The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies still have nightmares about Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena.
The baby-faced assassin might fool rivals with his smile and charming demeanor, but when it comes to playing baseball, he means business.
Fans love him because he is a worthy replacement for Carlos Correa, a franchise legend, and because of his explosive postseason performance that earned MVP honors in the Championship Series (against the Yanks) and in the Fall Classic (vs. the Phils).
When it’s time to dedicate some time to his fans, Pena makes sure to be available, chat, and sign everything there is to sign.
“Jeremy Peña (@Jpena221) made this @astros fan very happy during the team’s caravan stop in The Woodlands,” Mark Berman tweeted.
Jeremy Peña (@Jpena221) made this @astros fan very happy during the team’s caravan stop in The Woodlands. pic.twitter.com/IpZUTtG73E
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 18, 2023
He continually brings joy to Astros fans, even though he clearly has things to improve as a player.
However, when he is on, he is capable of hitting .345/.367/.638 with four home runs, 12 runs, eight RBI and a 1.005 OPS in just 13 games, like he did in his impressive postseason run.
Over the long haul, Pena showed he needs to improve his plate discipline, as evidenced by his .253/.289/.426 line.
He still managed to hit 22 home runs, steal 11 bases, and play Gold Glove defense, so don’t worry, he was never a liability for the Astros.
However, if he can take a step forward in 2023 and bump that OBP to at least .330, he could become a legitimate superstar with how good his other tools are.
The Astros have their shortstop of the future, and he already helped deliver one World Series triumph.
The sky is the limit with Pena.
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