Jeremy Pena

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #2 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Even after fracturing his left wrist while diving for a ball in April, Pena cemented himself as the Astros’ heir apparent to Carlos Correa at shortstop during the 2021 season. He returned from a four-month absence to abuse pitching at Triple-A Sugar Land, collecting 16 extra-base hits in a 30-game cameo with the Skeeters. The Astros included Pena on their playoff taxi squad before he departed for a winter ball assignment in the Dominican Republic. Pena drew rave reviews from major league coaches and players for his presence and makeup during his time on the taxi squad and was added to the 40-man roster in November.
  
  Scouting Report: Known as an above-average defender since his third-round selection in the 2018 draft, Pena is making the offensive strides and showing a power surge that will make him an everyday major league option. He came back from a four-month injury absence with more muscle and tapped into the power some waited long to see. Pena’s power may come at the expense of strike-zone control and an ability to hit for average, but his transformation from a handsy college hitter to one who can unearth more power is evident. Pena’s body and build have generated praise from across the sport, but he has not sacrificed plus defense at shortstop, where he shows one of the organization’s best infield arms. His major league bloodlines—his father, Geronimo, played seven major league seasons—influence a makeup about which many rave.
  
  The Future: Pena’s offensive adjustments make him a potential everyday regular at shortstop. He should start the 2022 season at Triple-A Sugar Land and, provided he produces similar offensive numbers, will be in position to make his major league debut during the season.
  
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #2 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 50. Power: 40. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The son of former big leaguer Geronimo Peña, Jeremy stood out for his defense at Maine before signing with the Astros for $535,000 as a third-round pick in 2018. He had an excellent full-season debut through two levels of Class A, then followed it up in 2020 with a strong showing playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña is a plus defender at shortstop, where he has smooth actions, good instincts and range to go with an above-average arm. He signed with a lean, lively frame, and he has since bulked up around 20 pounds while retaining his athleticism and slightly above-average speed. Scouts were more skeptical of Peña’s bat as an amateur, but he has evolved from a handsy swing in college into one that better incorporates his whole body. He now better leverages his explosiveness and creates a more adjustable swing path to go with his solid bat-to-ball skills and a sound grasp for the strike zone. The added strength has helped Peña’s ability to drive the ball, but he still has below-average power, though he has a chance for more because of his contact frequency.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some scouts view Peña as a reserve infielder, but his defense and contact skills give him a chance to develop into an everyday shortstop.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #3 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The son of Geronimo Peña, Jeremy was a defensive whiz at Maine. Since signing with the Astros, Pena has remade his upper body and is now more physical, but he's done so without losing any of his athleticism.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña has the range, hands, actions to make all the plays at shortstop. He has the reactions to slide to third if needed as well and his plus arm plays well at either spot. Multiple scouts gave him plus-plus defensive grades. He's also an above-average runner. Scouts have much more trouble getting excited about his below-average hit tool. Pena has added a significant amount of muscle and good weight and developed gap power with the ability to run into 10-12 home runs a year. But his swing is now geared almost exclusively to pulling balls. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone, so he can work pitchers to get to situations in his zone and he'll add enough walks to post solid on-base percentages.
  
  THE FUTURE: Pena's defense is good enough to allow him to be a productive player even if he hits .230, and he could be a long-time regular if he can hit .250-.260. He's ready for Double-A Corpus Christi.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #26 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Pena grew up around the game as the son of longtime Cardinals second baseman Geronimo Pena. He has a chance to be an even better defender than his father. At Maine, Pena was the team's shortstop from the day he arrived to the day he was drafted in the third round by the Astros. His bat steadily improved in his time with the Black Bears, but even as a junior he was primarily a singles hitter, something that was also true in his pro debut. He walked nearly as much as he struck out but posted an .059 isolated power mark before going down with a leg injury at short-season Tri-City.
  
  Scouting Report: Pena immediately became one of the best defensive shortstops in Houston's organization. He made 10 errors in 36 games at Tri-City, but he has good hands, smooth actions and an above-average arm. He projects as an above-average defender at shortstop. Pena is also an above-average runner and an adept basestealer. As a hitter, Pena doesn't try to do too much, as he looks to spray hits and work counts. He understands a walk is a useful part of his offensive game, but he's a bottom-of-the-order hitter who doesn't make pitchers sweat because of well below-average power.
  
  The Future: Pena will jump to low Class A. His glove is an asset, but he'll work to improve at the plate.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #102 prospect in 2018 draft
  The son of seven-year major league second baseman Geronimo Pena, Jeremy is a premium defensive shortstop with Maine who is one of the top defensive players in the 2018 draft class. Pena has started every game for the Black Bears throughout his college career and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team in 2016, when he led the team in runs and hit .283/.336/.356 with 11 stolen bases. His hitting has improved since then, and Pena hit .308/.390/.478 with four home runs, five triples and nine doubles through the first 46 games of his junior campaign. However, talk about Pena should start with his defensive ability, as he possesses fantastic defensive actions, loose athleticism and an above-average arm. His above-average running ability helps his range in the infield and also on the bases, where he's been an efficient base stealer through parts of three seasons. Including his complete freshman and sophomore seasons and 46 games this spring, Pena stole bases with an 85 percent success rate. Offensively, there is work to do, as evidenced by Pena's .228/.315/.323 slash line in 36 games last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he struck out 30 times to 14 walks with just three extra-base hits. He did make the Cape All-Star team in spite of that line, which speaks to Pena's defensive ability, which will also get him drafted in spite of a light bat with below-average power.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #72 prospect in 2022

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Even after fracturing his left wrist while diving for a ball in April, Pena cemented himself as the Astros’ heir apparent to Carlos Correa at shortstop during the 2021 season. He returned from a four-month absence to abuse pitching at Triple-A Sugar Land, collecting 16 extra-base hits in a 30-game cameo with the Skeeters. The Astros included Pena on their playoff taxi squad before he departed for a winter ball assignment in the Dominican Republic. Pena drew rave reviews from major league coaches and players for his presence and makeup during his time on the taxi squad and was added to the 40-man roster in November.
  
