Cardinals Backup Catcher Brayan Pena Announces He Will Join United States Army Reserve This Offseason
You’ve probably never heard of Brayan Pena before.
That’s okay. In most cases, the only backup catchers that baseball fans can name are the ones on their own teams, and maybe David Ross. But Brayan Pena is a name that you’re about to learn, and not because of what he’s been doing as a backup catcher, but rather because of what he’s doing outside of being a backup catcher.
As we all know, the Fourth of July brings out the patriotism in all of us. We wave American flags, we wear American flag shirts, we play the National Anthem, drink, grill, and shoot fireworks etc. Well, Pena’s act of patriotism this year was announcing today that he will join the Army Reserve this offseason. Pena has been a citizen of the United States since 2008, and he wrote about his experience coming from Cuba to the United States for the Players’ Tribune this past January. Here’s a quote that stuck out to me:
When I was 10, my grandma Rosa told me, “Brayan, I know in my heart that you are going to do something special with baseball. You’re going to make us proud.”
To Americans, this might seem like no big deal. This kind of talk is in your blood here. But in Cuba, our window of opportunity is so small. To have my grandma believe that I was going to do great things meant the world to me.
Just making it to the major leagues is a tremendous accomplishment. But then to take it one step further, and join the Army Reserve, and to put yourself in a position to be called upon to defend the country that gave you that chance to accomplish your dream of becoming a major leaguer — that is beyond admirable. For a guy who came from nothing in a country like Cuba, perhaps his humble beginnings allowed him to appreciate a lot of the things that we take for granted here in America, which surely could motivate a person to want to protect those very things we take for granted. Good for you, Brayan.
By the way, if you’re a Cardinals fan, I’m not sure how this will play out next year, because he is under contract for the 2017 season for $2.5 million. He’ll have to undergo the same training as active duty soldiers, which takes ten weeks of basic training. One can only assume that would cut into his offseason training program. And he’d have to undergo military training once a month as part of his Army Reserve duties. The Army Reserve is designed for those who wish to serve their country, while also pursuing either college or another career at the same time. I just don’t know what that means if your other career is being a Major League Baseball player.