Did Jose Altuve Accidentally Resurrect His Star Teammate's Career?

It was hard to ignore what Jeremy Pena did for the Houston Astros when he debuted in 2022.

He was solid during his rookie year with an OPS+ that was two points above the league average, but his 22 homers and 63 RBI in 136 regular season games earned him a fifth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting that was paired with a Gold Glove Award at shortstop.

Based on his performance as a two-way player, Pena looked like a future star in the making.

That projection culminated a lot quicker than anyone anticipated when the calendar flipped to October.

Pena was a superstar during the playoffs, slashing .345/.367/.638 with four homers and eight RBI that seemed to all come in clutch moments, earning him both ALCS and World Series MVP honors.

However, he came back down to earth the two seasons after that with OPS+ figures under the league average while his power numbers also plummeted.

There was some concern that Pena might never get back to the level he showed during his magical 2022 campaign, but the 27-year-old has gotten red-hot at the plate and is actually performing better than he ever has during the regular season.

After another impressive showing at the plate on Wednesday where he went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI, he is slashing .315/.365/.475 with six homers and 23 RBI, a pace that could have him surpass his previous career-highs in those categories.

While Pena has been working hard at becoming a more consistent hitter, he might have his teammate to thank for this resurgence.

How Did Jose Altuve Play a Role?

Prior to the game on April 27, Jose Altuve had been batting leadoff.

That wasn't anything out of the ordinary since that's the role he's had for the better part of the last few years. But after Houston moved the future Hall of Famer into the outfield, he spoke with manager Joe Espada about moving out of the No. 1 spot to give him some more time to prep for his first at-bat.

As a result, Pena became the lead man.

Prior to that role change, Pena was slashing .247/.324/.376 with three homers, six extra-base hits and eight RBI, solid numbers but nothing that was eye-catching.

But since he's moved into the leadoff spot, Pena has gone 28-for-69 with three homers, eight extra-base hits and 15 RBI, an output that would have him among the game's best players if he is able to keep that kind of pace up for the remainder of the season.

That might be too much to ask, but it seems like Pena is embracing his new role and thriving in it.

All of a sudden, the sky looks like the limit for the young star once again, and it seems like he has Altuve to thank for that.

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