Correa is quiet and respectful. He grew up around Ponce, where he knew the Alomars and Javy Vazquez. He's from the area where Giancarlo Stanton's mother's family was raised. Carlos has great respect for the game and the people in it," says Alex Cora, who has worked with Correa.

When Carlos was 5, he told his father Carlos Sr. that he would be a big league baseball player. That’s not unusual. Many 5-year-olds aspire to play in the big leagues. Most will go on to dream about being astronauts or firefighters or pilots the next month. Correa never wavered—it was always baseball. Soon after his declaration, he became nearly impossible to pry off the baseball field. He focused everything on achieving his goal.

He also was thinking ahead. As he saw it, learning to speak English would help him when he reached the big leagues. It’s something a lot of Latin American players think about after they sign their first professional contract, and teams have English tutors to help them do just that. But Correa figured it out in third grade.

“I started learning English in fourth grade,” he said. “When I was in third grade, I didn’t know English at all. I told my dad, ‘If I’m going to be a big leaguer, I’m going to have interviews in English. I don’t want to have to have a translator. That’s not the same.’ They put some effort and made a lot of sacrifices and they paid for a school that was bilingual.

“Carlos would train on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Three Kings Day. He wouldn’t open his presents until he trained,” Carlos Sr. said. “It was every day. People thought I was abusing my son, but it was him who wanted to train.”

Carlos Sr. said that his father was one of the hardest workers he’d ever seen. He remembers one day when his father was in the hospital because of an illness. Doctors gave him intravenous fluids to try to counteract dehydration. Before long, the elder Correa told them they needed to be wrapping up. He needed to be at work at 4:00, so he had to be going. And off to work he went.

The father’s drive rubbed off on his son. Carlos Sr. earned the nickname “24/7” because to some of his friends and neighbors, he always seemed to be working. He worked construction, landscaping, and a delivery route to make sure he provided for his family. (J.J. Cooper-Baseball America-4/11/14)

Though Carlos worked many, many hours at baseball as a youngster, his schoolwork didn't suffer. He was valedictorian of his class. His SAT score was over 1400.

He has drawn physical and skill-set comparisons Manny Machado, another big-bodied shortstop with considerable offensive upside. He worked hard at the game as a youth.

"When other kids were playing video games and those games that kids play, I was working with my dad at the ballpark every single night. That's something you don't see very often when you're 5 or 6 years old. But I was taking 100 ground balls every night to get better," Carlos recalled.

BASEBALL ACADEMY IN PUERTO RICO

Correa was well known in Puerto Rico by his sophomore year in high school when he transferred to the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy. It was an hour from his home, which meant he had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. each weekday. He wouldn't get home until supper time and would then go out to work on his baseball skills until 10:00 p.m. or so.

"The work ethic was always there," he said. "I learned that from my dad. I started working with them at the academy. I would go back home and work with my dad. It was a routine I did for three years, and I think it paid off. I was able to get drafted first overall by the Astros and, like I said, I'm here now playing for the Houston Astros, which is a dream come true." 

In 2012, Correa graduated from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. His coach at the school, Carlos Berroa, also serves as a Miami Marlins scout. Before getting drafted, Correa had committed to a baseball scholarship to Vanderbilt.

January 21, 2016: Jean Carlos Correa, the younger brother of Carlos, has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Alvin Community College, which is about 30 miles south of Minute Maid Park. Jean Carlos Correa, a 5-foot-10 shortstop out of Puerto Rico, is a senior at the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy, which is the same school that produced his brother. (Brian McTaggart - MLB.com)

In 2012, the Astros drafted Carlos (see Transactions below).

Carlos's father, Carlos Sr., works 12 hours a day, six days a week, as a construction worker. 

"Being the son of a construction worker, you appreciate what hard work does," said Astros scout Larry Pardo, who signed Correa. "It puts a roof over his head and his father sets the foundation. Dad came home and set his boots aside and went and threw him BP."

In fact, Carlos Sr. threw his son about 300 pitches each day in the family's backyard. He and his wife, Sandy, raised Carlos and his younger brother and sister.

Carlos has very impressive baseball instincts and a great work ethic. He is a graceful athlete. Because of his tools, Correa has drawn comparisons to some franchise players in the big leagues.

“Guys that come to my mind are Troy Tulowitzki and Ryan Zimmerman,” his high school coach, Carlos Berroa said. “Those guys come to mind right off the bat because of their defensive skills and obviously their offensive potential.”

Correa is bilingual and maintained a 4.0 grade-point average. He has a full scholarship to Miami and said he would like to be an accountant if it weren’t for baseball. He’s a natural leader on the field. He graduated as valedictorian of his class.

Carlos has the confidence needed to survive in a game where failure happens more than success, along with the humble humility to see the bigger picture.

“My ultimate goal in baseball is to reach the Hall of Fame,” Correa said. “But my goal in life is to be a good person and help a lot of kids if they need my help. My goal is to make a lot things, so people can remember me and they can say, ‘Carlos Correa was a great guy that helped other people and was a good player, too.’

“He’s got a good heart and a very strong family background,” Berroa said. “He is a better person than he is a player, and it shows. He’s a special kid.”

And then, there’s his work ethic, passion for the game and dedication.

Correa lived about an hour and a half from his school, so he had to wake up at 4:30 every morning to get ready. He rode to the school with one of the baseball coaches, former major leaguer Francisco Melendez.

Once at school, Carlos had classes from 8:00 a.m. to noon and then baseball practice from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30. When he arrived home around 7:00 p.m., he worked out with his father or a personal trainer before going to bed and doing it all again the next day.

“It’s a tough thing to do, but he does it with a smile every day, does great work and never uses that as an excuse,” Berroa said. “He always had a good attitude and excellent work ethic. He wants to be the best.

“He’s hungry to learn every day and he studies the game. It’s very unlikely that he’ll make the same mistake twice. He’s the kind of guy who makes adjustments right away. Hard work with tools? The sky’s the limit.” (Conor Glassey-Baseball America-5/29/12)

Carlos spent a summer in his teens helping his father build parts of their house in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, cinder block by cinder block.

People in Santa Isabel, a municipality of about 22,000 on Puerto Rico's southern coast, used to call Carlos Sr. "24/7" for the way he labored to support his family. His first construction shift began at 4:30 each morning. Then for six hours in the middle of the day, he'd work maintenance for the town's parks and recreation department, followed by another construction shift.

What Carlos Sr. did at night, though, earned him another nickname, one that wasn't quite so admiring: Hitler. From 8:30 until 10:30 every evening—six days a week, sometimes seven—starting when his older son was in elementary school, Carlos Sr. would take him out to a local field and run him through baseball drills. Neighbors would reprimand him through their car windows.

"They would be like, 'That's too much for a little kid!" Carlos Jr. recalls. "Seven years old, eight years old, I'm taking hundreds of grounders and hundreds of swings."

What they didn't know was that the son wanted to be out there as badly as the father. Once Correa started playing baseball at five, ceaselessly flinging a ball at a wall even after bad caroms off tree roots blackened his eyes, the game was just about all he desired.

"People in high school, they were like, 'Oh, you're crazy, you're working too much," Correa says. "I said, 'I'm going to be a first-rounder.' They would laugh at me. They would invite me to parties. 'No, I'm working, because I want to be a first rounder.' Never went to one."

In 2013, 2014, and 2015, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Correa as the #1 prospect in the Astros' organization.

In 2013, Correa finished third in batting (.320) in the Midwest League, and top five in on-base percentage (.405) while leading league shortstops in fielding percentage (.973) and finishing second in total chances (551).

Carlos' rangy build reminds scouts of Manny Machado. And it is beyond just a physical comparison.  Correa's level of maturity is advanced, as is his approach to the game.

"One of the most impressive moments of (2014) spring training for me,” Astros manager Bo Porter said, “was the day over in Jupiter (Fla.) when Carlos pulled me aside and he said, ‘Skipper, if there’s anything that I need to do to be better, or that I can do to help our ball club, please always tell me because I want to be the best I can be.’

“When you have a talent like a Carlos Correa and he is open-minded and as mature at the age of 19 to actually have that kind of conversation with his manager, it was one of the finer moments of spring training for me.” (April, 2014)

Carlos was named to the 2014 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

Correa, a shortstop who was the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, has been compared to Rodriguez since he was drafted because of their body types. Those comparisons figure to multiply when Correa reaches the Majors and begins to have some success.

June 8, 2015: At 20 years, 259 days old, Carlos became the youngest player in the Major Leagues in 2015, starting at shortstop and batting sixth for Houston. He went 1-for-4 in his debut: a single and an RBI. 

The night before his son made his Major League debut, Carlos Sr. and his family, once again, didn't sleep. It wasn't because they were nervous, but because they were excited. 

"He works so hard; we have nothing to be nervous about," Carlos Sr. said through Frankie Higginbotham, Correa's interpreter and agent, while holding out his hand to show that he wasn't shaking. "[Carlos Jr.] doesn't take for granted who he is. He works hard, as if he needs to work every day because he's not ready."

Correa works quickly.

And before he was set to play in his Major League debut, Correa's family, a group of nearly a dozen, arrived at the park to see Carlos for the first time since Spring Training. They all wore Astros T-shirts with Correa's name on the back, made nearly a week in advance (and before his shirt or jersey will be released) for the moment he might be called up.

Still, Correa's family had kept up with him by watching all of his Minor League games while he was playing for Triple-A Fresno, and they were the first to know of his callup once he was told.

