#39 – Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
Maybe this ranking is too harsh of an indictment on the 21-year-old Carlos Correa, who won Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, but his star has certainly fallen a bit during this campaign. Correa is batting .271/.365/.472 with 18 home runs and 10 stolen bases – certainly not bad, but hardly the kind of power he showed last season, when he had 22 home runs in just 99 games.
Perhaps the expectations on Correa were too high, but it’s important to keep in mind that he’s just 21 years old. He has yet to hit his prime, and pitchers around the league have made an adjustment to him in his first full season in the big leagues. The next step is for Correa to make an adjustment in return.
And perhaps he already has – in his last 30 games, Correa is batting .282 with five home runs. Three of those homers have come in his last seven games, and he’s batted .310 during that same time span. Take a look at the kind of power he’s capable of:
In two months, Correa may belong at the very top of this list, but for now, he needs to work on turning his sophomore season into a more memorable year.
Next: The Top 50 Right Now: #38