Carlos Correa has played 131 of the last 138 games of the Houston Astros between the 2020 and current seasons. And this year he is hitting over .300 on average and has votes to be an ‘All Star’ again.
Those are the data that speak well of Correa, affirm what he is capable of when he is healthy and does not include all eight home runs and 17 RBIs in 13 postseason games in 2020.
There are also intangibles that speak well of Correa. The 26-year-old Puerto Rican has been the player who shows his face and has been the Astros’ parapet in the harassment they receive in many Major League parks for their collective participation in the 2017 signal theft scheme.
Carlos Correa: “I have a good feeling about this team. Everybody is on the same page. The vibe in the clubhouse reminds me of ’17 and ’19. Man, I really love this team. “
– Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 13, 2021
All of the above, especially his health, put Correa on the road to one of his best seasons in the majors.
“As long as I’m healthy, the numbers are going to keep improving. Nothing surprises me. I think that for health we have not seen the top of Carlos. If he stays healthy, he is going to have, if not the best, one of his best seasons, “said Joey Solá, a former listener for the Houston Astros.
Correa will turn 27 in August and he’s enjoying his first extended period of health since 2016, when he played in 153 of the Astros’ 162 games. Health has been a question for the player, as it has been for the Astros administration in their plans to sign shortstop for a long period.
Health doesn’t hit, but it gives opportunities to be in the batter’s box and on the field.
As long as you’re healthy, the numbers will keep getting better. Nothing surprises me. I think that for health we have not seen the top of Carlos. If you stay healthy, you will have, if not the best, one of your best seasons
–Joey Solá / Former Astros listener
Correa’s base hitting average is .397, the highest of his career. The walk-to-strikeout ratio is 42-52.
On the field, he has had six runs saved with his defense for a second-place Astros in MLB in that department with 46 runs prevented, behind only the Tampa Bay Rays. He has also been part of a total of 34 defensive double kills.
And in the lineup, Correa has hit six different spots for manager Dusty Baker. He has batted from first in the lineup (three games) to sixth bat (30 games). He has 42 walks and 52 strikeouts.
Correa is the team leader in participated games. Players in front of him in the lineup like José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley have lost more games than the Puerto Rican. Correa’s constant presence has been helpful to manager Dusty Baker, who has placed the Puerto Rican in six different spots in the lineup this year. He has batted from first in the lineup (three games) to sixth bat (30 games).
Not counting Monday’s game against Baltimore, Correa was hitting .303 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs. He has 19 doubles for a total of 34 extra-base hits. Among the shortstops in the American League, Correa ranks first in RBIs, extra-base hits, homers, walks, bases hit and average to reach base.
Among the shortstops in the American League, Correa ranks first in RBIs, extra-base hits, home runs, walks, bases hit and average to reach base..
“It shows what a solid season he’s having. Again, it is not surprising what a player of his caliber and healthy is doing, “said Cincinnati Reds scout Hector Otero.
Out of series in last 30 games
In the last 30 games, Correa has raised his offensive level to the numbers that right now place him as the leader in many statistics among the AL’s seniors. In that space, Correa is hitting .355 with nine homers, 27 RBIs and 27 runs scored. He has received 27 walks.
It’s his personality and it helps a lot, even more so with the situation the team had ”,
–Joey Sola
In that span, Correa has hit freely in 22 of 30 games, including 12 games in which he has had at least two hits.
And he has been the leader of that team indicated by the rival dugouts and bleachers. Being vocal, he has stopped situations that the team faces. He is the first of the team to reach the hill to support the pitcher and the first to come out of the dugout to celebrate the races of his teammates.
That work is priceless.
“Everybody needs that kind of person. That has been his style. In the academy (PRBA) he was a leader. It is his personality and it helps a lot, even more so with the situation the team had, “said Solá.
All this while playing his last season under the absolute control of the Astros. At the end of the season, he will be a free agent. It seems to be that he will be the next to get big money, as Francisco Lindor did this year.
The big question is whether the Astros will value him or like George Springer, will they let him go.
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