"The first thing I did was talk to my family, because it is teamwork," Correa said. "It was something we did together. They made a lot of sacrifices, so it was a great moment for us and we were really excited for this opportunity." 

"We told him to be who he is and enjoy it, because it's not going to happen again," Carlos Sr. said.

Really, Carlos Sr. has been there through every game. Carlos Jr. went hitless during a doubleheader while at Double-A Corpus Christi, and before the next game, his dad called to tell him to stop slouching. The next game, Correa went 3-for-4 with a home run.

Even without much experience, Carlos Sr. worked on nearly every facet of the shortstop's game, putting him through simulated games to take nearly 40-50 at-bats or bringing in pitchers to help him handle curveballs or sliders.

Correa's family took odd jobs after a hurricane hit to allow the young infielder to keep playing when he had to travel more than an hour just to play with another travel team. 

Even his Little League team in his hometown of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, gave its profits to Correa so that he could continue practicing. Now, the city of approximately 23,000 is live streaming his big league debut in its plaza for all to watch. Higginbotham has received hundreds of phone calls or texts about Correa.

"It's been an immense sacrifice and satisfaction to be here right now," Carlos Sr. said. "It's a group effort."  Thanks to a night of short rest, Correa has apparently inherited his sleep routine from his father.  "[I slept] maybe two to three hours," Carlos Jr. said with a smile. (Garno - mlb.com - 6/8/15)

June 13, 2015: Before a game against the Mariners, Correa took some time to talk to a very special young fan from Chapel Hill, Texas.

Corbin Glasscock, who was diagnosed with bone cancer in October 2014, was visiting Minute Maid Park and was happily able to meet the shortstop. Correa even made sure he had something to take home.

Correa gave his bat and batting gloves to Corbin. Corbin then posed with the bat signed by Correa.

Corbin's huge smile said it all! (G Kaneko - MLB.com - June 13, 2015)

June 21, 2015: Correa's father would do everything he could to help his son become a Major League player. It was Correa's father who first introduced the Astros' rookie shortstop to the game when he was 5 years old in Puerto Rico, and his father remains a huge influence to this day.

Correa's father, mother, brother and sister were in Chicago when he made his debut on June 8 and rejoiced with him a day later, when he clubbed his first career homer at U.S. Cellular Field.

"Twenty-year-olds don't play up here very often, and he's showing why he's supposed to be here," Hinch said of Correa. "The balance he shows, his athleticism, he rises to the moment. I think fans in Houston respond to him, teammates respond to him, he's playing at a high level and we're going to keep pushing him to be better and better." (C Rome - MLB.cpm - June 27, 2015)  

The typical expectations of age don't seem to apply to Carlos's family. His father, Carlos Sr., began working in construction at the age of 13 and married Carlos' mother, Sandybel, when he was 16 and she was 14. Carlos Jr. was born two years later, and he began helping his father on job sites when he was just 8.  

"I had to grow up faster than most kids," Correa said. "I feel like the way I was raised and the work I did on my way here is making me feel more comfortable at this level. I don't know how to describe it, but when you work hard for something and have goals and want to accomplish it, you feel like you deserve it."  

Correa has wanted this basically from that first day he set foot on a construction site. His father, who worked as many as three jobs a day to pay for Carlos Jr.'s schooling, would have him lend a hand by fetching tools or water. On weekends, he'd make the kid wash the family's cars.   

"I'd be thinking, 'I've got to play baseball, because this is tough,'" Correa recalled with a laugh. "The sun, working with concrete, washing cars … it sucked. I'd say, 'This is not how I want to spend the rest of my life!'"  

When Correa was drafted, he vowed to his dad that he would never wash another car the rest of his life. So far, he's made good on that promise by ascending up the Minor League ladder and overcoming a fractured fibula that prematurely ended his 2014 season. Between the injury and the upbringing, Correa has a clear understanding of what a privilege it is to be at this level.  

"There are some people who take this for granted," Correa said. "I look at them like, 'You don't know what it's like to grow up poor and work since you're a little kid.' For me, it's a blessing every time I'm here, every day that I step in the clubhouse."  

Correa has blessed the Astros with a rare and remarkable combination of bat speed, foot speed, defensive prowess and pure power. He's No. 1 with a bullet. His ability to adjust his swing to the situation would be notable even for a 10-year veteran. For a newly promoted rookie, it's almost unfathomable. As noted by FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan, Correa's third home run of the season—off the Rockies' Kyle Kendrick—came on a low and inside pitch 16 inches from the middle of the plate, well off the inside edge. Correa somehow kept his hands close to his body and turned on the pitch to drive it out to left with an exit velocity of 108 mph.  

Correa has the ability to be his own man, a man who will never again work construction or wash a car. "It was tough growing up," he said, "but it helped me grow up fast and become who I am today." (Castrovince - mlb.com - 7/8/15)    

In an interview with "Intentional Talk" on MLB Network, Correa said he hit his first home run at 5 years of age. He also said if he had not played professional baseball, he would have wanted to play professional basketball. (Aug. 2015)  

Before Carlos celebrated his own birthday on September 22, 2015, he made sure to commemorate a new friend's special day first.  On his way to the ballpark on the 21st, Correa stopped off at Houston Christian School, where he surprised Astros fan Neil Kerrigan, and wished him a happy 18th birthday.  

Correa first met Kerrigan a few weeks prior when he was at Minute Maid Park to watch batting practice, as part of his birthday celebration. Correa asked Kerrigan, who is suffering from a brain tumor, when his actual birthday is.  

"He said, 'Sept. 21,'" Correa recalled. "I said, 'I'll never forget your birthday.' He said, 'Why is that?' I said, 'Because my birthday's the next day."  

Correa sensed Kerrigan didn't take his promise to remember his birthday too seriously, so he decided to take it a step further. Correa got a cake and delivered it to the high school, while Kerrigan and his friends were eating lunch.  Kerrigan had no idea Correa was planning to show up.  

"When he saw me, he was like, 'What is going on?'" Correa said. "His family was really happy. His siblings were just telling me how much they appreciate the fact I was able to go there and bring him a cake and sing Happy Birthday. It was a pretty special moment, not only for him, but for me as well."  

The Astros ran a happy birthday message to Kerrigan, from Correa, on their ribbon board during the game Monday night. Correa also tweeted out a photo of his cleats, on which he wrote "Neil" on one shoe, and the initials to Stand Up To Cancer, one of MLB's main community partners. I stand up for Neil. Sept. 21, 2015. 

For Correa, a rookie who emerged as one of baseball's top young stars three years after he was selected No. 1 overall by the Astros in the draft, taking a few minutes to reach out to a young fan facing enormous challenges is simply part of what it means to be a professional athlete.  It's a practice he plans to continue throughout his career.  "I came from nothing," Correa said. "I came from working my way to where I am. I know how it feels when there's someone you admire do those kinds of things for you. Every time I can put a smile on a kid's face it means a lot to me. That's what I will work for the rest of my career, to be a good player and a good citizen as well." (Footer - mlb.com - 9/21/15)

Those who saw the talent early on in Carlos Correa as a young player coming up in Puerto Rico wanted him to move to the United States so he would have a better chance at getting drafted. Correa wanted none of it. He's extremely proud of his roots and wanted to show everyone stardom can be reached from the island.

"They wanted me to move because they said in the States, I would have a better chance to get drafted higher because the scouts would be watching me play in the States all the time, and I said no," Correa said. "I wanted to be able to show everyone that from Puerto Rico you can do it as well. I wanted to stay in Puerto Rico and show the kids in Puerto coming behind me it could be done.

"When I was in third grade, I told [his father] I wanted to learn English because I wanted to play in the big leagues," Correa said. "He took it seriously and we started learning from different people. He got me some coaches to help me, and now I'm here playing for the Houston Astros."

Correa was in public school until the fourth grade when he moved to a bilingual Christian school. It wasn't cheap, so Carlos Sr. took another job to help pay for the school. He knew his son had the talent to one day play in the big leagues and he wanted to do anything to put him in a better position to succeed. (Brian McTaggart - MLB.com)

Correa's walk-in closet overflows with size 13 shoes. He has every model of Yeezy, the Kanye West-designed sneakers that go for thousands on eBay, in addition to suits and other designer clothes. He obviously loves to go shopping.

Carlos also owns 15 fedoras.

Correa has a two-bedroom penthouse in a Houston high rise with an open floor plan. Each of his floor-to-ceiling windows has a view of Minute Maid Park.

"I wake up every single day, look over there and am like, 'Let's get to work," Carlos said. He rises at 11; watches something on the enormous TV that dominates his living room: "The Walking Dead," "The Blacklist," anything starring Kevin Hart; he drives his white BMW M5 to the ballpark, where he spends 10 to 12 hours; he returns home and is asleep by two.

He does not, he says, indulge in any sort of a nightlife, and he does not understand why virtually every day for most of the season at least one person—a member of the media, a fan—points out to him that he cannot yet legally buy a beer, which was true until Sept. 12, 2015.

"Never drank a beer before," Correa says. "I've had wine and champagne, but never beer. I don't think that will happen. I don't know why people look forward to that (turning 21)." (Ben Reiter - Sports Illustrated - 9/28/15)

In 2015, Correa was named the AL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers of America.

In 2015, Correa was named the Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year, which is voted on by AL players.

October 2015: It was quite a year for Houston rookie shortstop Carlos Correa, and the experiences kept coming for the rising star.

Correa served as a special correspondent for MLB.com for the first four games of the 2015 World Series. He returned home to Ponce, Puerto Rico, after Game 4 in New York.

