The shortstop and World Series MVP, who spent the winter living in his parents' house, enters his second season simply eyeing a full year's worth of excellence.
Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña enters his second MLB campaign after enjoying a postseason for the ages, having been named MVP of the World Series and the American League Championship Series.WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When the champagne ran out and a celebratory clubhouse emptied, Jeremy Peña’s celebrity came into focus. Three weeks transformed him into an icon, a face of baseball for however long Houston fields a franchise.
“He’s got laser focus this year,” Astros assistant hitting coach Jason Kanzler said. “If anything, the taste of wild success he had last year will just fuel him to be better. He wants to be a complete player at the plate, on defense, in the clubhouse. He’s going to work to get what he wants.” “The learning process is not over yet,” Astros bench coach Joe Espada said. “He wants to be the best Jeremy Peña that he can be. And he works really hard every day at it, on and off the field. This kid, in our community, has really taken a role where he wants to be out there and be seen as someone who cares about the fans and the city of Houston.”
Calling him a celebrity caused him to pause. He spearheaded a World Series win but still spent the winter living with his parents and sleeping in the same room he had as a boy.“It was a special moment for me and my family, because they've pretty much been through the whole process with me growing up. I wanted to spend it with them since they know me the most. It was pretty cool to share that night after the World Series with my parents.
“I still feel the same,” Peña said. “I still go out to the grocery store by myself. I still go into restaurants by myself. Still go out in public. I feel the same. I don't need to go get a private room.” Two trips to New York provided Peña his fondest offseason memories. He went first to accept his Gold Glove Award in November and again in January for the Baseball Writers Association of America dinner. Peña has the poise of a veteran with much more than one season of big league service time. But rarely has he had any chances to rub elbows with the sport’s elite.
Peña’s parents accompanied their son around the country over the winter, affording Geronimo a chance to reconnect with his past while admiring the player he helped raise. He and Smith swapped stories from their old St. Louis Cardinals days, delivering Jeremy his winter highlight.
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