The rookie and the vet.
The Houston Astros got contributions from all players and units during their successful 2022 postseason run, but two players stood out above the rest when it comes to hitters: the rookie, Jeremy Pena, and the vet, Alex Bregman.
“The Astros don’t win it all without these incredible postseason performances,” MLB tweeted, showing a picture (and some numbers) of Pena and Bregman.
The Astros don't win it all without these incredible postseason performances. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/I4udIj9HN5
— MLB (@MLB) November 13, 2022
That’s hard to prove, but yes: the Astros probably don’t win without Pena and Bregman in the Fall Classic.
Pena had a prolonged slump in the regular season, but turned it on in the postseason.
He hit the series-winning home run against the Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the Division Series, and then he proceeded to be named the MVP of both the AL Championship Series and the World Series.
Pena And Bregman Were Magnificent In October And November
He did all of this while playing elite shortstop defense.
He hit four home runs throughout the playoffs, with eight RBI and a 1.005 OPS.
Bregman’s OPS was .948, he was sure-handed at third base, and hit three blasts in the playoffs.
The Astros played 13 games in the postseason, and Bregman had 11 RBI: almost one per game!
He cemented his place as an October legend for the Astros, and he is sitting at the same table as Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Yuli Gurriel.
With Pena and Bregman, the left side of the infield is well-covered.
They will probably share it for a long time, and together with Altuve and Gurriel form an incredibly talented infield, both offensively and defensively.
The Astros were lucky to have them on the roster and watch as they caught fire at the right time.
They carried Houston to the championship.
NEXT: Jeremy Pena Has Taken On A Surprising New Job