Carlos Correa gives Astros new weapon in AL West fight
By Tim Haberin
The Houston Astros, arguably Major League Baseball’s biggest surprise this season, are adding another piece to their arsenal. On Sunday night the team announced it would be calling up its top prospect, shortstop Carlos Correa. The 20-year-old will be in the starting lineup tonight against the White Sox (and a surging Chris Sale – no small challenge for a rookie). His is the latest in a flurry of promotions for highly-touted prospects throughout the league.
Correa was selected by Houston as the first overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. Since then, he has more than justified his draft positioning with his performance in the minor leagues. In 2013 he hit .320 with 9 home runs and 86 RBI for Class-A Quad Cities. Though his following campaign was limited to 62 games due to a broken fibula, he still hit .325 with 6 homers, 57 RBI and 20 steals before ending his season with High-A Lancaster.
Expectations were high entering 2015 for Correa’s first season above A-ball. A litany of publications and media outlets ranked him as a top-5 prospect prior to the season: Baseball America (#4), MLB.com (#3), Baseball Prospectus (#3), ESPN.com (#3), among others. Correa quickly began proving those rankings appropriate, if not a bit conservative. Through 53 games this year between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno, he put up a .335/.407/.600 slash line along with 10 home runs, 44 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
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Correa’s promotion comes at a moment of need for Houston. Though the Astros still lead the American League West by 3.5 games over Texas, the once-torrid squad has cooled off recently. They have dropped their last four games, including a three-game sweep in Toronto at the hands of the Blue Jays. The once-humming offense has struggled to put runs on the board of late.
“Our team could use the spark right now,” said general manager Jeff Luhnow. “We haven’t been playing our best baseball over the past few days and hopefully Carlos can add something that’s been missing.”
Houston’s production out of the shortstop position has been uninspiring at best, so Correa figures to represent a significant improvement in that area. Jed Lowrie was hitting .300 with four homers, but thumb surgery sidelined him in late April. Jonathan Villar (.694 OPS) and Marwin Gonzalez (.586 OPS) haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the meantime.
Scouts have praised Correa’s ability to hit for average and power. Some have even questioned whether his long-term future is at shortstop. But at that position, his potential offensive prowess becomes even more valuable. His glove has been described as solid and he has a strong arm, so overall he’s an enticing package for the ‘Stros, and one that should continue to grow and develop for seasons to come.
Clubs try to avoid giving young players too much responsibility too soon, especially when the player in question is as young as 20 years old. But Carlos Correa has a distinct opportunity here to assert himself and plant his flag as an integral member the Houston Astros. Lowrie should be ready to return after the All-Star break, but Houston will hope that Correa thrives in his role and gives no reason to be replaced. His progress and success could be a testament to the organization’s farm system, a system the team hopes will start paying off regularly now with the premier draft choices it has gathered over the years.
Correa’s promotion signals a team in uncharted territory: prepared and committed to playing the part of contender. “We feel like Carlos gives us the best chance to win,” Luhnow added to his previous comments. “We want to keep our division lead and we want to win this division.” Though the Mariners and A’s still slumber and the Angels unconvincingly tread water, the Rangers’ recent strong play shows they may prove a legitimate foe to a Houston team trying to capture its first division crown since 2001.
If the Astros are going to not only break a decade-long postseason drought but actually make some noise in those playoffs, Carlos Correa represents a key component to their ambitions. And what more fitting time for his big league story to begin than on the opening night of the 2015 MLB Draft?