Yordan Alvarez is obviously the best player on the Astros. No questions about that. I mean, he’s a favorite for the AL MVP. But for as good as the slugger has been this season, he can’t do it all by himself in every single game. For the Astros to succeed, qualify for the postseason, and possibly advance deep into October, it’ll take more than Alvarez.
When one looks at the position player group, it doesn’t have many options to choose from. Jose Altuve’s best days are behind him. Carlos Correa is on the IL. Isaac Paredes, perhaps? Don’t even bother looking at the outfield. Yainer Diaz has found his bat, but I wouldn’t choose to depend on him. Jeremy Peña, however, offers the kind of dynamics that can help drive a lineup in different ways. Between his power, speed, and baserunning ability, when he makes contact, it offers a special blend of tools that can positively impact a lineup in different ways.
It isn’t a coincidence that part of Houston’s overall struggles at the plate coincided with Peña’s own slump. From August 3 through September 13, he hit .170/.220/.298 with a 43 wRC+ and struck out 32.7% of the time. While Peña’s plate discipline has never been considered great, especially against breaking balls low and away, it noticeably regressed across those 150 plate appearances. With a bottom half of a lineup that is virtually non-existent at times, the Astros can ill afford to have him and/or Alvarez in a slump. Even worse, as has been the case lately, at the same time. Of course, Alvarez’s slump is different than Peña’s in terms of severity, but it still doesn’t help matters.
Hopefully Peña’s recent performance at the plate is a sign of things to come. While it is unreasonable to expect to hit three home runs in every 13 plate appearances, the plate discipline looked better. He was a crucial factor in the Astros series win against the Royals earlier this week. Whether it continues is left to be seen, but it is still a positive trend for a lineup deseparate for one.
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