"For me, it's fun. This is the first time I have been to a World Series," Correa, 21, said. "I'm new to the big leagues, and you see this, and you hope one day to be out there playing and not just watching. It's really fun to be here. It's a wonderful time of the year."

Correa's final memory from his previous visit to Kansas City was an excruciating 7-2 loss to the Royals in Game 5 of the AL Division Series on Oct. 14. His first experience upon arrival this time around was a taste of the city's famous barbeque with friends and plenty of laughs. Correa also visited with Commissioner Rob Manfred at Kauffman Stadium. He hopes to take in all of the sights and sounds of Kansas City and New York.

"It is what it is," Correa said. "There's no way around it. We lost here, but I'm not focusing on the past. Now, it's about focusing on what I can do to keep improving my game and help my team. That's all I'm looking forward to." 

“We were in L.A. We sat down with Thomas Tull,” Correa said. “He’s doing a Roberto Clemente movie.

“He asked me if I wanted to be in the movie and I said ‘of course.’”

Correa does not know yet what his role will be in the movie, but he is honored to be involved.

“It’s going to be special to be in the movie about a fellow Puerto Rican player, the best right fielder of all time, Roberto Clemente,” Correa said. (Mark Berman/Fox)

February 2016: Correa signed a five-year endorsement contract with shoe giant Adidas. While financial terms haven't been disclosed, ESPN sports business Darren Rovell called Correa's contract with Adidas a "huge, record-setting" deal.

February 25, 2016: Correa spent five minutes hanging out and talking with NBA MVP Stephen Curry after he scored 51 points, including 10 three-pointers, in the Golden State Warriors' 130-114 win over the Orlando Magic.

"He's really a humble, down-to-earth guy," Correa said. "It was fun to talk to him, to get to know him after that great game he had. He was calm and had great composure. It was unbelievable. It was maybe five minutes, but it was a great five minutes." (B McTaggart - MLB.com - February 27, 2016)

“I think Carlos is in a class by himself,” Alex Rodriguez said in a spring training interview. “When you look at the Big Three in baseball, you look at (Bryce) Harper. You look at Mike Trout. You look at Carlos. My god, the game is in such great hands with those three.”

January 2017: Correa has an 18-year-old younger brother who has been impressing scouts. He has been going by the name Jean Carlos Correa Oppenheimer. He chose to use his mother's maiden name as his last name. He has been playing for Mike Partida, an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Alvin Community College, just south of Houston.

Carlos Correa's brief career has been remarkable. In 2017 he was still only 22 years old and one of baseball's 10 youngest players. He's one of its best.

"He just looks like he's a 5-year or 10-year vet," Astros reliever Will Harris said. "You take it for granted when you play with him every day. It's very easy to forget how young he is and how little experience he actually has playing at a high level."

Correa was summoned to the big leagues in 2015 as a 20-year-old who'd played just 53 Minor League games above the Class A Advanced level. Never once, in three seasons since then, has he looked overmatched.

"The way I looked at it, it was the same movie in a different movie theater," Correa said. "I was playing the same game, but in a different stadium and a different atmosphere. But it's the same game I've been playing my entire life."

Carlos said he prepared for that moment his entire life, and he knew early in life exactly what he wanted to do and how to do it.

"When I was in high school, I didn't know what a club looked like," Correa said. "I didn't really know what a party looked like. While kids were in prom and doing all this stuff, I was at the ballpark. They told me I was a boring kid. I was like, `No, I'm working toward my goal.' At the end of the day, I knew I'd be able to do all that other stuff if I accomplish those goals."

Correa is getting close. He's one of the biggest stars on a first-place team, and he is likely going to be the starter at shortstop for the American League in the All-Star Game. To walk into that AL clubhouse and stand there alongside baseball's best would be another brick in the wall.

"He's very mature and has a lot of talent, obviously," Jose Altuve said. "Sometimes, guys have a lot of talent and don't know how to control it. He knows how to use it, and at such a young age, that's very impressive."

Astros manager A.J. Hinch has overseen Correa's growth, and he says that Altuve has played a significant role in daily preparation and channeling energy in a certain direction.

"Learning how to play every day, conserving your swings, conserving your energy, taking care of your body, that's something Correa has learned from Jose," Hinch said. "Carlos came up here doing things at a highly aggressive level, whether it's the volume of swings he took on a daily basis to the energy he put into the ground-ball routine he has. I think he's learned how to pace himself on a level that allows him to understand the nine innings of the game is most important." (Justice - mlb.com - 6/30/17)

July 2, 2017:  Correa received his first invite to the MLB All-Star game.

Carlos has a dog that he named "Groot." which name he got from "Guardians of the Galaxy," Correa's favorite movie.

November 1, 2017: How would you celebrate a World Series title? Well, if you're Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, here's how: Propose to your girlfriend at the ball park after winning the World Series

That's what he did after Houston beat the Dodgers, 5-1, in Game 7 to clinch the team's first World Series championship.

"I took a big step in my life," Correa told the MLB Tonight crew a few minutes after he proposed to Daniella Rodriguez, who was Miss Texas in 2016. "I just got engaged after winning the World Series." He did admit his plans created "extra pressure," since the Astros winning was the first part of his two-step plan.

Nov 25, 2017: In his short time in the Major Leagues, Astros All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa has been about as philanthropic as any player in the league. The 23-year-old routinely performs charitable endeavors in the regular season and offseason, typically focused around helping youth.

Correa and teammate Carlos Beltran were front and center this summer, 2017 in helping their native Puerto Rico with recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, and Correa also travel to his home island for the first time since helping the Astros win the World Series to hold a benefit event for those in need.

Correa entertained more than 1,000 children and others in need in his hometown of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, for a daylong charity function. Bands from Puerto Rico performed while clowns entertain, barbers give free haircuts to kids, and food and drink served. Correa said there was enough food for more than 5,000 people.

"It was a great event overall to help people that are starving, are thirsty, are affected by hurricanes," he said. "The kids can have a good Thanksgiving despite the circumstances." (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Nov 25, 2017)

Growing up in on the island of Puerto Rico, Carlos Correa said fishing was basically a family tradition. His grandparents fished and passed the craft to his father, who showed a young Correa how to fish as well. It led to countless memories.

Correa put those skills to good use when he, along with fiancée Daniella Rodriguez, surprised 100 kids at a fishing clinic Saturday morning at a Houston-area Bass Pro Shops.

"It was fun to see a lot of kids out there trying to learn how to go out there and try to fish," Correa said. "It was fun to see kids and be able to interact with them and spend some time."

Correa showed off his fishing skills by reeling in a plastic fish during a demonstration, but Rodriguez showed her fishing prowess as well.

"I was never that great at it, but I caught a fish my first time doing this, so it's all about practicing," said Daniella.

"It was fun to see a lot of kids out there trying to learn how to go out there and try to fish," said Carlos Correa, with his fiancée, Daniella Rodriguez. (Brian McTaggart/MLB.com/Dec 2017)

Jan 4, 2018: It's a good time to be Carlos Correa. The Astros phenom is still basking in the glow of the team's World Series victory—not to mention his storybook on-field proposal during the post-win celebration. He's on some streak ... and on Thursday that streak brought him to the Toyota Center in Houston. Correa was a special guest of the Rockets before their game with the Warriors, and was tasked with shooting the "First Shot" for charity.

Now, Correa isn't the first Astros player to take up this challenge. Teammate George Springer attempted the same in early November—though he didn't make the shot (and went into the experience expecting to miss).

Correa, though, nailed his shot thanks to a forgiving ricochet off the backboard - which he called off the glass.  With the make, @TilmanJFertitta will donate $5,000 to charity. Correa is the first Astros player to make the First Shot. George Springer, Alex Bregman, and Lance McCullers each missed. He felt pretty good afterward. That's just how things are going for Correa these days. (A Garro - MLB.com - Jan 4, 2018)

Feb 8, 2018: Carlos used Jose Altuve as weight in his latest #NoOffseason workout. The saying goes like this: The duo that works out together stays together. We first saw that play out when Justin Verlander was literally being pushed up a hill by his bride, Kate Upton. Now, Verlander's teammates Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are doing something similar.

There's a new workout where you can actually pull someone who is sitting on a stack of weights with rope … from the seated position. And Correa made that look easy with some assistance from Altuve. "Batman and Robin" training this well together is getting us even more excited for Spring Training. (J Kleinschmidt - MLB.com - Feb 8, 2018)

J.C. Correa, Carlos's younger brother, was selected by the Astros in the 33rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

"Super happy," Carlos Correa said. "I couldn't believe it when they told me. … I just called him. He told me he was crying when he found out. He's very happy, very excited. Right now he's in Alaska playing in summer tournaments. My dad was crying. The family is very happy and proud of him." 

J.C. spent multiple months with Carlos during the Astros' 2017 offseason. The brothers—the first pair of brothers the Astros had selected—spent two months together living in Carlos' home. They followed diets together, worked out the same way, and went to the field together, Correa said.

"He put in the time and the work," Carlos said. "And it's showing in the way he's been playing. … Every time I hit with him, I always wish I had his swing."

Carlos said his brother, who's committed to Lamar University for the 2018-19 season, took a few pre-Draft workouts, including one in Houston.   Playing for the same club is a dream for a pair of brothers, Carlos Correa said. 

"That would be a dream come true," Carlos Correa said. "It's obviously hard to do. But it'd be great if we could play for the same team at the big league level. … Getting drafted in the same organization really means a lot."  (Boutwell - mlb.com - 6/6/18)

August 9, 2018 : To be a great fiancée, it's important to be caring, to listen, to pay attention and, at times, to perform grand romantic gestures.

