CINCINNATI -- It doesn't take much to make Brayan Pena smile. It would be much more of a challenge to wipe the smile off the face of the Reds' catcher.
Despite the disappointing season the team had in 2014, Pena is optimistic about the Reds this coming season. He'll be one of more than 80 current and former players as well as broadcasters from throughout the organization who will be in attendance at this year's annual FOX Sports Ohio Redsfest presented by PNC Bank.
The annual fan fest will take place Friday and Saturday at the Duke Energy Convention Center downtown. Redsfest kicks off Friday at 3 p.m., running until 10:30 p.m. The doors will open back up Saturday morning at 11 with festivities going until 6:30 p.m.
Pena had been with the Reds for about three weeks last year when Redsfest rolled around so he wasn't part of the gathering. He met with media members Thursday morning at the convention center as an early start to Redsfest. The Reds are his fourth organization since breaking into the major leagues with Atlanta in 2005. He said when he got the chance to sign with them last year, he didn't need much convincing.
"I think the difference is that I am with a team that I want to be," said Pena. "I am with a team that I feel happy. I am with a team that I feel comfortable. I am with a team that we have great fans. That's a big difference. It's one thing that you sign because you have to sign for whatever reason it is, and another thing is if you are in a place you really want to be at."
Pena was acting as Aroldis Chapman's catcher when Chapman was holding workouts for teams interested in signing him after he defected from Cuba. Pena said he had heard great things about the Reds organization then and that was part of Chapman's decision to sign with Cincinnati. Pena said Chapman threatened their friendship last offseason when Pena and the Reds were talking about what turned into a two-year contract.
"He said 'You have to sign with the Reds'" said Pena. "'You and I, don't talk to me anymore, don't call me anymore (if you don't)' and stuff like that. It was a no-brainer. It's a big difference when you want to be in one place and you're forced to be in one place. I'm blessed."
Pena played in 115 games last season as the backup to Devin Mesoraco behind the plate as well as taking over duties at first base after Joey Votto's season was first interrupted and then eventually ended by a distal quad strain. He hit .253 with a .291 on-base percentage and .353 slugging percentage while earning an overall fielding percentage of .994. For a guy who had played just four games at first base prior to last season but ended up logging nearly 400 innings at the position, it's a testament to how important he was to the team's makeup.
As the season progressed, Pena turned into a de-facto personal catcher for Johnny Cueto, who became the first Reds pitcher to win 20 games since 1988 and finished second in the National League Cy Young award voting to Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cueto's 2014 is one of the reasons Pena is optimistic about 2015.
As part of his own preparations for 2015, Pena says he watches a lot of game video from last season, studying himself and the pitching staff in an effort to pick out even small flaws that need to be worked on. He couldn't find any with Cueto.
"Every time he went out there and he had a rough start or something, the next start was better," said Pena. "The adjustment he needed to make, he already made it. For the next start he was already better. He already made those adjustments and he continued to improve. What impressed me the most was how much he drove himself to compete. Him being healthy, he's one of the best in the game."
