Astros: Five Replacement Options for Carlos Correa

The Astros could promote prospect Pedro Leon.

Whatever the inverse of Pena is, that would be Pedro Leon. He’s the Astros number two prospect following in the trend of talented Cubans coming through the pipeline. He was an outfielder up until this past year when the Astros converted him to shortstop.

This was more the writing on the wall that Correa was gone than anything. Because while there is an open spot in the outfield to play alongside Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker (Yes, Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick are serviceable there but Leon has more upside), the Astros still chose to try him out at shortstop.

That also could be considered an indictment of Jeremy Pena’s ability to hit for power.  I mean why move Leon to shortstop if you believed in Pena’s bat.

The Astros also have fast-tracked him in the minors having him go from rookie ball to triple-A within one season. That’s quite the accelerated timeline, even for a 23 year old.

The questions surrounding Pena are the opposite for Leon. Can he play a solid defensive shortstop?

There’s no question Correa’s glove and arm saved the Astros in plenty of tight situations. Can Leon make up for that?

Whether the Astros do promote Leon or Pena, they both don’t possess the same leadership qualities Correa brings. They’d be starting from the ground level requiring Altuve and Bregman to bear more of the veteran load.