Well, during a rehab stint with Double-A Corpus Christi, Carlos Correa put forth a grand gesture to his fiancée Daniella that puts all other fiancées, soon-to-be fiancées, significant others, wives, husbands, girlfriends and boyfriends to shame. He hit a baseball directly to her in the stands.

Jan 18, 2019: Baseball players are strong. This is not surprising. However, it may shock you to learn that a certain lithe and agile middle infielder is built like a brick house. Enter: Carlos Correa. Carlos Correa showed off his strength with a shirtless weightlifting session. Says Correa: "Don’t rely on talent. Success requires Hard Work & Obsession. You can become anyone or anything if you invest enough time and effort! Become obsessed.

If you're getting a distinct feeling of deja vu, there's a reason for it. Correa's workout style icon appears to be Kylo Ren from "Star Wars." Considering that Correa is such a big "Guardians of the Galaxy" fan that his dog is named Groot, this may not even be a coincidence. I mean, yeah, they're not in the same fictional universe, but like, they're both set in space. (M Clair - MLB.com - Jan 18, 2019)

Oct 1, 2019: Astros shortstop Carlos Correa donated $10,000 to the family of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who died after being shot during a traffic stop on Sept 27, 2019.

Correa met with Dhaliwal's family to pay his respects to the officer, who was the first Sikh to become a deputy at a Houston-area sheriff's department. The 42-year-old Dhaliwal also went to Correa's native Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017 to help citizens in the aftermath of the devastating storm.

"Thank you Sandeep for everything you did to help others here in Houston and Puerto Rico! Rest In Peace. you’ll always be remembered!," Correa posted on Twitter.

Dhaliwal also helped coordinate disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Harvey, which impacted the Houston area that same summer. He was involved in numerous volunteer and charity efforts, within Houston and beyond.

Dhaliwal was a beloved member of his community, and there has been an outpouring of support following his death.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to help his wife and three children had raised more than $500,000. Another campaign set up by United Sikhs had raised more than $190,000. Meanwhile, Papa John's restaurants in the Houston area announced that all profits from Tuesday's sales would be donated to Dhaliwal's family. (P Casella - MLB.com - Oct 1, 2019)

WHAT ABOUT THAT TRASH CAN?

Feb 15, 2020: Carlos called a small group of local reporters together to address criticism that his team has faced in recent days about the sign-stealing scandal, and more specifically, answer questions surrounding the legitimacy of the 2017 World Series and José Altuve’s 2017 AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Here’s the transcript:

What do you think about what Cody Bellinger said about José Altuve and the Astros stealing the World Series and him stealing the MVP from Aaron Judge?

I have no problem when people talk about what happened during the regular season in 2017. You know, whatever people have to say, we’ve got to take that on the chin. Guys, it was wrong. It was wrong and we’ve got to own that, and we’ve got to take that.

But when you stand in front of the camera and you don’t know the facts, you don’t know what happened and you’re not informed and you try to rip one of my teammates like that, when you don’t know. . . . Mike Fiers knows that Altuve didn’t use the trash can. You guys are going to find out, because I’m sure somebody is going to ask him and he’s going to tell everybody, he’s going to tell the world Altuve didn’t use it. Because if he’s man enough to tell the truth and tell his story and break the story, then he should be man enough to say that the MVP of 2017 didn’t use it. He should be man enough to say that.

We all, in that clubhouse, know that Altuve’s integrity is going to be intact because of what was said today. Because he earned that MVP and nobody can take that away from him.

Correa with Rosenthal: Part Two

So when Cody Bellinger stands up there and says he cheated Judge out of an MVP? A guy that hit .400 on the road? Are you kidding me? That doesn’t sit well with me. If you state facts and you tell the truth out there and you talk about ’17 and whatever the Astros did? Yeah, that’s OK. I’m not going to comment on that. I’m not going to tell anything about that ‘cause we’ve got to take that. We made that mistake. We’re wrong for everything we did. And everything that comes with it, we’ve got to take. We’ve got to be man enough to own it and take responsibility for all those actions that we took. But when you stand out there and say lies helped my teammates, that’s when I’ve got to say something.

What are your feelings on Mike Fiers?

Mike Fiers, man. He was our teammate and he decided to break out the story. That’s just him. I really don’t have much to say, but what I have to say is he should tell the truth. He should tell the whole world the truth. José Altuve won the MVP. 

A lot of players have apologized for not stopping the scheme or being involved with it. Fiers hasn’t said anything. Do you think he should apologize for being a part of the  2017 team and not stopping what happened?

Absolutely. Did you see the smile he had when he got that ring at Minute Maid Park? Do you see when he was celebrating when we won the championship? He was part of the team. He didn’t say anything about it back then. He definitely should apologize as well. We all feel bad in this organization, man, we have to go through to this process because of our wrongdoing back in 2017.

When you look back at it, bro, it’s just terrible, man. It’s not right for the game of baseball, the game we grew up loving so much, the game we show passion for every single day. It’s not right to know what’s coming and do what we did. We were wrong. Like I said before, we’ve got to own that.

Whatever comes this year on the road, from the fans, we’ve got to take that. I’ve got no problem with that because if they’re going to talk the facts, those are the facts. The Commissioner’s Office had the report, they had the report, they said what they had to say about the investigation. But don’t go out there and tell us we cheated for three years when clearly the Commissioner’s report doesn’t say that.

You suggested other players didn’t use the trash-can system. What players did not do this?

José Altuve, Josh Reddick, Tony Kemp didn’t use it at all. They didn’t want to. They'd get mad if somebody would bang the trash can when they were hitting. Yeah, it was those three guys. They’re not going to say it. Altuve is too humble to go out there and say it. Reddick, he’s a veteran of this game, he’s well respected around the league and he’s not going to go out there and throw his team under the bus. I’m going to say it ’cause I was there. I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes. They didn’t want it. This Altuve talk about him stealing the MVP, that should be dead after what I said. And you guys ask Mike Fiers if that’s true.

What would José Altuve do to signal he didn’t want to use the trash can?

I remember one time somebody banged the trash can without his consent while he was hitting. I don’t remember if he got a hit, he got out. I just know he was heated. And you guys don’t see Altuve mad very often, but you don’t want to see him mad. When he gets mad, he’s heated. He’s going to tell you whatever he feels and whatever he wants to say, and I remember him being heated every time somebody would accidentally, or without his consent, bang on the trash can.

Correa asked to address the rumors of buzzers.

That story should be killed already, guys. Like seriously, a fake account on Twitter said that and then we all make it a story? Like what are we doing here? You guys are great reporters. You guys should do a better job of killing this story already.

MLB did their investigation. I’m telling you, hey, there was no buzzers and I told already why he didn’t want his shirt ripped off [after Altuve’s walk-off homer to win the 2019 AL Championship Series]. Like, this story should not keep dragging out there. Bro, Altuve didn’t use a trash can in 2017. You think he would use a buzzer with all the technology that’s now around the ballparks and all the cameras around the ballparks and ruin his legacy like that? No, that story should definitely … people should stop talking about that already.

Carlos, for clarification, you did use the trash can?

Yes, I used the trash can and I’m here like a man and I tell you I used it, because my credibility right here, this is what I live for. Every time I speak, I want you guys to believe me. When I tell you, yes I did. A lot of players used it and that’s why we’re going through this right now because of what happened in 2017. But Altuve, leave him out of this conversation.

You cited Altuve’s road batting average in 2017. Did you guys try to steal signs (illegally) on the road?

No, not at all. It’s impossible, man. You look at our division, you go to Oakland, man, and you have all the players right there and you have to go all the way up [an exposed walkway to reach the tunnel to the dugout]. No, I’m not even going into detail. It’s just a straight 'no.' It’s impossible to be on the road and steal signs. The team owns the cameras and everything on the road, so yeah, no. I’m not going to into detail like that.

Are there any big playoff hits or playoff hits at all that were aided by the trash can?

So, when I talked to Ken [Rosenthal earlier in the day] and we went through games at Minute Maid, because the games we won on the road were fair and square. No one can say nothing about that. That’s two games right there [in the 2017 World Series].

In Game 3, we scored five runs -- three came with guys on second base and guys use multiple signs [making it impossible to decode]. And as many people have expressed out there, a lot of mound visits and changing the signs and that’s why MLB implanted the rule of mound visits, because the 2017 World Series took so long. Those signs change all the time. It was a double by Marwin [Gonzalez], first and second, and both scored. There was a hit by Brian McCann, man on second with multiple signs. He scored. There was a chopper to the pitcher by Evan Gattis with Reddick on first, they threw the ball away, and the homer by Yuli [Gurriel], solo homer by Yuli. Four runs -- three of them with guys on second base and one of them by just bad defense. So don’t tell me we cheated you out of a World Series.

In Game 5, homer, I hit a double with a man on second base, multiple signs. Yuli hit a homer with guys on second and third. Again, multiple signs. Altuve hit a homer off [Kenta] Maeda, guys on first and second. Multiple signs. And Bregman hit a walk-off single with a pinch-runner, Derek Fisher, that didn’t know what was going on in the game because he hasn’t been involved in the game. He’s just warming up to get ready to run. Multiple signs, walk-off.

Game 7, Bellinger’s telling me we cheated them out of a championship. Game 7, he throws a ball away in the first inning and we scored two runs. We win the game on the road. Game 7 on the road, because they left 20 guys on base. You’re telling me, you’re telling our team, you’re telling the fans we cheated you out of a World Series championship? Like I said on the interview with Ken [Rosenthal], he should not be talking about that. He should have done something about that. 

