Altuve: Peña an All-Star, will be in MVP conversation
Jose Altuve sang the praises of teammate Jeremy Peña following the Houston Astros' 10-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
"I think he's going to be an All-Star, and he's going to be in the MVP conversation," Altuve said, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Peña, who has never appeared in an All-Star Game, was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Friday's win. He pushed his batting average (.333) and OPS (.884) to career-best marks.
The 27-year-old is having a tremendous all-around campaign. He ranks first in the majors in fWAR and is second in FanGraphs' offensive rating among qualified shortstops.
Peña also sits third at his position in defensive runs saved and is 97th percentile in sprint speed.
Altuve is the last Astros player to be named MVP (2017). Jeff Bagwell is the only other player in franchise history to receive the honor (1994).