All this is completely true.
But, seriously…
No one expects Pena is going to hit .346 all year long, do they. Nor get on base at a .424 clip for the next five months. He hit three homers this month—but no one expects him to finish with the 16 he’s projected to finish with even though he did manage to hit 20 two years back in A-ball. No one expects that, right? The 49 steals he’s projected to finish with would be more than twice the number he’s had at any other level—and, to be honest, the team would probably like to see him cool the afterburners a little, given that he’s on pace to get tossed out twenty-seven times.
Fans have, of course, heard that Pena was going to bring Zimmer-quality glovework to the club, but no one thinks what’s been happening this month is going to stay the course, right? Given that last sentence, you might ask what has been happening. Try this...Luis Pena has pasted +5.8 in the Zone rating category. What does that mean? Well, try this. Mexico City’s onetime super glove Dashiell Fairborne is having a spectacular season again (at age 24). He’s posted +2.8—which is the second best in baseball, behind, of course, Pena.
That’s right—read that last bit again. Luis Pena has posted a Zone Rating that’s double Dashiell Freaking Faireborne. To put it in another perspective, that +5.8 ZR in 30 games projects to +31.3 on the season.
Yes: +31.3
That is not a typo.
Add it all together, and Luis Pena has had a 30-game debut that translates out to 9 WAR.
Of course, no one expects this will stand. No one expects Luis Pena will sustain this kind of pace.
Right?