The Yankees in the ALCS, yeah, they scored one run first game, they scored one run the second game, they scored one run in Game 6, and they scored no runs in Game 7. If you expect to win with three runs in four games, you’re out of your mind. With the group of talent we have, with the numbers that we put up throughout the years, take 2017 out. Look at the numbers we put across the board, all those years we’ve been playing. One run per game is not going to do it.

Last year, obviously, there was nothing in the report and you guys were eight outs from winning a World Series. How much do you stand by last year and what you accomplished?

Yeah, that’s a great question, Brian. I appreciate that. Last year there was nothing and we got to a World Series. We were close to winning a championship. It still hurts to this day. I heard Kurt Suzuki’s comments also saying they were cheating. So you guys now, all the players now, are above the lawyers that MLB is using, above the Commissioner’s report. Like seriously, bro, the Commissioner’s report clearly says in 2019 nothing happened. Just straight up baseball players with talent playing the game of baseball.

You have the audacity to tell the reporters they were cheating because you heard the whistles? Fans whistle in the game. The fans are whistling all the time in the game. What does a whistle mean? Don’t go out there and tell reporters we were cheating and don’t go above MLB, the investigation, the lawyers, the report, when obviously there was nothing going on.

Oh, and they won the championship and he’s still talking about that? Enjoy your ring, enjoy your teammates, enjoy what you guys accomplished and congratulations to you guys. You guys played better than us. That was it. (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Feb 15, 2020)

March 27, 2020: Carlos, in partnership with his foundation, announced they had donated more than $500,000 in medical equipment to temporarily serve the city of Houston during the coronavirus pandemic.  The equipment will be later donated to "underequipped hospitals in the poorest regions of Central America,” the post read.

“This equipment was originally destined to very poor hospitals in Central America like El Salvador, but due to the current COVID-19 pandemic we are in communication with the City of Houston so that they have it available for temporary hospitals or clinics that may need it soon,” Correa said.  (McTaggart - mlb.com - 3/27/2020)

July 2021: Correa was chosen as a reserve SS for the All-Star Game.

Oct 5, 2021: Correa and pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. were among those honored by the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Correa was named the team’s Most Valuable Player for 2021, and McCullers was named the team’s Pitcher of the Year. (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Oct 5, 2021)

2021 Season: In 148 games in 2021, Correa scored 104 runs, drove in 92, hit 26 home runs, batted .279, and had a .850 OPS. All that while being arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball, with 12 Outs Above Average and 21 Defensive Runs Saved.

Nov. 29, 2021: Correa and his wife Daniella announced the birth of their first child, Kylo Daniel. The couple posted identical photos on Instagram, revealing that their son was born.

 Aug. 13, 2022: It was a wonderful day to be Carlos Correa's younger sister, Leibysand Correa. On her brother's dime, she got to fly to the Los Angeles area to celebrate her 14th birthday around her extended family at the ballpark.

She got to watch her big brother homer and reach base five times, and she even got to watch her favorite player in the big leagues hit a home run, too. You see, those are two different players — because she's a bigger fan of Shohei Ohtani than she is of her own brother.

Yep, such is Ohtani's stature in the sport that even the younger sister of one of his longtime divisional nemeses openly cheers for the two-way Angels superstar. All she wanted for her birthday was a photo with Ohtani, and Correa, being the family man that he is, flew his parents and sister in from Puerto Rico to make her dreams come true before the Twins' 5-3 loss in 11 innings. "She went to the room last night and she had the most amazing birthday, of course," Correa said. "I hit a homer. Ohtani hit a homer. She got to meet him, took a picture with him. It was pretty much the perfect birthday for her, so that made me really happy."

Before the game, Correa's parents and sister waited in the area outside of the clubhouses at Angel Stadium, hoping that Ohtani would have a chance to escape his pregame routine for that photo. When the superstar appeared, Leiby actually kept her cool, got the photo she'd hoped for and got her Ohtani jersey signed. (That's right: Both of Correa's parents were wearing their son's jersey to the game, but Leiby proudly wore a bright red Ohtani jersey.) In fact, she has started learning how to speak Japanese because of her Ohtani fandom, and she got a chance to practice her language skills with her idol (though Carlos had no idea what they were saying to each other).

And as soon as Ohtani left and the doors to the Angels clubhouse closed, Leiby broke down in sobs.

"Not crying . . . she was bawling," Correa said. "She flooded the hall with her tears."

An hour or so later, Correa stepped to the plate and crushed his 14th homer of the year, an opposite-field blast to right-center. He was proud to have hit his 14th homer on his sister's 14th birthday. But in the eighth inning, his rival for his sister's affection one-upped him by mashing a homer to center field, which loomed large in the Angels' eventual comeback victory. And in Correa's mind, there was no question which of those homers Leiby enjoyed more.

"His, 100 percent," Correa said. "She's tired of watching me hit home runs. She watches every one of my games. She's never seen Ohtani live hitting a homer on her birthday."

 Though Correa and Ohtani had been rival stars in the American League West for four seasons and had a friendly relationship, the timing had never quite lined up for Correa to try and bring his sister to a game against the Angels and set up that meeting.

And though Leiby had joked leading into the game that she hoped that Carlos would get a hit but that Ohtani would win, Carlos didn't take it personally at all, because Ohtani is the type of player he wants her to idolize.

"She’s obsessed with him, and that makes me very happy, because he’s a great role model," Correa said. "He's a guy that obviously is making history every single night and he’s just a great role model to have, so for her to look up to a guy like him, it’s good."

Correa's parents and sister left Anaheim on Sunday, bound for Houston, where Leiby will start a new school year. It's safe to say she'll have a spring in her step.

"I’m sure she will remember this one for a long time, and I’m very appreciative of Ohtani taking his time to take a picture with her, because I know how busy he is and I know everyone wants a piece of Ohtani," Correa said. "He’s the biggest superstar in this sport, so for him to go out of his way and give her a couple minutes of his time, to me, that means the world."  (Do-Hyoung Park)

Oct 20, 2022: Correa won five awards: The Most Valuable Twin Award, the Bob Allison Award for leadership, the Jim Kaat Award for Defensive Player of the Year, the Mike Augustin “Media Good Guy” Award, and the Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award. (DH Park - MLB.com - Oct 20, 2022)

2022 Season: Correa landed with the Twins following the chaos posed by the lockout before the 2022 season and was his typical self on the field, posting his highest batting average since '17, hitting .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 24 doubles, matching his highest offensive bWAR (5.2) since '17.

He was also an important focal presence in a young clubhouse, growing close with Byron Buxton while serving as a mentor for Puerto Rican infielder Jose Miranda and others.  (Do-Hyoung Park - Nov. 8, 2022)

 Jan. 13, 2023: In an interview with The Athletic, Correa talked about that journey, expounding upon his ankle, his conversations with Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor when he thought they were about to be teammates, and his fondness for the team that turned out to be his third choice, the Twins.

Here is a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity:

The Athletic: Let’s start at the beginning, when you first found out the Giants had an issue with your physical. What did they tell you was wrong?

Carlos Correa: I was looking for houses already over there (Correa’s introductory news conference with the Giants was scheduled for the next day). Then I get back to the hotel that night, and Scott calls me. He said, “I need you to come to the room. We need to talk.”

At that point, I knew something was wrong. His voice sounded serious. There was not a lot of energy behind it. I headed over to his room and that’s when he told me. He said, “We’re having a problem with the physical. They’re talking about the MRI and the ankle.” I remember going like, “What?” I couldn’t believe it. I was in complete shock.

I had my suit and everything ready. My body has been feeling great. I did a physical before going to free agency last year. I did a physical before signing with the Twins. And I did an exit physical with the Twins. I didn’t think there was going to be a problem. I was 100 percent confident this was going to go through.

At that moment, everything felt slow. Everything felt like, “Is this real? Is this a dream? Is this a joke?” But it was real. From then on, we had to deal with a lot of things.

TA: What did the Giants say to you about the ankle?

Correa: The conversations were about the future. We were talking about a 13-year deal. What they were saying is that in the future it might not hold up. Which I couldn’t understand. That was the toughest part for me.

I never missed a game because of my ankle. You look at my complete medical record in the big leagues, there is zero treatment on my ankle. And it has never hurt. I couldn’t understand how they were predicting the future, saying 8-10 years down the line something might happen to it.

TA: Did the Mets later tell you the same thing?

Correa: The Giants used an ankle specialist who didn’t pass me. Then the Mets used the same specialist, who obviously wasn’t going to pass me. He had already given an opinion to another team about my ankle. He was not going to change that. He was going to stand by what he was saying, of course, because that is what he believed.

We did have other ankle specialists look at it and say it was going to be fine, orthopedists who know me, even the one who did the surgery on me. They were looking at the functionality of the ankle, the way the ankle has been the past eight years. I’ve played at an elite level where my movement has never been compromised. It was just a year ago when I won a Platinum Glove at shortstop, one of the most demanding positions, where you have to move the most. But the one doctor who had never touched me or seen me or done a test on me, that was the one who said it wasn’t going to be fine.

TA: What kind of work have you done over the years to keep the ankle strong? Will you need to be more proactive about managing it now?

Correa: Ever since the surgery, I’ve always done a lot of stability (work) on my ankles. I just incorporated it in my prep routine. I do exercise bands, walk on my toes, stuff like that. On the treadmill, I run and I walk backwards and stuff. But I’ve never done anything because I thought it was not going to hold up in the future.

