The American League Houston Astros have signed Carlos Pena to be their DH and part-time first baseman as they prepare for their first season in the American League. Last season, the 34-year-old hit .197 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI for Tampa.
“We believe he is exactly the kind of player we need in this organization at this time,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “We think that he’s going to be a big contributor for us on the field as well as in the clubhouse next year.”
To describe Pena as “exactly the kind of player we need in this organization at this time” has to be depressing to Houston fans.
Here are the nine lowest single season batting averages since 2004
| Rk | Player | Year | Tm | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Pena | .196 | 2010 | TBR | 28 | 84 | 87 | 158 | .325 | .407 | .732 |
| 2 | Carlos Pena | .197 | 2012 | TBR | 19 | 61 | 87 | 182 | .330 | .354 | .684 |
| 3 | Mark Reynolds | .198 | 2010 | ARI | 32 | 85 | 83 | 211 | .320 | .433 | .753 |
| 4 | Adam Dunn | .204 | 2012 | CHW | 41 | 96 | 105 | 222 | .333 | .468 | .800 |
| 5 | Aaron Hill | .205 | 2010 | TOR | 26 | 68 | 41 | 85 | .271 | .394 | .665 |
| 6 | Nick Punto | .210 | 2007 | MIN | 1 | 25 | 55 | 90 | .291 | .271 | .562 |
| 7 | Drew Stubbs | .213 | 2012 | CIN | 14 | 40 | 42 | 166 | .277 | .333 | .610 |
| 8 | Jose Valentin | .216 | 2004 | CHW | 30 | 70 | 43 | 139 | .287 | .473 | .760 |
| 9 | Justin Smoak | .217 | 2012 | SEA | 19 | 51 | 49 | 111 | .290 | .364 | .654 |
Terms of the one-year deal were not released.
