I know.... and I agree, its "weird". But others here are still swearing by it. Yordan was also ultra-hot at the 2 spot before the switch. Most of the contenders are still batting their "best" hitter at the 2 spot. Mainly because they want said hitter to get the most AB's possible.
All I can figure is that Pena seems to be a really good FB hitter who will absolutely chase offspeed stuff off the plate (see: Altuve, Jose). Hitting him in front of the meat of the order would get him more pitches over the plate (fear of walking him before said meat of order). I have nothing to base this on at all, and it still doesn't explain his performance batting 8th.
I think this is a good case for hitting him 9th (getting him in front of Altuve), as he is not overall good enough to hit 2nd. Aside from Abreu, the biggest disappointment this season offensively is that Diaz did not immediately emerge as a legit option in the 5 or 6 hole. If they could get him there, that would leave Meyers and Pena to hit in the bottom of the order where they represent above average hitters for the slot. Even better would have been if McCormick had hit like he did in 22-23, when he was also a legit 5/6 hole hitter. 2B Altuve 3B Bregman RF Tucker DH Alvarez C Diaz LF McCormick 1B Singleton CF Meyers SS Pena
I think somebody ran through all of that at one point and discovered he was being pitched to fairly the same wherever he batted. But yes, that would be the on paper theory...
He's streaky. It would be nice if they can match up the good streak with more AB's (ie - bat higher in the lineup). But who knows when or how these things ever sync up? The Astros scored more runs from 2020-2022 when Dusty moved to the far side of the dugout. That fits this analysis as well.
I have always liked Pena. He is a legitimate MLB SS that plays with emotion. He simply isn't Carlos Correa which is OK. He can be a great offensive player when he is hot for a couple of weeks at a time, but the other 75% of the games he will struggle to be an average producer. Put him in the 9th hole in front of Altuve every day and then worry about the other 8 lineup spots.
Pena went 0fer against the Pirates. Yikes. he's 0 for his last 15. double Yikes lol. hopefully the off day will get him back on track.
He scored a key run yesterday on a wild pitch that wasn’t that far away…. Solely because of his speed. His defense is still elite. He’s making a difference that isn’t showing up in the conventional box score despite his hit streakiness. In a perfect situation, he (and honestly most of the regulars) would get some more rest days… but he’s basically going to play every game this season provided he is healthy. All that being said, yes… he’s going to continue to be a streaky hitter and he can only benefit from every off day from here on out.
If he wasn't hitting in the 5th spot it would not be as impactful. Jeremy would be a great #8 or #9 hitter. Hitting 5th just shows the weakness of this team.
With Tucker there’s maybe a handful of teams that have a better 6-9 in their lineup. It’s definitely not a strength but I’m not sure I’d call it a problem. Our 6-9 was definitely worse when we won in 2022.
Exactly, this is why they need Tucker back so badly. Also why Dana needed to trade for a bat. Imagine Winker hitting 6th in the lineup.
On opening day Pena was projected as the 8 hole hitter. Then Abreu died and McCormick disintegrated. This team needs a 1B and LF who can be a good hitter. Instead those 2 positions are lumped in with CF and SS and C as guys who will be slightly below average to slightly above average.
