Santo Domingo.– The Cleveland Indians named Ramon Pena Director of Latin American Operations. The Dominican veteran, with 28 years of scouting experience under his belt, spent 21 years with the Detroit Tigers and the last 3 seasons with the New York Mets as Special Assistant to the General Manager.

He has signed over 40 players that have reached the big league level, including Francisco Cordero, Fernando Rodney, Jair Jurrjens, Frank Catalanotto, Ramon Santiago and Omar Infante to name a few.   He was the Detroit Tigers’ 1997 Scout of the Year. 

Pena also currently serves as a Sports Advisor to Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez. Pena replaces Lino Diaz, who will remain in the organization in a more hands-on role. He'll work directly with Latin American players in the farm system to help them make the cultural transition to the United States.