Obviously now, knowing what some doctors are saying, what we know, there is going to be more emphasis on that area, for sure. You know me. I take really good care of my body. I don’t plan to stop doing that. If I want to be one day in the Hall of Fame, which has always been a goal of mine ever since I was a little kid playing in Puerto Rico, I’ve got to post. I’ve got to post and play baseball. There is motivation on my part to go out there and make this a 10-year deal with the Minnesota Twins.

TA: That first night in San Francisco, who from your family was there?

Correa: Everybody. It was my parents. My brother. My sister. My wife’s parents, who are with us all the time now that we have a baby and another one on the way. They’re the ones who help us around the house. They’re with us full-time. And there were people from my agency, Boras Corp. And my hitting coach — José Rivera, who has been with me since I was 11 years old — and a couple of people from my inner circle who work with me. We were all in the hotel waiting for the press conference the next day.

TA: When the Giants postponed it, what happened?

Correa: I came back to the room. Everyone was in the room. And I told them straight away: The deal is not going through. There is an issue with the physical. They looked at me kind of funny, like, “You’re joking, right?” I said, “No, I’m being serious.” Then there was complete silence for a little bit. Then I noticed my mom getting teary-eyed. She walked away and came back, I’ll say, 20 minutes later. Her and my dad had been crying.

It was a way tougher moment for me to see my family go through that than it was for me to find out the deal wasn’t going through with San Francisco. Everything I do, I do for my family. The reason I played baseball growing up was to get my family out of poverty.

I knew a deal was going to get done at some point. If it was not with (the Giants), maybe with another team. For me, the tough part was seeing my family crying and hurting because of the news.

TA: What were your thoughts about playing for the Giants? Their home ballpark, Oracle Park, is pitcher-friendly.

Correa: I didn’t really give the ballpark much thought, to be honest. The thing I thought about the most was the division. You have the juggernaut of the Dodgers. And the Padres now have a really, really good team. My thoughts were, how can we improve our roster and make that team better for us to be, in a couple of years, the top dogs in the division.

TA: Did you talk with Brandon Crawford at all? You were going to be replacing him at shortstop.

Correa: The first player I called was B-Craw. It went smooth. I’ve talked to him before. I said, “Hey, I respect you as a person and as a player. I know I’m coming in, and I’m a shortstop just like you. But I want you to know that I want to make this work. I want us to work together in order for us to accomplish the goals the team wants to accomplish. And I want to learn a couple of things from you also, that you can do at shortstop very well that I can’t. I want to be able to pick your brain, so we can help each other improve our games.”

He welcomed me right away, said he was happy I was going to be part of the team and that I was going to make us better. It was like a 5-minute conversation.

TA: Did you talk to any other Giants people?

Correa: I talked to everybody. Pretty much all the players on the phone. And the whole coaching staff. Remember, there was a week in between the announcement of the deal and flying (to San Francisco).

TA: Did you think the talks with the Giants would continue after what happened with the physical?

Correa: Everything happened so fast I didn’t have time to think about that.

TA: Did everyone in your family just jump on a plane to New York?

Correa: We flew back to Houston the next night (after the Giants’ news conference was postponed). I dropped them off. Then I flew by myself to New York the first thing the next morning for the physical. (Mets owner) Steve (Cohen) sent his plane. I got on the plane and flew there, did the physical that night. The next morning, I did some blood tests. After that, they took me to Citi Field. I did some extra testing over there. Everything seemed fine.

TA: Did you really tackle Scott after learning of the Mets’ deal?

Correa: Oh yeah, I tackled him. I gave my family the news that there was no deal, that we were still free agents. Then all of a sudden, this great dude — I don’t think I can curse here, but in baseball terms you’d say this bad m——f——  gets me another deal in a matter of hours.

He told me again the same words. “We need to talk. I need you to come to the room.” I was like, “OK, here we go again.” He gave me that news. He was sitting in bed. I just tackled him a little bit.

The thing I was most concerned about was having to wait a long time again to get another deal done. What I went through last year with the free-agent process, where the market closed in on me with the lockout and everything, I was concerned that might happen again.

TA: Did you talk to Francisco Lindor?

Correa: Right away. Forty-five-minute conversation. It was more me talking about how I was OK with playing third base and I was never going to step on his toes. Out of my mouth would never come the words, “I want to play shortstop.” Out of my mouth would never come any form of betrayal toward him.

From that moment on, from the moment the deal was agreed on, my mind was set to play third base every single day. That was never going to change. I wanted him to know I would always be loyal. I would always be there for him, whatever he needed. Just making sure we left everything clear. When players of both our calibers play shortstop and there’s a change there’s always some animosity in there. I wanted to make sure he knew out of the gate I was OK with playing third base. I was going to make the move, no problem.

TA: How comfortable were you moving? I know you take a great amount of pride in what you’ve accomplished at short.

Correa: I was comfortable because he’s a really good shortstop and a really good player. At this stage of my career, it’s all about winning. I do feel like in that case, me moving to third base was going to make the Mets a better team. So I was OK with it. My main focus right now is winning championships. I’m not focused on anything else.

TA: Did you do the same thing with the Mets players and coaches that you did with the Giants, talking to everybody?

Correa: I did talk to some coaches and some players. But not as many as I did with the Giants. When I (agreed) with the Giants, right away they sent me all the numbers, all the information I asked them to. It was easier for me to connect. The (Mets) players that texted me are the ones I talked to. I never got a chance to speak with Buck (Showalter). He was waiting for it to be official to talk about it.

TA: Did you ever speak with Steve Cohen?

Correa: Yes I did. (The conversation took place after Correa returned to Houston from San Francisco, and before he left for New York.) He was very happy. He was very excited. I even spoke with his wife. It was a good, fun conversation. He was in Hawaii. He seemed like a really, really nice guy. I definitely enjoyed that conversation. He was just welcoming me and all that.

TA: When did you start to think the Twins could be an option again?

Correa: When we started moving forward with the negotiations, the Twins were always in the conversation. It was because of the way my family was treated when I was there. I feel like whatever clubhouse I’m in, I’m going to make it work for myself, do the right things to get along with my teammates and coaches. But when your family feels a certain special treatment, that’s something I value a lot.

The Twins did that for us last year. My father and my wife’s father would drop me off at the ballpark. They would stay and watch BP. They would sit in the stands. They could go to the press box. They could go to the Champions Club. They got their badges, and they were like part of the staff at Target Field.

I always took that into consideration. I never forgot that. I never forgot that feeling. I never forgot those conversations with my family when I got back to our house after games about how great everyone made them feel. I always told Scott, “Never stop talking to the Twins. Try to make it work.” My wife loved it there. Simply everybody loved it there.

Then the thing with the physical happened with the Mets and Scott started talking about contract language with their lawyers. That’s when it looked like the deal was not going to get done, because of certain things with the language that were impossible to accomplish. That’s when I told Scott, “Make me a Twin. Let’s make it work with the Twins.”

TA: We had a story today about your conversations with Byron Buxton. What role did he play in getting this done?

Correa: I read the story. I know for sure everything he did with the front office and Dustin (Morse, the Twins’ vice president of communications and content). But the one thing I appreciated more about Buxton is that he never called me to try to get me to sign with the Twins.

He always called me to talk like a brother, to make sure I was OK, to ask me about my family and kid and Daniella’s pregnancy (with their second child). Never did he say, “Bro, I want you to be in Minnesota. Please sign with us. Please consider us.” Never. He was always very kind and very professional.

The last thing you want in free agency is for a lot of people to call you, saying sign here, sign there, everybody throwing a pitch at you. What you want to do is sit down with your family, go through the process as a family and make a decision. He was so respectful. For him throughout that tough process to just call to check in, not even talk about baseball, for me that meant a lot and truly said a lot about our relationship.

TA: Back to the ankle. How much does it bother you that it’s going to be a topic of conversation now, and probably for the rest of your career?

Correa: I don’t think it’s going to bother me. It doesn’t bother me now, so I don’t think it will bother me moving forward. I’ve gone through pretty tough things in my career. The way I handle it is, if I can control it, I’ll control it. If I can’t, then I’ll just move forward.

I can’t control the perspective of people and what they’re going to say about my ankle. What I can control is the work I put in to post, taking care of my body every single day to make sure I go out and perform for 10 years for the Minnesota Twins.

Like I said, if I can’t control it, I won’t stress over it.

TA: Do you look forward to proving wrong the doctors who were negative?

Correa: It’s not about proving them wrong. It’s about proving to myself that the work I put in is going to pay off at the end of the day. As you know, I don’t go out. I just dedicate myself to this game. I’m obsessed with everything involved in this game.

Some people think it’s extreme that I don’t even drink during the season, that I try not to have added sugars. I have a diet. I go to sleep at certain times. I stretch a lot. Everything revolves around baseball 24/7 during the baseball season.

Obviously, the doctors’ opinions give you an extra motivation to just go out there, perform and play out the whole contract in a beautiful way. But proving to myself at the end of my career that all the work will pay off, that I was right, that’s all I honestly care about.

TA: Giants fans might always wonder what might have been if we had gotten Correa. Mets fans might look at it the same way. Will you look at it that way?

Correa: No. I move forward very quickly. This is something that was part of my story. It was very well-documented. A lot of people talked about it. But it’s time to move on and focus now on the Twins and the things that I started doing last year with the team, to try to win a championship for Minnesota.

There’s no hard feelings toward both (the Giants’ and Mets’) organizations. There’s nothing but respect for them. Doctors have differences of opinion. That’s fine. But God took me here to the Minnesota Twins. I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity.

