Astros Prospect Jeremy Pena Wins Gold Glove in LIDOM

As the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) embarks on its postseason, awards were announced on Tuesday. And for a second-consecutive year, Houston Astros‘ prospect Jeremy Pena took home the Gold Glove for shortstop.

The top-five farm hand also won the award during the 2020-2021 season, while being crowned the Rookie of the Year. His fellow 40-man friend, Jose Siri, did not take home a Gold Glove for a consecutive year, after joining the league later than usual.

Astros’ Jeremy Pena was the best shortstop in the Dominican Winter League this year.

While leading LIDOM in Ultimate Zone Rating, Pena was on the path to be rewarded the best at his position. The level of competition and strength in the Dominican Winter League is considerably different than Major League Baseball, but Pena didn’t show any sign of fatigue.

The 24-year-old played 30 games at shortstop, turning nine double plays and making only five errors. With a .970 fielding percentage, Pena had a 5.7 range factor, which assesses a player’s defensive capabilities outside the realm of his fielding percentage.

The right-hander underwent wrist surgery at the beginning of the Triple-A season, before returning for 30 games late into the summer. Pena posted monstrous numbers at the plate with above-average defense.

While continuing play in the Dominican Republic, Pena still hit above the league average at the dish, although his power was slightly down. This is a normal occurrence in the Dominican Winter League, though.

Before returning to LIDOM for a second winter, Pena stopped by Tino Chapa’s barber shop. When asked about his play and the kind of person he is, Chapa noted that he thinks Pena will be ready whenever the Astros see fit and that the prospect is a “good kid, too.”