Brayan Eduardo Peña is a catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 for the Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

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Early years

Peña was a member of the Cuban National 18 and under team as a youth. He graduated from Espa Julio Trigo Junior College in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

. He also grew up in Havana, Cuba with former teammate and current Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

 shortstop, Yunel Escobar

Yunel Escobar

Yunel Almenares Escobar is a professional baseball shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball.-Early life:Escobar was born in Havana, Cuba...

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Atlanta Braves

Peña was called up to the Majors early in the season because of an injury to Eddie Pérez.

On May 23, 2008, the Braves designated Peña for assignment.

Kansas City Royals

On May 30, 2008, Peña was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. However, he was designated for assignment the next day, and did not appear in a game. He was promoted from the Royals' AAA-affiliate on May 31, 2009. In 2010, Brayan earned a spot in the big league roster during spring training; he spent the 2010 season at the MLB level backing up Jason Kendall

Jason Kendall

Jason Daniel Kendall is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He is the son of former catcher Fred Kendall, who played in the majors from 1969–1980.-High school:...

. Brayan Pena looked earn a spot as a starter for the future in the last month of the season; as Jason Kendall was out due to injury, Brayan received the bulk of the playing time behind the plate in September. In the 2011 season, Peña was named the starting catcher on the depth chart.

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