Jeremy Pena vs. Julio Rodriguez: Which star is poised to have a better 2023 MLB season after breakout rookie campaigns?

Jeremy Pena vs. Julio Rodriguez is going to be a hotly contested debate for years to come. When two good players debut in the same season and make an impact on their teams, it's an inevitable comparison. More than a decade later, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper get compared thanks to their debut years being the same.

Jeremy Pena took over for Carlos Correa in Houston and helped lead them to a World Series victory, winning the ALCS and World Series MVP.

Julio Rodriguez brought the Seattle Mariners back to the postseason after an intense drought, winning Rookie of the Year along the way. He signed a massive extension and cemented himself as part of baseball's incredibly bright future.

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Jeremy Pena vs. Julio Rodriguez: Which star had it better in 2022?

While Jeremy Pena burst onto the scene in the postseason and played extremely well, the sample size for his success is much smaller. Over the course of the entire season, he was not as good as Julio Rodriguez.

Pena had a very good year, posting 3.4 fWAR. Most of that was from sterling defense, as he was about average offensively with a 102 wRC+. He recorded an impressive 16 defensive runs saved at shortstop.

Rodriguez deservedly won Rookie of the Year after posting 5.3 fWAR and an absurd 146 wRC+. On defense, he wasn't as sterling as Pena, but he had three defensive runs saved. He was far from a liability in center field.

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Jeremy Pena vs. Julio Rodriguez: Who will have a better 2023?

With all due respect to Jeremy Pena, he is not quite the same caliber player as Julio Rodriguez. The numbers bear that out and they likely will in 2023.

Jeremy Pena vs. Julio Rodriguez: Who will be better?

Fangraphs' projections model thinks another excellent year is in store for Rodriguez with a 5.7 fWAR and a 138 wRC+. That would be another excellent season under his belt.

For Pena, he'll be good, just maybe not as good as Rodriguez. The shortstop is expected to record 2.9 fWAR and again be average offensively with a 101. Ultimately, Pena does have the better team and a chance at repeating as champion. That might matter more to some critics.