Jeremy Peña insight: Since his swing adjustment on Sept 10: He played 34 games (including the postseason). He had 143 AB. 42 H .293 BA 8 2B 1 3B 10 HR OBP .318 SLG .706 OPS 1.024
I have been listening to people from multiple outlets talking about Jeremy's low OB% as the reason he needs to hit at the bottom of the order. And even after his swing adjustment is was below average, especially for this team Especially with Abreu and Brantley and their .350+ now on board. On paper it's the right move, but the game isn't played on paper. If he is hitting behind Alvarez and Bregman in the playoffs last year, the Astros don't win. Jeremy will and NEEDS to stay in the #2 spot.
If the Astros believe in Pena‘s power, they will him in the two hole. Stretched over the course of an entire season, Pena could hit 30-40 home runs with his new mechanical approach.
If Bregman has the "power" to hit 40 hr, I guess Pena can 30 is certainly doable. Imagine a lineup where the top 6 hitters all hit 30+ HR?
I heard Blummer on the broadcast say that Peña is the only player in MLB history with a Gold Glove, CS MVP, and WS MVP. Pretty wild stat.
At this point, we kind of know who Pena is. An althletic glove with an very average bat that can get hot at some opportune times.
What was the point of this post? And are we really going to call WS and ALCS mvp “hot at an opportune time”…. You must be fun at parties.
Yes that is exactly what I would call it. He had a .715 OPS last year, and a .717 OPS so far this year. 1.005 in the playoffs last year. He got hot but pretty average before and since.
It’s literally his 2nd year in the majors… ever. And he spent the most important month of it being the best in the game. He also was a gold Glover as a SS and a rookie which was disgustingly referred to as “an athletic glove”… some of y’all will always be negative.
Wasn't being negative. Just being objective. He hasn't gotten better. He still can't recognize a slider. Still great with a glove
I certainly don't think I'm negative. I agree that the "athletic glove" description was belittling for a gold glover (who actually earned it) I still think that his bat is average. Even In the minors, his bat was never considered plus. 2 points though: 1) for a SS, his overall value is much more than his bat. I would put it at 50% at best, likely closer to 40% and he gets half of whatever its worth. his glove and speed give him close to 100% for the 2nd part. 2) For a SS with as gifted a glove as his, having an average bat, as well, makes him very valuable, indeed.
His bat sure wasn't "average" against SEA, NYY, and PHI during the biggest stage of all where many of the greats wilt because of the pressure. Yes I know it's a small sample but given he's in the middle of his 2nd season this is all we have to go on. I'll roll with a guy who I know can come up big in the playoffs and oh by the way is a GG at one of the most important defensive positions. I'll take an "average" bat during the regular season from a guy who had multiple HUGE hits against SEA, NYY + PHI in his first postseason experience. The past doesn't equal the future but again I'll roll with Pena as my SS. Let's see how he looks once we're healthy and they slide him back in two hole.
Never said I was unhappy with him. I just said he's an average bat. That's enough at short stop when you are great defensively. Probably won't make an all-star game though.
This is where I'm at. All I'm saying is that Jeremy is not Carlos Correa but not Adam Everett either. He will probably never be a silver slugger or MVP but should have plenty of 4-5 WAR seasons which is a very good but not great player. If another team thinks he is a 5-6 WAR player, willing to trade for him at that value and the Astros have a reasonable 3 WAR replacement for him they should seriously consider that deal. They could get multiple top 100 or potential 5+ WAR prospects. On the other hand, a team that has multiple ground ball SP at TOR ( Framber, Brown) and has 5 hitters who should be 120 or better OPS+ (Yordan, Abreu, Altuve, Bregman, Tucker) can certainly win with him. No wrong answer to this one.