You put everything into perspective when you go through a process like this. You focus on the things that matter most. One thing I learned is that I love my family, I love the support system I have around me. I have a small circle I can trust and that is loyal.

At the end of the day, God put me in the right spot.  (Ken Rosenthal - Jan 13, 2023)

Feb. 6, 2023: Correa withdrew from participating for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico is scheduled to open WBC play against Nicaragua in Miami on March 11, the day before Correa’s wife, Daniella, is due with the couple’s second child. Rather than have Correa attempt to juggle baseball and family by flying back and forth between Miami and the team’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., the Twins prefer that Correa sits this one out.  (Dan Hayes)

 March 11, 2023: The birth of the little cherub marks the second child of Correa and Daniella Rodriguez, who married in 2019. In December 2021, the pair welcomed their first son, Kylo. The arrival of young Kenzo Correa marks the culmination of an insane year for Carlos Correa.

 Carlos heard the boos and agreed with them. Hours after saying he felt close to turning things around at the plate, the Twins shortstop produced one of his worst games of the season. 

“I’d boo myself, too, with the amount of money I’m making if I’m playing like that and I’m in the stands,” Correa said. “Obviously, it’s acceptable. It’s part of the game, part of sports. Fans want production and fans want a team that’s going to compete out there and win games. It’s to be expected when you play poorly. But at the same time, the work doesn’t stop. I’m going to keep working and keep focusing on the things I can control, and the results will come.”

What Correa has control over is the amount of effort that goes into turning around the biggest slump to start a season of his career. To that end, he and the Twins hitting coaches are working tirelessly to diagnose just why Correa is carrying a .185/.261/.363 slash line through the team’s first 36 games.

He’s also focused on the big picture, and it’s a primary reason he got paid this offseason — a lousy stretch won’t strip him of his confidence. He’s played at a high level for long enough that Correa expects he can work his way out of any slump.

“He’s the ultimate worker and adjustment-maker,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s something that has led him to some really great places in his career, and he’s a great player. He’s been in spots before where he doesn’t want to be. He’s gotten out of them. He’s gotten out of them every time. I would rely on his knowledge of himself as a player as much as anything. We’ve discussed this before with him. But again, he’s got a great mind. I know he knows several things that he can spend time on and work on, and I bet he’s going to shuffle off to those things as time continues to go. I think he’s going to find exactly where he needs to be.” (Hayes - May 9, 2023 - The Athletic)

 2023: As he struggled throughout the first half of the season, Carlos spent several months in search of the right feel at the plate. Oddly enough, it was a mental adjustment instead of a physical one that’s turned around the $200 million shortstop’s season.

While he and Twins hitting coach David Popkins made adjustment after adjustment as Correa lingered through one of the longest slumps of his career, the switch that made everything finally click was moving up in the batting order. 

On June 30, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli inserted Correa into the leadoff spot to boost his team’s sagging offense. Since then, Correa was hitting .340/.421/.440 with five doubles, nine runs and four RBIs.

While his recent success is largely predicated on punishing fastballs, Correa said it’s more about the mindset that’s driving his hottest streak of the season.

“I’m not thinking anything,” Correa said. “I’m just swinging. If it’s in the zone, I want to hit it, whatever pitch it is. Rocco putting me in the leadoff spot gave me a new perspective. Instead of trying to go deep on every pitch, it was put the barrel on the ball and let something happen. That’s been allowing me to get on base and allowing me to have better results. Credit to Rocco for putting me in that spot. It changed my mentality.”

When he was still batting third a month ago, Correa felt as if he was on the verge of rediscovering his confidence, or as he puts it, “just feeling sexy at the plate.”

“When he’s feeling sexy, he’s shooting missile line drives all over the field,” Baldelli said.

Correa believed there were several reasons behind his early-season misfires.

An offseason yoga program designed for increased mobility left the 28-year-old feeling too loose in his swing. He also missed four games with back spasms in April. Then he was briefly sidelined with plantar fasciitis, which requires constant treatment.

Each episode resulted in the implementation of a series of adjustments with Popkins to better catch up to velocity again, a main source of Correa’s struggles in 2023. Whereas Correa was one of the best fastball hitters in baseball last season, until recently he hasn’t had the same success.

“I really can’t point out one thing,” Correa said in June. “All I know is that adjustments have to be made, and we’re making them.”

He also can appreciate the irony that after months of retooling and physical adjustments, it was an approach change that delivered results.

“That’s the beauty of the season,” Correa said. “You’re always trying to figure out how to be successful. Sometimes the adjustment is mechanical, sometimes it’s the way you’re looking at things and approaching the game. It’s strange.” (Hayes - Jul 19, 2023 - The Athletic)

Twins shortstop Carlos Correa started scribbling autographs in his notebook as a high school student, whenever he would finish his work before the bell had rung. Correa tried different styles. Even today, there are a few variations of his signature — they mostly resemble two C’s with some loops in between. Even if a signature isn’t an athlete’s full name neatly spelled out, it is still part of a player’s brand. There’s an art to making it look cool. “I’m sure I did a lot of stuff,” Correa said, “but at the end of the day, that’s the one I stuck with.” 

Like many players, Correa signed a lot of autographs when he first broke into the major leagues. He signed for fans and autographed stacks of cards and memorabilia when he was away from the field, too. Like other professional players, he’s experienced the monotony and hand cramps that come with scribbling the same thing over and over.

“It’s hours,” he said. “Five thousand autographs? That will take some time.”

Now making more than $33 million per year, Correa has cut out most of the extra autographs away from the field.

“I did a lot of it early in my career, making the minimum and all that,” he said. “Right now, I try to spend as much time as I can with my kids.” (Stavenhagen - Aug 8, 2023 - The Athletic)

2023 Season: After failing physicals with both the Giants and the Mets this past offseason before returning to Minnesota, Correa saw his health remain a focal point throughout the 2023 campaign. Though he avoided the injured list for much of the year, both his offense and defense suffered as he battled plantar fasciitis for most of the season.

Typically an above-average offensive threat and strong defender at shortstop, Correa posted the worst season of his career as he slashed just .230/.312/.399 (96 wRC+) while posting middling defensive metrics (+1 OAA, -2 DRS). That being said, after going on the injured list for the final weeks of the regular season, Correa impressed in the playoffs with a .409/.458/.545 slash line in six games as the Twins won their first postseason series since 2002.

The injury-marred campaign makes Correa difficult to project going forward, though as the youngest of the four top shortstops from last off-season's class, he has youth on his side. Correa’s 1.1 fWAR this season was 17th among the 21 qualified shortstops in 2023. (Nick Deeds | Oct 15, 2023)

Plantar fasciitis held back Correa’s on-field performance all season, and he frequently remarked that he knew his defense wasn’t up to the lofty standards he’d set in years past. Still, the veteran shortstop provided value there and particularly with his leadership, which will always be an enormous part of what he brings to a young clubhouse.

His defense went noticed around the league, too, as Correa was announced as one of the AL shortstop finalists for the Gold Glove Award. 

Correa is now the Twins’ centerpiece, entering the second year of a six-year, $200 million deal with no opt-outs. Correa injured his left foot crossing first base in May 2023, but stayed on the active roster and ground his way through 135 games. He hit .230 with a .711 OPS, his lowest for a full season, and led the majors in grounding into double plays, with 30. Many days, he said, he would wake up convinced he could not play but found his way onto the field.

“I just show up until I can’t even walk,” Correa said. “If I can walk and limp around, I’m OK to go out there and play. Is it the smartest thing? No, but I’ve been around long enough to know how much I can withstand. I played before with my back hurting, in 2018; I wasn’t ready, but I played through it. And the numbers, they suffer a lot, but at the same time, you take some sort of pride that you’re trying to show up for your teammates and not let them down.”

Correa, who treated the injury with platelet-rich plasma injections over the winter, said his foot would require “constant work for the rest of my career.” Even considering that, Manager Baldelli said, Correa seems more settled now than he did a year ago, after the protracted contract saga that led him back to the Twins during spring training. 

His painful ordeal last season was inspiring for third baseman Royce Lewis.

“Honestly it motivated me to just know like, hey, he’s putting his whole body on the line literally every day, and he’s doing whatever he can for this team,” Lewis said. “The days that he had off were probably huge for him, because he was fighting through a lot to even just walk around.” (Kepner - Mar 18, 2024 - The Athletic) 

The Twins’ rally summer sausage is back. Apparently, it never went away.

Two days after he suggested it was scheduled to be destroyed, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli revealed the team is still relying upon its famed summer sausage. With the offense struggling to score early in a game against Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo, Twins hitting coach David Popkins went to the clubhouse to retrieve the team’s good luck charm from a refrigerator to bring to the dugout. 

Immediately, the Twins offense, which was 0-for-12 at the time, broke through with a pair of doubles and scored a run off Castillo. Two innings later, the Twins tacked on two more runs and beat the Mariners 3-1 to win for the 13th time in 14 games. Though they previously planned to replace it with a fresh one, the Twins suggest they intend to give their sausage with its musty package and all a stay of execution.

“It’s alive,” Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said. “You could smell the rank when we brought it out in the bottom of the fifth inning. As soon as we brought it out, we were on the board.” 

The fact is the Twins simply put together better all-around at-bats than they did in the first part of the season. But ask anyone in the Twins clubhouse, which is now inundated with sausage paraphernalia, and they’ll tell you their resurgence was partly sausage-inspired.

“You’ve got to believe in something and we believe we’re playing really good baseball,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “We touch the sausage and we go out there super confident and good things happen.” When it first happened earlier in the week, the Twins’ post-victory photo was an exclusive event limited to the team’s infielders and catcher who were on the field for the final out. Yet as the team’s winning streak stretches on, the number of players involved has steadily increased. 

