Opposition research: Jeremy Peña

The shortstop’s offense is finally matching his defense

Phillies fans likely remember Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña. When the Astros defeated the Phillies in the 2022 World Series, he recorded a 1.023 OPS and won the series MVP. But that showing was not representative of his offensive production throughout most of his first three years in the majors. (It’s somewhat galling that he hasn’t hit a postseason home run since 2022, and two of the three series he’s played, his batting average hasn’t topped .200.)

Peña is regarded as a top defender. He won the AL’s Gold Glove in 2022, and while he hasn’t captured the award again, he still grades out well defensively. Offensively, he has not been as successful. An OPS barely over .700 is fine for an elite defender at a premium position, but there was the feeling that he was capable of even more.

He’s giving them more this season. In addition to maintaining his great defense, Pena has also been one of the American League’s best hitters this season.

Just as Astros fans were getting excited about their young star having a breakout season, they were handed this news:

Pena is under team control until 2028, so it’s not like he’s about to leave. But assuming he doesn’t suffer a drop off before then, once he reaches free agency, he’s going to be expensive.

X-Men character of the series

Iceman

Bobby Drake was long regarded as an underachiever. He’d have his moments of greatness, but despite being one of the founding members of the team, was never regarded as one of the more powerful X-Men and usually served as comic relief. (Older fans will remember him as one of Spider-Man’s Amazing Friends who sounded a lot like Fred from Scooby Doo.)

Iceman was eventually revealed to be an omega level mutant, and he began to reach his full potential. Over time, he learned to exhibit greater control over his powers, and can now reconstitute his entire body, freeze other people at a molecular level, and even impact the planet’s ecosystem.

Additional thought about the series

The Phillies have entered the “gauntlet” portion of their schedule, and while they handled their first test against the Mets, the Astros will likely be tougher, simply because they aren’t actively self-destructing like the Mets are. #LOLMets

It’s somewhat amazing that the Astros are as good as they are. Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, and Yordan Alvarez all have been worth negative wins above replacement this season, yet the Astros are still in first place. That speaks to the depth of talent on the Astros’ roster.

Speaking of talent, the first two games of the series will feature excellent pitching matchups with Ranger Suarez taking on Framber Valdez and Zack Wheeler facing Hunter Brown. (It isn’t an impossibility that Wheeler vs. Brown could be the starting matchup in the All-Star Game next month.) Since that awful series against the Pirates, the Phillies have averaged 5.5 runs per game. Hopefully they can keep that offensive production going against some tougher pitching.