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Carlos Correa a Better Pick than Byron Buxton After all?

By Josh Sippie

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It takes more than a couple of years in the minors and a few weeks in the majors to judge a career, but the initial return indicates that the Houston Astros renegade first pick of the 2012 draft was a good one. What was originally hailed as a pick to free up cash for their compensation round pick has now proven to be a brilliant pick all around.

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Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton were drafted first and second overall in the 2012 draft, respectively and it was an inevitable outcome that the two would be compared for the duration of their journeys in the majors. Buxton is almost a full year older and factored to be in the Majors before Carlos Correa but Correa continued hitting and hitting and a few key injuries took place and before you knew it, he was locked in at short stop for the division leading Houston Astros hitting .314 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs in 47 at-bats.

That was fast.

On the other side of things, Byron Buxton may have slowed down in his progression. The projected five-tool right hander is hitting a mere .091 with just 2 hits in his first 22 at-bats.

Buxton had a fantastic 2013 in the minors, hitting to the tune of .334 with 12 home runs, 77 RBIs and 55 stolen bases across Single-A and Advanced-A ball. However, a shortened 2014 was less kind to him as he hit .234 in Advanced-A and Double-A before making the permanent move to Double-A in 2015. He hit admirably there, a respectable .286 with 6 home runs, 37 RBIs and 20 stolen bases but aside from the steals, these were not the eye-popping numbers that the world expected from Buxton.

Carlos Correa on the other hand has never stopped hitting. Since leaving rookie ball and prior to reaching Triple-A, Carlos Correa never hit below .300. He started 2015 in Double-A but after hitting. 385 with 7 home runs, 32 RBIs and 15 stolen bases (which qualifies as eye-popping), he was called up for a short stint at Triple-A before reaching the majors at the age of 20, where his success has not even slowed.

Again, a career is a long thing, especially when starting one at the age of 20 or 21, but the early reports show that Carlos Correa may have been the underrated top pick whereas Byron Buxton may have been the slightly overrated second pick. While Buxton has had wrist injuries and a concussion, Correa missed the majority of last season with a fractured fibula as well.

Under Jeff Luhnow, the Houston Astros have a fantastic scouting team (so fantastic that other teams may be jealous) so picks like these should come as no surprise. While Carlos Correa was doomed to live in Byron Buxton’s shadow, he has quickly overtaken the Twin’s top prospect and has started casting a pretty menacing shadow himself.

Next: Jed Lowrie exactly what Astros need?

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