Manuel Pena Named Texas League Player of the Week
TL Amarillo Sod Poodles

Manuel Pena Named Texas League Player of the Week

Published on April 20, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, TX - Minor League Baseball today announced that Amarillo Sod Poodles infielder Manuel Pena is the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of April 13-19. A historic week at the dish saw the 22-year old rank among top Texas League talent in multiple offensive categories over Amarillo's most recent home series against the Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A, Texas Rangers).

Over six games at HODGETOWN, Pena started all six games, bouncing around between first base, second base, third base, and designated hitter. For the week, he batted .536 (15x28) with six runs scored, five doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, a 1.036 slugging percentage and a 1.588 OPS. Among Texas League batters over the last week, he topped the leaderboard in batting average, hits, extra-base hits, and total bases.

His second year as a Soddie, he entered the homestand having gone deep in back-to-back games to close out the preceding series on the road against Northwest Arkansas. He continued to find his pitch through the first three games back in Amarillo, collecting a home run in each of those contests against Frisco. In doing so, he became the first player in Amarillo club history to go yard in five consecutive games.

An international signing in 2021 from the Dominican Republic, he had a career day on April 16, going 5-for-5 with two runs, three doubles, a home run, and two RBI. It was only the fifth five-hit game all-time collected by a Sod Poodle. It was also only the seventh instance in club history where a player collected three doubles in a single contest. Pena is the only Soddie to have accomplished that feat twice, most recently doing so on September 10 last season against Midland.

Pena is the latest Sod Poodle recipient of the Texas League Player of the Week award, following Arizona's top-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline) Ryan Waldschmidt who took home the honor in August last season.

Fans can tune in to keep up with Pena's hot streak for free on the Bally Sports Live app or at BallySports.com as the Sod Poodles hit the road for a 12-game road trip. Additionally, fans may purchase an MLB+ subscription, which includes access to MiLB games live and on demand, live MLB audio for all 30 teams, MLB Network, and MLB Big Inning. Watch now links can also be found HERE.

For radio listeners, every Sod Poodles game in 2026 will be broadcast live on KIXZ 940 AM, the new Official Radio Home of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Listen Live links are available on the Sod Poodles website HERE as well as on NewsTalk 940 AM's website HERE.

The Soddies return to HODGETOWN on May 5 to take on the visiting Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A, Minnesota Twins). Individual tickets are available for Cinco de Mayo, STEAM Day, and County Fair Night, all set to take place over the upcoming homestand. Tickets can be purchased online at sodpoodles.com or at the HODGETOWN box office.

Check out the Amarillo Sod Poodles Statistics

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Texas League Stories from April 20, 2026


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