Top prospect Pena turning heads
Baker happy with young shortstop’s gains in Dominican Winter League
Jeremy Pena hasn’t had the best start to 2021 at the plate.
The Astros’ 2018 thirdround pick is hitless in five at-bats to start spring training after an 0-for-2 outing Tuesday against the Mets. Pena’s sacrifice fly did drive in the winning run in Houston’s comeback against the Nationals on Monday, but he has little else to show through three games.
Still, Pena has the defensive chops needed to succeed as a major league shortstop, and if his work over the winter is any indication, the Astros’ top position-player prospect should turn things around with his bat in short order.
To salvage the lost 2020 minor league season, Pena joined the Estrellas Orientales
of the Dominican Winter League. There, he showcased what he can do offensively. Pena hit .306/.349/ .430 with three home runs and seven stolen bases in 30 games, and he was named LIDOM Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
Houston put Pena, 23, in its 60-man player pool to
ward the end of last season, and his work in the winter league reminded the big league staff why he should be on their radar.
“He works hard, he doesn’t seem intimidated by being in the big league atmosphere and we feel he’s going to be in the big leagues for a long time,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday. “What I liked is the fact that he played winter ball, which I think really helped him. It hurt all the young players not to play last year at all, and I was proud of him for what he did in winter ball.”
Fangraphs ranked Pena No. 66 in its 2021 Top 100 Prospects list, the highest among all Houston prospects. There is no consensus on which player tops the Astros’ farm system, though Pena’s quick rise to the top of the discussion reveals how good he’s been in a short amount of time.
Pena hasn’t moved past the Class A Advanced level, but his play in the minors is what entices Houston. He hit .293 and slugged .421 in 66 games with Quad Cities to begin 2019. He turned it up a notch when he was called up to Fayetteville that June, hitting .317 with 18 extra-base hits in 43 games.
Those numbers, in addition to his stellar defense, likely would earn Pena a major league look if not for the two Astros stars standing in his way.
Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve control the middle infield spots in Houston, the former the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year, the latter the 2017 AL MVP. Correa, in particular, blocks Pena’s path.
Though Correa is under contract for only one more season, he’s been open about his desire to remain with the team long-term. A new deal for Correa would make it that much harder for Pena to get his call any time soon.
“That’s something I can’t control,” Pena said. “The only thing I can control is my hard work and myself, so I just stick to myself, do what I have to do to get myself ready for my game. I can’t control (Correa’s) game; I can’t control him. He’s a great player. I look up to him, I look up to all of these guys, but I can only control myself.”
Pena said he learned a lot about himself, his body and the things that work for him as a baseball player in the Dominican Winter League, an experience he’d wanted to have for a long time. And in addition to his normal offseason preparation, Pena said he continues to get his game critiqued by his father.
Geronimo Pena had major league stints with the Cardinals and Indians from 1990-96 and learned what it takes to play at a major league level.
“When we sit down at home and just watch baseball, we don’t really watch the home runs or the pitcher throwing 100 mph,” Pena said. “We watch the little things. He’ll ask me questions like: ‘Why did you make that play?’ or ‘Why didn’t you make that play?’ or ‘What did you do good there?’ Just little conversations like that.”
This should be another year of development for Pena. He might get as high as Class AAA before the season ends, but Houston was a game away from the World Series in 2020. The Astros likely will lean toward using their best players as much as possible versus calling up many youngsters.
However, if he maintains his past performances, Pena should get his call sooner rather than later.
At the very least, he has caught Baker’s attention.
“He’s going to be a good player. He’s going to be a very good player,” Baker said. “He’s alert. He’s attentive. He doesn’t say much, but you see those big eyes are always checking something out. He’s a good-looking kid and a good-looking ballplayer.”