Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

The Houston Astros are rolling right now and seem to have figured it out following what was a rough start to the season. A huge part of the reason why things are going so well is the resurgent, career-best season from Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena.

Having himself an All-star season thus far, Jeremy Peña has raised his contract value drastically following the Astros' rebuilding stage here in Houston with the departure of a few veterans this past offseason.