Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña had a rookie season to remember. A Gold Glove winner and a World Series MVP award, in which he crushed the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff, were added to his trophy case in his first full season in the league. It’s hard to beat that.
Coming into his sophomore campaign Peña is slated to take another step forward, which is hard to fathom considering his early successes. During the 2022 MLB season Peña slashed .253/.289/.426 with 22 home runs. And to think there is still room to grow is exciting.
Considering all of these factors it comes as a surprise that the shortstop was left off of MLB’s top-10 shortstop list heading into the 2023 MLB season. There are plenty of deserving names on the list, but the fact that Peña was snubbed is hard to swallow.
Additionally, Peña was listed as the third-best shortstop in the fan vote prior to the release of the “official” rankings. Clearly the fans feel like Peña is a star-caliber player worthy of the recognition.
MLB Now? Not so much.
Regardless, the rankings in January don’t mean much and they don’t preclude his potential development and performance come Opening Day.
Just more fuel for the fire that Peña can utilize this season.
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