Pena is one of a few unlikely LCS Most Valuable Players to emerge over the last few seasons. Howie Kendrick starred for the Washington Nationals in 2019 and Eddie Rosario was Atlanta’s NLCS hero in 2021. Randy Arozarena’s breakout playoff campaign in 2020 earned him the ALCS MVP in 2020.
The Astros, Texas Rangers, P
hiladelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks all have X-factors who could follow in the footsteps of those recent unsung heroes. One of those players could end up as the series MVP if they thrive for an entire series.Some postseason heroes come out of nowhere.
For example, no one expected Jeremy Pena to be the star of the Houston Astros’ push to the World Series in 2022.
Pena is one of a few unlikely LCS Most Valuable Players to emerge over the last few seasons. Howie Kendrick starred for the Washington Nationals in 2019 and Eddie Rosario was Atlanta’s NLCS hero in 2021. Randy Arozarena’s breakout playoff campaign in 2020 earned him the ALCS MVP in 2020.
The Astros, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks all have X-factors who could follow in the footsteps of those recent unsung heroes. One of those players could end up as the series MVP if they thrive for an entire series.
The reigning ALCS and World Series MVP could once again be Houston’s X-factor at this stage of the postseason.
Pena had four hits in four games in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins, but he was nowhere close to the spotlight that was taken by Jose Abreu and Yordan Alvarez.
The Astros shortstop will not be the first name mentioned in the conversation of top difference-makers on the Houston roster.
Pena had five multi-hit performances in the ALCS and World Series last season, and he could be vital to Houston’s success once again.
Pena will likely hit near the bottom of the Astros order, and he could produce some important hits that flips around the order to Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, which could be the difference between one-run innings and multi-run frames against the Rangers
