Bio
Peniel Otaño returns to Sioux City for a second season after the native of Peravia in the Dominican Republic posted a 2-7 record with a 6.72 ERA in 2025 for the Explorers. The righty was a versatile piece of a strong Sioux City pitching staff last season, working both as a starter and as a reliever. Otaño pitched 81.2 innings with 58 strikeouts for the X’s and would finish the season in the starting rotation. Otaño would finish the year allowing 104 hits and 61 earned runs with a 1.959 WHIP.
Otaño was on the mound in a key moment of the 2025 season on August 27 at Lewis and Clark Park. He tossed five innings of one-run ball in the second-to-last home contest of the season in the X’s 8-4 win over the rival Sioux Falls Canaries. That win secured the #1 seed and West Division regular season crown for Sioux City. Otaño originally joined the Explorers after spending parts of four seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Arizona released Otaño in March of 2025 during Spring Training, but the X’s would sign the hard-throwing righty on April 26.
In 2024, Otaño started spring training in the Diamondbacks big league camp, making one appearance and pitching a scoreless 0.1 inning, earning a hold. The 24-year-old started the 2024 regular season in high-A ball with the Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League. In 19 appearances with the Hops, Otaño went 1-1 with a 7.64 ERA across 17.2 innings, striking out 13 batters while walking 18. In July, Arizona sent the hurler to play A Ball for the Visalia Rawhide of the California League, where in 13 games he had a perfect 4-0 record with an impressive 1.42 ERA across 19 innings. His K/BB ratio improved with Visalia as he punched out 21 batters while allowing just 12 free passes. Otaño allowed two earned runs in his first outing with Visalia, and in the subsequent 11 appearances, he only allowed one earned run, going a scoreless stretch of 17 consecutive innings.
Otaño spent this winter of 2024-2025 with the Vaqueros de Monteria of the Colombian Winter League. In seven outings, he neither recorded a win nor a loss but pitched to a 5.68 ERA over 6.1 innings. He was second on the team with three saves and fanned eight batters while walking four. The Vaqueros finished 2nd in the league with a record of 22-14 and made it to the finals, but they fell to the Caimanes de Barranquilla in seven games after being ahead three games to one.
For his 2023 campaign, Otaño spent the entire season with Hillsboro, where he switched to a full-time relief pitcher. He tied for the team lead in appearances with 39, and his four saves led the squad. In 56 innings, Otaño posted a 3-5 record and a 6.91 ERA. The righty also struck out 58 batters while walking 39. He struggled in June but ended the season strong, with seven scoreless outings in his final nine appearances, including the last five straight.
In A-ball with the Visalia Rawhide in 2022, Otaño bounced in and out of the starting rotation. In 23 games, he made 14 starts for a 3-7 record and 5.86 ERA across a career-high 83 innings. He also posted a career-high 68 strikeouts while allowing 42 walks. He tossed his best outing at the end of June against the Lake Elsinore Storm, going 6.2 innings while allowing two earned runs despite walking away with a no-decision.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Peniel Otaño in July of 2021 as an international free agent, and he was assigned to the Diamondbacks 2 of the Dominican Summer League just three days later. He tossed two scoreless innings of relief in his pro debut and made his first pro start later that week. In his first professional season at age 20, Otaño started 13 of his 14 appearances. His 2-6 record did not tell the whole story as Otaño went on to pitch to a 3.05 ERA, still the best of his professional career, where in 56 innings, he struck out 67 batters with a near 5:1 K/BB ratio. Otaño caught fire that September and notched a 2.63 ERA in five starts.
For his career as a professional Otaño is 15-26 with a 5.60 ERA in 319.2 innings and racking up 293 strikeouts. He has pitched in 136 games making 42 starts and has seven career saves.