Fansided

Meet Carlos Correa, MLB’s next big prospect

By Kyle Franzoni

Jun 18, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; West shortstop Carlos Correa bats during the Midwest League-All Star Game at Fifth Third Field. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; West shortstop Carlos Correa bats during the Midwest League-All Star Game at Fifth Third Field. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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Already sporting the second best record in baseball, the Houston Astros may push the envelope and could soon promote top prospect Carlos Correa.

Looking back at the 2012 MLB Draft, it still rings loud the level of shock that has heard when the Houston Astros drafted Carlos Correa with the first overall pick. Many considered that Houston would select Mark Appel, a hard-throwing right-hander from Stanford, with the first pick. However, signability concerns changed the Astros’s plans and the rest, they say, is history.

Of course, the Astros could have gone in a much different direction. In what was considered a deep draft, Byron Buxton (Twins) went 2nd overall, followed by Mike Zunino (Mariners), Kevin Gausman (Orioles), Kyle Zimmer (Royals), Albert Almora (Cubs), and Max Fried (Padres) all fell between Correa and Appel in the opening round. Given the high accolades placed on any of those prospects, the Astros couldn’t have gone wrong with any of them. But rather than go for the best available player, at least in terms of scouting perception, Houston went with a novel idea and drafted for team need.

The Astros would turn out to have the last laugh.

After becoming the first player from Puerto Rico to be selected first overall, Carlos Correa has done everything to make it look like it was the smartest of decisions for the Astros. While Buxton has been the consensus top prospect in the game over the last two seasons, Correa hasn’t been far behind. The now 20-year-old shortstop entered the 2015 campaign ranked #3 overall by MLB.com, #4 by Baseball America, and #3 by Baseball Prospectus.

Outside of Kris Bryant, it could even be said that Carlos Correa has done more on the field to set himself apart than any other prospect in the game. In 2013, his first full season in the minors and still just 18-years-old (3.3 years younger than his competition according to Baseball-Reference), Correa led the Low-A Midwest League in hitting at .320 while chipping in 33 doubles, 9 home runs, and 86 RBI. He followed that up in 2014 by hitting .325/.416/.510 with 6 home runs and 57 RBI in just 62 games at High-A Lancaster in 2014.

Of course, all of that pails in comparison to the show that Carlos Correa has put on during the opening weeks of 2015.

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Getting his first taste of advanced pitching at Double-A Corpus Christi, Correa is facing off against pitchers that are roughly 4.4 years older than he is in most cases. It doesn’t seem to be phasing him though, as Correa is annihilating Texas League pitching to the tune of .390/.467/.743 with 14 doubles, 7 home runs, and 31 RBI in just 120 plate appearances. Oh, and Correa has tossed in 14 stolen bases just for the heck of it.

That’s the kind of performance that gets a prospect noticed, and certainly earns them quick promotions. In Correa’s case, that likely means a trip to Triple-A Fresno, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Astros could skip Triple-A and call him right up to the Major Leagues. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Astros may already be considering such a move, but also don’t want to rush the promising prospect either. However, Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow has acknowledged that Correa is a special player, and special players sometimes skip Triple-A.

"“You want them to have some Triple A time. (Jose) Altuve never had Triple A time and he did OK. And you know, I guess the point I was trying to make (when I said I would promote a player from Class AA to the majors in the right situation) is, those at-bats that Correa is taking at Double A, he’s not wasting his time there. He’s learning stuff, we’re evaluating and it’s all helping toward the ultimate goal of getting him to the big leagues and having him help the team.”"

And that’s really what it comes down to; can he help the team? With the Astros currently sporting the second best record in baseball, things are obviously going very well for them. Jed Lowrie has given Houston exactly what they wanted at shortstop, but third base has been a problem for them with Luis Valbuena hitting .194/.263/.437, albeit with 7 home runs. It could be feasible for the Astros to move Lowrie to third and promote Correa to become the shortstop of the present. With his chance to stick at shortstop long-term, the Astros won’t want to make this move without keeping him at his natural position.

However, that move is still likely a month away from happening. The Astros will want Correa to continue to pound Texas League pitching before they risk setting him back by giving him a ticket further up the food chain. Still, he’s not far from arriving, Carlos Correa is going to be special once he does.

Oh, and about that last laugh, Mark Appel did not end up signing with the Pirates after being drafted 8th overall. He went back to Stanford and became the first overall pick in the 2013 draft. The team that drafted him; the Houston Astros.

Next: 30 best leadoff hitters in MLB history

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