  Scouting Report: Known as an above-average defender since his third-round selection in the 2018 draft, Pena is making the offensive strides and showing a power surge that will make him an everyday major league option. He came back from a four-month injury absence with more muscle and tapped into the power some waited long to see. Pena’s power may come at the expense of strike-zone control and an ability to hit for average, but his transformation from a handsy college hitter to one who can unearth more power is evident. Pena’s body and build have generated praise from across the sport, but he has not sacrificed plus defense at shortstop, where he shows one of the organization’s best infield arms. His major league bloodlines—his father, Geronimo, played seven major league seasons—influence a makeup about which many rave.
  
  The Future: Pena’s offensive adjustments make him a potential everyday regular at shortstop. He should start the 2022 season at Triple-A Sugar Land and, provided he produces similar offensive numbers, will be in position to make his major league debut during the season.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Peña could have had a breakout season in 2021. He's continued to get stronger and drive the ball with more authority as he's matured, and he continues to be an excellent defender at shortstop, but he's missing the entire season as he recovers from left wrist surgery. He still could fit into the Astros' 2022 MLB plans as either a regular or a versatile infield backup, and the trade of Abraham Toro makes that possibility even more likely.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 40. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The son of former big leaguer Geronimo Peña, Jeremy stood out for his defense at Maine before signing with the Astros for $535,000 as a third-round pick in 2018. He had an excellent full-season debut through two levels of Class A, then followed it up in 2020 with a strong showing playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña is a plus defender at shortstop, where he has smooth actions, good instincts and range to go with an above-average arm. He signed with a lean, lively frame, and he has since bulked up around 20 pounds while retaining his athleticism and slightly above-average speed. Scouts were more skeptical of Peña’s bat as an amateur, but he has evolved from a handsy swing in college into one that better incorporates his whole body. He now better leverages his explosiveness and creates a more adjustable swing path to go with his solid bat-to-ball skills and a sound grasp for the strike zone. The added strength has helped Peña’s ability to drive the ball, but he still has below-average power, though he has a chance for more because of his contact frequency.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some scouts view Peña as a reserve infielder, but his defense and contact skills give him a chance to develop into an everyday shortstop.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 40. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The son of former big leaguer Geronimo Peña, Jeremy stood out for his defense at Maine before signing with the Astros for $535,000 as a third-round pick in 2018. He had an excellent full-season debut through two levels of Class A, then followed it up in 2020 with a strong showing playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña is a plus defender at shortstop, where he has smooth actions, good instincts and range to go with an above-average arm. He signed with a lean, lively frame, and he has since bulked up around 20 pounds while retaining his athleticism and slightly above-average speed. Scouts were more skeptical of Peña’s bat as an amateur, but he has evolved from a handsy swing in college into one that better incorporates his whole body. He now better leverages his explosiveness and creates a more adjustable swing path to go with his solid bat-to-ball skills and a sound grasp for the strike zone. The added strength has helped Peña’s ability to drive the ball, but he still has below-average power, though he has a chance for more because of his contact frequency.
  
  THE FUTURE: Some scouts view Peña as a reserve infielder, but his defense and contact skills give him a chance to develop into an everyday shortstop.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The son of Geronimo Peña, Jeremy was a defensive whiz at Maine. Since signing with the Astros, Pena has remade his upper body and is now more physical, but he’s done so without losing any of his athleticism.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña has the range, hands, actions to make all the plays at shortstop. He has the reactions to slide to third if needed as well and his plus arm plays well at either spot. Multiple scouts gave him plus-plus defensive grades. He’s also an above-average runner. Scouts have much more trouble getting excited about his below-average hit tool. Pena has added a significant amount of muscle and good weight and developed gap power with the ability to run into 10-12 home runs a year. But his swing is now geared almost exclusively to pulling balls. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone, so he can work pitchers to get to situations in his zone and he’ll add enough walks to post solid on-base percentages.
  
  THE FUTURE: Pena’s defense is good enough to allow him to be a productive player even if he hits .230, and he could be a long-time regular if he can hit .250-.260. He’s ready for Double-A Corpus Christi.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The son of Geronimo Peña, Jeremy was a defensive whiz at Maine. Since signing with the Astros, Pena has remade his upper body and is now more physical, but he's done so without losing any of his athleticism.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Peña has the range, hands, actions to make all the plays at shortstop. He has the reactions to slide to third if needed as well and his plus arm plays well at either spot. Multiple scouts gave him plus-plus defensive grades. He's also an above-average runner. Scouts have much more trouble getting excited about his below-average hit tool. Pena has added a significant amount of muscle and good weight and developed gap power with the ability to run into 10-12 home runs a year. But his swing is now geared almost exclusively to pulling balls. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone, so he can work pitchers to get to situations in his zone and he'll add enough walks to post solid on-base percentages.
  
  THE FUTURE: Pena's defense is good enough to allow him to be a productive player even if he hits .230, and he could be a long-time regular if he can hit .250-.260. He's ready for Double-A Corpus Christi.