Major League Baseball

Astros view Carlos Correa's replacement Jeremy Peña as a star

Updated Mar. 26, 2022 6:51 p.m. ET

It's not easy replacing a player like Carlos Correa.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Houston Astros, Correa more than lived up to that pedigree.

When the shortstop hit the majors in 2015, he was named AL Rookie of the Year. He was an All-Star by the age of 22 and a Gold Glover by 26. And he was a key figure in the Astros' rise from perennial doormat to World Series champions.

That's the caliber of player the Astros must replace after Correa chose to sign a free-agent contract with Minnesota earlier this month.

But word out of Houston is that the Astros aren't worried at all. They think they've got more than just a stopgap option, and they're not shy about touting him as a star.

Meet Jeremy Peña.

"[Peña's] going to be a superstar," Houston second baseman Jose Altuve told Ken Rosenthal. "I can tell by his attitude. He cares. He wants to be the best."

And this is just a small sample of the accolades being placed on Peña.

Astros co-hitting coach Troy Snitker called him a "twitch freak," referring to the quick-twitch muscles common in elite athletes.

Houston third baseman Alex Bregman said he believed Peña could become a superstar.

Mets second baseman Robinson Canó echoed that prediction.

"He’s going to be a superstar, for sure," Canó said.

And Nick Derba, Peña's coach at the University of Maine, told the shortstop: "There’s a pretty good chance you’ll be the best player I ever coach."

So why are so many observers bullish over the 23-year-old Dominican who was a third-round draft pick in 2018?

When you look at it, it's the overall package.

Peña has speed, having stolen 30 bases in the minors, including 17 in 66 games for Quad City in 2019.

He has a good eye at the plate, and can hit with power, compiling a .291 batting average, .371 on-base and .444 slugging percentage in three minor-league seasons.

And he has a slick glove at shortstop. "This is the best shortstop I’ve ever seen in high school," Derba thought when he first saw him.

Add it all together, and you can see why Astros observers are excited. But it's a lot to put on a player who has never played in the majors and only has 30 games above the Class-A level under his belt.

Replacing a franchise great like Correa will come with plenty of pressure by itself. Telling everyone that the next guy will be a superstar is something else.

Can Peña handle it?

"It’s not fair to make those comparisons," Astos manager Dusty Baker told Rosenthal. "You’ve got to let them be themselves. And if they happen to be close to those comparisons, you’ve got a helluva player."