MLB draft: 10 best selections from 2012-16
6. Carlos Correa, (2012 draft), 3.00 average WAR
Correa is by far the most prominent graduate of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, where he was playing when the Astros selected him with the first pick of the 2012 draft. He led an impressive draft class that also included Byron Buxton, Max Fried, and Lucas Giolito.
Correa’s minor league experience got off to a slow start, but he found his batting eye in 2013, batting .320 for Quad Cities in 2013 and .325 for Lancaster in 2014.
That performance at High A earned him a major-league look in 2015, and he batted .279 as the Astros took a wild card berth, winning the Rookie of the Year award. He was barely 20 years old.
When Houston won the 2017 World Series, Correa was a focal point at shortstop. Although limited by injuries to 109 games, he hit. 315 with 24 home runs. He batted .276 in Houston’s seven-game World Series victory over the Dodgers.
Since that World Series win, Correa’s production has tailed off, again largely due to injuries. He was a 6.1 WAR player in both 2016 and 2017 but has netted only a combined 4.6 WAR since then.
Correa will not be a free agent until the 2022 season.