2. Carlos Correa steps up
The Astros were one bad inning away from derailing the Kansas City Royals World Series hopes in the 2015 ALDS. Rookie shortstop Carlos Correa was a big part of the near upset. In his first trip to the playoffs, Correa was hitting third at the age of 20 — the first player that young to hit third in the postseason since Mickey Mantle — and leading his team.
In Correa’s playoff debut, he hit .350/.381/.700 in five games of the ALDS with a double, two home runs, four RBI and two runs. After a relatively disappointing 2016 campaign that failed to live up to the MVP hype that built after his Rookie of the Year season and playoff explosion, Correa came back to hit .315/.391/.550 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI in 2017.
After coming off the disabled list at the start of September, Correa struggled with his timing initially. With the kinks worked out, he ended the year by hitting .548/.611/1.000 in his final eight games with five doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI.
The Red Sox do not have a player on their roster capable of hanging with Correa when he gets hot. Mookie Betts is as close as it gets for them, but he has not been himself for long stretches this season. If Correa has a big series, the Astros should rush past the Red Sox.