![]() Those shoes are too big to fill.”Ī bottom three in the lineup of Chas McCormick, Peña and Martín Maldonado is risky, but Peña has legitimate pop and McCormick was an above-average producer as a rookie last regular season (107 OPS+ in 320 plate appearances) before he struggled in the playoffs amid sporadic playing time. I was in that same kind of boat as a kid when I was the next Hank Aaron. “You can’t expect him to be Carlos right away,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said this week of Peña. ![]() He struggled early, but the Astros had enough offense around him to be patient and were rewarded with improved performance before his trade to Cleveland. He was an unproven player succeeding a franchise icon in George Springer as the everyday center fielder. In that way, Myles Straw in the first half of 2021 is a solid analog. A healthy and performing top six ( Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Bregman, Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel, in some order) would allow the Astros to be more patient with Peña. Succeeding Correa as a rookie would be a difficult ask of Peña, but the Astros could have the luxury of easing him into their lineup as the No. Goodrum is Peña insurance but also Díaz insurance. Depth is tested over the course of a 162-game season. But he’s also often injured, a questionable defender at short and the primary backup at first base, second base and third base. He’s a good player who would be a starting infielder for some other teams, when healthy. Yes, Díaz is still an Astro, too, and he has been one of their backup shortstops dating to 2019. They couldn’t risk a redux of last year when they gave 117 reserve-infielder plate appearances to an overmatched Robel García. Coming out of the lockout, the Astros prioritized insuring themselves for the scenario in which Peña doesn’t run away with the job, struggles early in the season or gets hurt. He has the tools and the potential to do it, but him performing from Day 1 is no guarantee. If Correa goes elsewhere, the smoothest outcome for the Astros would be for Peña to take the Opening Day shortstop job and run with it. ![]() Yet the Astros remain heavy division favorites, are optimistic about Peña’s future, and are expecting more offense from third baseman Alex Bregman, who’s healthy again.Ī spotlight will be on the 24-year-old Peña throughout this abbreviated camp. On paper, the trio represents a significant drop-off from the 2021 version of Correa, who was one of the best all-around players in MLB during his contract year. ![]() And there are the backups, utility man Aledmys Díaz and the newly signed Niko Goodrum. There’s the frontrunner, prospect Jeremy Peña. Barring a Correa signing, or an unexpected pivot to Trevor Story, three shortstops are in the picture. In the meantime, the Astros’ vision for the shortstop position in a post-Correa era has emerged. ![]()
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