Astros Slugger Jeremy Pena Heading Toward Stardom This Season

The Houston Astros are playing very well of late and making quite the charge in the American League West.

Even though they got off to a bit of a slow start, they have performed better at this point of the year than in 2024.

This winter, the team made a lot of changes to their roster, especially in the lineup. After losing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, the team was expected to take a bit of a step back.

Unfortunately, that has been the case with some key members of the offense underperforming.

Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, and Yainer Diaz have all struggled to start the campaign. With all of these key players not living up to expectations, it’s shocking that the team is over .500.

However, while many have struggled, the team has been able to see one of their young players take a step forward.

Is Jeremy Pena Becoming a Star?

Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com recently wrote about Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, perhaps heading toward stardom.

“After following up his tremendous 2022 rookie season -- which culminated in him winning both the American League Championship Series and World Series MVP Awards -- with a pair of nondescript campaigns, Peña may finally be poised to make a significant leap toward stardom.”

The 27-year-old shortstop burst onto the scene in 2022, winning a Gold Glove in his rookie season. However, while he had a great first campaign, it was his performance in the postseason that made it look like Houston had a new star on their hands.

At just 24 years old, Pena won the World Series MVP, helping the Astros win the championship.

The success in October might have created unrealistic expectations for the young shortstop, resulting in some disappointment in his production the last two seasons.

However, 2025 has been different for Pena, and he is off to a great start.

So far, the shortstop has slashed .301/.356/.451 with six home runs, 23 RBI and six stolen bases. For the first time in his career, he is projected to have an OPS over .800 as of now.

Even though most of the lineup has struggled, it has been Pena who has emerged as the new star of the batting order.

With the expectation that Alvarez will come back healthy and produce up to his All-Star capabilities, it could create a solid middle of the order for Houston.

While the team is winning and performing well, they could take things to the next level when the lineup gets going. Furthermore, it’s been great to see Pena finally taking the step toward stardom.