The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Jeremy Peña Visits With Matt Thomas from Astros Spring Training

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

Jeremy Peña Visits With Matt Thomas from Astros Spring Training

First of all, congratulations, the engagement. It's going to be a little off season for you. What made you decide ultimately this was the time to do it? I mean, it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. And, you know, I was in season. She was in season. I feel like the offseason was only the only appropriate time. I didn't want to do it when she was still playing.

You know, I wanted her to focus on her season. And then once her season was over, is green light. So who's handling all the marriage plans? Is that going to be after the season? Are you guys going to talk it out during the year? I will talk it out during the year. We'll definitely plan it during the year. And we're kind of both going back and forth, both giving inputs, but she's doing most of the work. I haven't married a long time to let her do all the heavy lifting. I swear I mean, it'll work that for you.

This camp, I mean, you're now one of the older guys in the team. Is that kind of crazy that you can think you can make about it? It doesn't feel like that. You know, I still feel like I'm that young kid, you know, with, you know, coming into my first spring training. I have all the energy in the world. I have all the ambitions in the world. And we have a great team. And I'm excited to be around these guys. And I still, I get excited to be around some of the guys, you know, learn from that, pick their brain. Yeah.

So, yeah. It had to have been, I think it was shrill for everybody, especially you guys. It's like to Oprah, you're not playing games. I mean, how long did that take to sink in? And was there a level of frustration, disappointment? And I got to get back on the field as soon as Bob. I mean, I feel like our goal is always to get into the postseason and make a run in the postseason. You know, we didn't achieve that last year, which was tough for us as a whole, as an organization.

But at the same time, you know, it's time to turn the page. You know, we're in spring training. And, you know, we have a new season upon us. And it's time to bounce back. You know, it's time to get back into the playoffs and make a run. How is it to, it looks like to me, watching you guys that your relationship with Carlos at their base was amazing i mean it took no time for you guys to transition together right right you know carlos has been great to me since the first day i got

to the organization you know spring training 2019 you know i got to hang out with the team quite a bit you know i joe spada kind of took it upon himself to get me playing time with the um obb games in spring training so i would come from the minor league side and hang out with the big leaguers and you know It was pretty cool, pretty cool. Does that happen a lot? I mean, that's a pretty special situation for you to be able to be with those guys so early in your career. I mean, guys usually get the opportunity to come up and play back up some games. But I feel like Joe was making me back up almost every single game.

And I feel like I was barely in minor league spring training. And I feel like I was over. And I didn't play much. You know, I would come into the eighth inning, get one at bat. I would come in the ninth end, just play defense. But just being around those guys, man, it was special. Because you get to pick their brains. how the big leaguers think, you know, and it's exciting for me.

So do you look back at that and go, man, I made some mistakes when I was younger, or I just kind of just soaked everything in? I mean, I try to soak everything in. Yeah. You know, if you look back at the team we had 2019, like, it was unbelievable. You know, I had guys like Michael Brandley around me. You know, I had guys like Jose Al-Tube around me. It was special, special for sure.

Do you find younger guys coming? Do you ask those same kind of questions that you were asking four or five years ago? I feel like they ask better questions than I did. I was just quiet, you know. I feel like these guys are very confident. You know, they know what their game is. You know, they love picking people's brains. But I was more shy.

You know, I was kind of just there looking, trying to learn by seeing. You know, I was never one to just approach someone and ask them a question, you know. But if they open that door for me, then I felt the confidence, you know, keep talking about it. A couple more questions here with Jeremy Pena. Jose is back at second base primarily. And look, I think what he did last year and volunteering himself to the left field, everybody's going to do that.

And maybe 10 years down the road, they may ask you to go to third base, something like that. What is that like watching a guy like that go to a new position for the good of the team? But you know, in his heart of hearts, he wants to be at second base. I mean, it says a lot about the type of person he is

and the type of player he is. You know, he's a player that's always going to do what's best for the team. He wants to see the team do good. He wants to see the team win. He's been here through the ups and the downs of this team, you know, from when he first got to the big leagues to win multiple World Series. You know, so I feel like Altuva is very,

Altuva is very inclined to helping this team win. And Artuva is a player that, you know, he tries to make everyone better. And if that meant last year trying to move to left field, it makes a team better, then, you know, he's a guy who just, put in the lineup and he's going to find a way to help the team. What do you want to get accomplished here? I know that Joe mentioned a few weeks ago that maybe some of the older guys won't have to play as much in spring training.

Have you kind of mapped up a schedule what you'd like to see done for yourself in terms of playing time? I mean, I'm going to have to play quite a bit. I'll be playing pretty early spring training because of the World Baseball Classic. So, you know, I'm preparing a little earlier than I usually do. But, yeah, I'll be playing right away. and join my Dominican Republic team and go from there.

How amped up for you for that? Because here's the thing we argue about this on my radio show about the importance of it. I can't be in your skin because so many of your guys like yourself and other countries have said this is such an important event. So to wrap this up, what makes this WBC, even though it's every three years so important for guys like yourself? It's special. I feel like you grow up admiring these guys that represent our country. You know, you admire the Arvajos, you know, the Miguel Tejadas. you know and they never had a problem with putting on that uniform and represent our country you know and you know what they did in 2013 I believe when we won the WBC when we won the WBC when we won the

WBC the whole country it was like a big celebration you know and I remember I was in I was in high school and that's a vivid memory memory it was a vivid moment for me you know core memory you know Robinson Canoe. I admired all those guys, you know, and they brought the trophy home, and it was special for us. And I hope to, you know, kind of give the country that same glory. You know, we have a great team to do it. And yeah, we're going to go enjoy ourselves and compete.