be the best
and I know I can do it." "The potential stood right out, especially as a
hitter," said Dave Soper, a Philadelphia Phillies scout who began watching
him at suburban Haverhill High School. "He's just one of the nicest, most
dedicated people you'll meet." Pena, a 20-year-old junior, is outgoing, respectful, humble
and very popular. As he sits on a bench outside Northeastern's gym on a sunny
day, more than a dozen passersby wave and say hello. He returns the greetings. Martinez lived less than a half hour from Pena's Santo
Domingo home and has many of the same qualities despite his star status and $75
million guaranteed contract with the Boston Red Sox. He invited Pena, who was
being recruited by Martinez's agent, and a friend to join him and some Oakland
players at his home after a game April 15 with the A's. "I was excited," Pena said. "Then when I'm
leaving his house he said, 'I have a day off tomorrow. I'm going to your game.
Where is it?' He's a superstar and he comes out and says I'm going to watch
Carlos play. That's amazing. "When he sees me, I think he sees himself when he was
19 or 20." Martinez hopes Pena will remember the visit and, if he
reaches the majors, give young players the same encouragement Martinez gave at
the Friedman Baseball Diamond -- Northeastern's bare-bones field with few seats
in a crowded neighborhood. 
"He has a lot of talent and a good future,"
Martinez said. "He's a good student, very smart." A week before the draft that could lead to a lucrative
career, Pena talked about the two papers he had to write for classes the next
day even though he'll probably be playing for a big-league organization very
soon. An engineering major, he has a grade-point average of about 3.4. "Knowledge is power," he said. "Not knowing
is not a good feeling." This season, he learned patience even though scouts wanted
to see him hit. But pitchers kept the ball away, and he had 51 walks and just
146 official at-bats. Still, he finished with 13 homers, 52 RBIs and a .342
batting average. "If you're going to predict what players are going to
make it all the way to the big leagues, Carlos certainly fits the profile,"
Northeastern coach Neil McPhee said. "I want to get there as soon as I possibly can because
I'm planning on having a long career," Pena said without a trace of
arrogance. He said he was insulted when he was shifted from outfield to
first base after coming to the United States because, he was told, he was too
slow. That made him work even harder and he led Northeastern with 12 stolen
bases this season. "I look at Ken Griffey Jr. Then I look at Barry Bonds,
Alex Rodriguez. These guys can do it all," Pena said. "That's what I
want to be. I have to work on my throwing, my hitting, my running, my fielding,
everything." His modesty extends to a homer he hit in the 1997 NCAA
playoffs against Bethune-Cookman. McPhee said it went 464 feet. Soper said it
traveled farther. Pena said he just put his head down and ran. It cleared the 330-foot right-field fence, traveled 70 feet
over the adjacent football field, cleared 12 rows of metal bleachers, then went
through the trees and onto a neighbor's second-floor, wooden back porch. "It was a shot," Soper marvels. "Based on the
way he works, I don't see anything holding him back." Pena plans to spend next Tuesday with his family --
"the people who were there at the beginning" -- and said he's relaxed.
He's not hung up on who drafts him, although he'd like it to be the Red Sox, who
pick 12th. He may not last that long. "I worked so hard for this moment coming up," Pena
said. "I'm not surprised. I'm happy and grateful that I am in this
situation, but this is what I wanted, this is what I expected."
Photos by The Associated Press
Former Gatemen star Carlos Pena's focus has kept him on the fast track to major
league stardom.
