Carlos Correa, Shortstop, Minnesota Twins

Date of Birth: 9/22/1994
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Carlos Correa, shortstop for the Minnesota Twins, was already a good baseball player at the age of five when he started playing organized baseball. In high school, he was a top player and a scholar, finishing his four years with a 4.00 GPA and as class valedictorian. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2012 as the number one overall draft selection.

Correa played in the Astros' minor league system from 2012 through 2014. During that time, he had 319 hits, 78 doubles, 187 RBIs, and 197 strikeouts to 121 walks in 258 games. Defensively, as a shortstop, he made 671 assists, 133 double plays, 383 putouts, and 37 errors in 221 games.

On June 9, 2015, Correa hit his first major league home run. He had a strong first season in the major leagues, batting .279 with 108 hits, 22 doubles, 22 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 68 RBIs in 99 games. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year for his efforts. Defensively, as the Astros' shortstop in 99 games, he made 265 assists, 41 double plays, 112 putouts, and 13 errors. He had a strong postseason, batting .292 with 7 hits, including 1 double and 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 24 at-bats in 6 games.

Correa's second season in the majors was another strong one. He finished the 2016 season with 158 hits, 36 doubles, 20 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 75 RBIs, and a .274 batting average in 153 games. Defensively, as the Astros' shortstop, he made 426 assists, 81 double plays, 202 putouts, and 14 errors.

Correa continued to perform at a high level in 2017. He finished the season with 133 hits, 25 doubles, 24 home runs, 84 RBIs, 92 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a .315 batting average in 109 games. Defensively, as the Astros' shortstop, he made 282 assists, 62 double plays, 127 putouts, and 9 errors in 108 games.

Correa had a good postseason in 2017, finishing with a .288 batting average in 73 at-bats in 18 games. He had 21 hits, including 5 home runs and 5 doubles, and 14 RBIs. He hit his first home run in the first innning of Game 2 of the American League Division series. He followed that with another home run in the first inning of Game 3. In the AL Championship series, he had the game winning hit in Game 1 and a walk-off winning home run in the 9th inning of Game 2. His last two home runs came in Game 2 and Game 5 of the World Series.

Correa spent time on the DL in 2018, playing in just 110 games with the Astros. He struggled with the bat, finishing the season with 96 hits, 20 doubles, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a .239 batting average. Defensively, as the Astros' shortstop in 109 games, he made 268 assists, 43 double plays, 106 putouts, and 6 errors. In the postseason, he had 7 hits, including a home run, and 6 RBIs in 29 at-bats in 8 games. He struck out 9 times and walked 6.

Correa spent time on the DL in 2019 with a fractured rib and with back discomfort. He finished the season with 78 hits, 16 doubles, 21 home runs, 59 RBIs, 75 strikeouts to 35 walks, and a .279 batting average in 75 games. Defensively, as the Astros' shortstop in 75 games, he made 176 assists, 34 double plays, 95 putouts, and 2 errors. In the postseason, he had 13 htis, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, 27 strikeouts to 6 walks, 1 stolen base, and a .191 batting average in 68 at-bats in 18 games.

Correa played in 58 games in 2020. He finished the season with 53 hits, 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 25 RBIs, 49 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a .264 batting average. Defensively, he played 57 games at shortstop. In the postseason, he batted .362 with 17 hits, 1 double, 6 home runs, and 17 RBIs in 47 at-bats in 13 games.

Correa finished the 2021 season with 155 hits, 34 doubles, 26 home runs, 92 RBIs, 116 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a .279 batting average in 148 games. He had an outstanding season defensively, winning his first Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove. In 148 games at shortstop, he made 384 assists, 70 double plays, 183 putouts, and 11 errors. In the postseason, he had 17 hits, 4 doubles, 1 home run, and 9 RBIs in 60 at-bats in 16 games.

Correa became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed with the Twins on March 22, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Correa through 2021 include:

• 752 games played
• 781 hits
• 162 doubles
• 133 home runs
• 489 RBIs
• 660 strikeouts to 347 walks
• .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Correa at shortstop through 2021 include:

• 749 games played
• 1,943 assists
• 366 double plays
• 894 putouts
• 56 errors
• .981 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Carlos Correa
ESPN - Carlos Correa
Baseball Reference - Carlos Correa