The Houston Astros Replaced Carlos Correa with Jeremy Pena and Got Better
Coming into the 2022 Major League Baseball season, the top concern many around the sport had pertaining to the Houston Astros' championship hopes was a simple question: How will the Astros fare without their two-time All-Star shortstop and no. 1 overall pick of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft, Carlos Correa?
Last March, Correa signed a three-year contract worth $105.3 million with the Minnesota Twins, with a player option after each season. Correa will in fact opt out and test the free agent waters again this offseason, in hopes of securing a contract similar to the $325 million deal Corey Seager signed last winter with the Texas Rangers.
Instead of fishing from a star-studded free agent pond, the Astros replaced Correa internally, promoting 24-year-old, Triple-A shortstop Jeremy Pena to the big leagues, and making him their opening day shortstop, a title he would not relinquish.
With Pena at short, not only did the Astros repeat as American League West champions, but they won 11 more games in 2022 (106) than they did in 2021 (95) with Correa manning the position.
In 2022, Pena would outperform Correa in Defensive Runs Saved (16 to 3), Outs Above Average (7 to -3) and Defensive WAR (2.4 to 1.1), while playing the same number of games (136).
Last week, Pena was awarded the American League Gold Glove Award at the shortstop position for his defensive excellence. It was just one of many awards that he would add to his trophy case this fall.
Pena slashed .253/.289/.715 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI in the regular season, and rose to occasion in the playoffs, leading the Astros in OPS (1.005) and home runs (4), placing second in batting average (.345) and on base percentage (.367) and third in RBI (8) in the postseason.
In the American League Division Series, it was Pena that delivered the knockout blow to the Seattle Mariners, hitting a clutch 18th inning solo home run to close out the Mariners in Game 3, and send the Astros to their sixth-straight American League Championship Series.
In the ALCS, Pena continued to shine, slashing .353/.353/1.177 with two home runs and four RBI, earning ALCS MVP honors.
Saturday night, the Astros would take their final step forward from their 2021 season, not just appearing in the World Series, but winning their second championship in franchise history and their first World Series title since 2017.
It was the 25-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic that would lead the way, leading all players in the World Series in batting average, OBP and OPS, slashing .400/.423/1.023 with one home run and three RBI, while contributing outstanding defense at short.
For his efforts, Pena was named the 2022 World Series MVP, becoming the youngest position player to win the award and the first rookie shortstop to ever take home ALCS and World Series MVP honors in the same postseason.
Without Correa, the Astros didn't miss a beat, won more games, and made a deeper postseason run than they had in their last five seasons with 2012 no. 1 overall draft pick.
Is Pena equal to Correa? Better than Correa? Time will tell. But he certainly is more cost-effective than Correa. Correa is looking for a long-term contract that will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Correa made $35.1 million in 2022.
Pena made the league minimum of $700,000 in his rookie season. The Astros have him under club control through 2027.
The key to the Astros' sustained success has been their ability to consistently draft and develop talent. Even as they have lost George Springer, Correa, Charlie Morton, Zack Greinke and others, they continue to reload their team with reinforcements that keep the club afloat.
Pena, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez are prime examples.
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