Early Returns on Pena

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PS: Hats off to Correa! (Stand alone sentence from article)

Peña said Correa had helped him since Day 1, offering advice even though he knew the prospect could supplant him one day…

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The Athletic too:

Quote from his college coach:

“Jeremy was really good at the tough plays, and never shied away from trying to make them,” Trimper said. “His worth ethic was incredible. After practice he’d pull those sleds. Most of all he was reliable. He loved to work, he loved to play and he was as reliable as anyone I’ve coached. With his hands and the ability to play shortstop, I believed he had a chance to be a major leaguer. The bat was interesting.”

Correa was not supplanted. He chose to work elsewhere.

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The NYT article alludes to Pena bring one of the best fielders according to advanced metrics, but I wasn’t expecting to see him ranked at 16 (while Correa is 164) in outs above average.

Statcast Outs Above Average Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com
Statcast Outs Above Average Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com

I believe the early returns are positive.

World Series MVP: Astros SS Jeremy Peña becomes 3rd rookie to win award

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During Spring Training I remarked somewhere on these boards that I thought he would collect more WAR this year than Correa. He didn’t (4.8 against 5.4, baseball reference), but I bet if you added up his postseason it’s pretty darn close.

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I felt his defense would be good, and that he had the possiblity to hit for a decent average and have some pop. As he started showing last year. I have been more than thrilled.

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Point taken.
It was a profitable move for Correa, but who would have imagined it would have resulted in an Astros ROOKIE winning the 2022 Gold Glove @ SS, the ALCS MVP, & the WS MVP!
Unbelievable!!!

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/the-houston-astros-replaced-carlos-correa-with-jeremy-pena-and-got-better

How valuable will Jeremy be next year without the shift?

Infield defensive reaction and range will be at a premium.

Just regular baseball. Amazed you think it is unusual.

Its not unusual.

Just excited thinking that Pena could be even better vs the league next year.

As I fan I’m just excited to watch him for the next 5 and maybe more years.

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