On May 4, the team participated in a celebratory photo reminiscent of those we see on our television screens every fall when NFL defensive players recognize turnovers and other big plays by posing for group photos in the end zone.

The photo is the latest way the Twins celebrate their victories, snapping yet another one shortly after they increased their winning streak to 12 games, the second-longest in franchise history and the team’s lengthiest since Minnesota won 15 consecutive games in 1991.

“You’ve just got to have fun and find things that unite the team,” said shortstop Carlos Correa, who drove in a pair of runs. “It makes us feel like more of a family than just teammates. All of those little things play a big part, the sausage, everybody touching it, everybody acknowledging and celebrating every time we hit the home run. The picture, now everybody wants to be a part of it. Those are the little things that mean a lot to players and you feel like you’re in a family atmosphere.” (Hayes - May 4 & 7, 2024 - The Athletic)

With the team honoring the local legend with fan giveaways and Prince songs blaring over the Target Field sound system throughout Thursday night’s game, the dugout couldn’t help but get in on the act.

Shortly after Carlos Correa returned to the dugout following a seventh-inning home run, he was presented with a plastic purple blowup guitar, vest and fedora by pitcher Pablo López. Given it was the torrid Correa at the plate, it was no surprise when the shortstop laid down some hot licks on the air guitar, an unplanned celebration, one that played well in a 6-2 Twins victory over the Oakland A’s.

“Once they gave me the guitar, I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it,’” Correa said. “I played a lot of Guitar Hero when I was growing up. … I saw it pregame. When I asked Pablo, I was like, ‘Was this you?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ I’m like, ‘This is creative. I love this.’ I was like I want to hit a home run so bad.” (Hayes - Jun 14, 2024 - The Athletic)

July 2024: Correa was named as a reserve for the MLB All-Star Game.

Jan 25, 2025:  If the Twins are going to reach their goals in 2025, few things are more important than Carlos Correa's health. The three-time All-Star put together one of his best seasons in 2024 on a per-at-bat basis, but he missed the majority of the second half of the year as he dealt with plantar fasciitis in his right heel. With three weeks remaining before Spring Training, Correa likes what he’s feeling.

“I feel great,” Correa said at Twinsfest. “I’m ready to go, full go for Spring Training. I’ve been sprinting. I’ve been running around. I’ve been doing about everything. I’ve been focused on not only just treatment but also strengthening, a lot of walking barefoot around the house now. So all that’s helping work on my toes and all that. So I’m in a really good spot.” 

Correa was selected as an All-Star in ’24 thanks to an outstanding first half, but skipped the game due to the injury. He didn’t play again until Sept. 14, by which time the team’s late-season funk was already well under way. He was as effective at the plate after his return as he had been before, but it wasn’t enough to arrest the slide. However, he and the club have expressed significant optimism regarding his 2025 prognosis.

“Carlos is in a great spot right now,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “Our hitting coach [Matt Borgschulte] just went down and saw him, said he’s in midseason form right now physically.”

It was the second year in a row that Correa dealt with the painful condition. In 2023 he battled plantar fasciitis in his left heel. However, as 2025 approaches, he’s not feeling any discomfort in either foot. And he’s taking extensive measures to help prevent any additional recurrence.

That includes things like making sure his footwear is sufficiently supportive and being choosy about the surfaces he runs on, as well as working on strength and flexibility. “It’s more like maintenance now,” he said. “Like I did when I hurt my back, back in 2018. You hurt an area of your body and then you focus on strengthening that area, and then you stay on it every single day. So now the foot has become part of my routine.”

That means the focus can be on baseball. Correa has been working at his home in the Houston area and getting ready to head to Fort Myers, Fla., for camp. The hope is that it all adds up to a Correa who is as effective as he was in 2024, and as durable as he’s been in years. “I’m full go,” he said. “I’m hitting. I’m taking ground balls. I’m running and sprinting, change of directions. I can do everything that I usually do in the offseason to get ready for a full season.”(M Leach - MLB.com - Jan 25, 2025)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2012: The Astros chose Carlos with the first overall pick in the draft. And they signed him two days later for $4.8 million, via scouts Larry Pardo and Joey Sola. (Correa signed for substantially less than the $7.2 million signing bonus prescribed by Major League Baseball, which means they could use that money toward other draft picks.)

"When Bud Selig called my name on draft night, I had all the flashbacks of the sacrifices we made as a family My dad working in construction, me at the ballpark while others were having fun, my mom cooking for me every single day, every single night. At 12, when we got back from the ballpark, she would be up cooking for us." 

Feb 5, 2019: Carlos won his arbitration case against the Astros. He will earn $5 million in 2019, versus the $4.2 million submitted by the Astros.

Jan 10, 2020: Carlos and the Astros avoided arbitration, by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $8 million.

Feb 6, 2021:  The Astros reached a contract agreement with Correa to avoid arbitration. Correa will earn $11.7 million in 2021, his final year before he becomes a free agent. 

March 19, 2022:  Carlos agreed to a three-year, $105 million deal with the Twins. The deal includes opt-outs after the first two seasons.

Nov. 8, 2022: Correa became a free agent.

Dec 20, 2022: The Mets agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with Correa, mere hours after the shortstop’s 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants fell apart over apparent medical concerns.

Jan 2, 2023: The Mets also became concerned with Correa's medical reports, and the deal has been in limbo ever since.  The Mets are reportedly concerned with Correa's right ankle, which was surgically repaired while he played in the Minor Leagues in 2014. (Correa had a stabilizing plate inserted into his leg at that time.) Although it caused pain for him during a slide into second base last September, the ankle injury hasn't directly caused him to miss any time over the past eight seasons.

There is a precedent established to protect both the player and team, but details still need to be hammered out. (A Dicomo - MLB.com - Jan 2, 2023

Jan 10, 2023: Is the third time the charm?  The Twins have stunned the baseball world by reportedly agreeing to terms with Correa, this time on a long-term deal guaranteeing six years and $200 million, following a stalemate in closing the Mets deal. The contract also includes four additional vesting seasons that can be worth up to an additional $70 million. Either way, it represents the largest free-agent commitment in Twins history, both by years and dollars.

Jan. 10, 2023: Correa reversed course for a second time, agreeing to a $200 million, six-year contract that keeps him with the Twins after failing to complete earlier deals with the Mets and Giants. 

In 2016, Baseball America rated Correa's tools: His hitting got a 65, with a 60 for power. They rated his speed a 55, his defense a 55 and arm as a 70.

Carlos has a long, lanky build with outstanding rhythm, leverage and balance at the plate. He has a mature approach to hitting, doesn't chase pitches out of the strike zone often and uses the middle of the field.

Opposing managers admired Correa’s ability to battle with two strikes and refusal to give away at-bats.

He has tools worthy of a No. 1 overall pick, earning comparisons to players such as Troy Tulowitzki and Ryan Zimmerman. And folks drop comps of Albert Pujols (albeit with less power) for his ability to hammer the ball to the opposite field. 

Making consistently solid and loud contact with a measured swing, Correa has power to all fields. He could become a 30-home-run hitter for the Astros. As his .313 Minor League batting average in 1,262 plate appearances attests, Correa can flat out hit. (Pleskoff - mlb.com - 6/22/15)

• Correa's 13 homers are four more than any other shortstop has ever hit in his first 50 games. The previous record belonged to Nomar Garciaparra, who hit nine homers in his first 50 games with the Red Sox in 1996.

• The 13 home runs are also the fifth-most by any active player in his first 50 games, regardless of position. The only current players to hit more homers over their first 50 games are Jose Abreu (17), Albert Pujols (16), Ryan Braun (15) and Evan Gattis (14).

• Correa has homered in 12 of his first 50 games, including one multi-homer effort, making him the first Astros player ever to homer in at least a dozen of his first 50 games. The second-highest total belongs to teammate George Springer, who homered in 11 of his first 50 games last year. Prior to Correa and Springer, no Astros player had homered in even 10 of his first 50 career contests. 

• Correa already has six games in which he has racked up at least three hits and a home run. The only player since at least 1914 with more such efforts within the first 50 games of his career is, notably, also an Astro—Hunter Pence, who had seven such outings back in 2007.

• Correa also joined Pence, as well as Eric Anthony (1990), as the only three players in franchise history with multiple games of at least one stolen base and one home run within his first 50. Correa is also just the third shortstop to ever accomplish that same feat, joining Garciaparra and Bert Campaneris.

• Correa has seven three-hit games overall, tied for the most ever by a shortstop through his first 50 games. Four other shortstops (Garry Templeton, Lonny Frey, Clint Barmes and Mike Aviles) also racked up seven three-hit efforts in that same span.

• Moving on to some of Correa's other tools, the all-around talent has 50-game total of eight stolen bases. That makes him the first player with at least 13 homers and 8 stolen bases in his first 50 games since Braun hit 15 home runs and swiped eight bases over his first 50 games in 2007.

• Three of those stolen bases came in just his 10th big league game on June 18 against the Rockies. Correa became just the third American League player in the last 100 years to do so within his first 10 career ballgames. The only other AL players to accomplish that same feat were Alex Cole (1990 Indians) and Julio Borbon, who did it twice within his first 10 games for the 2009 Rangers. Correa was the first since Billy Hamilton in 2013. 

• Correa also scored two runs in that June 18 game, making him the only shortstop in Major League history to steal three bases and score at least two runs in the same game within his first 50 contests.

• Correa picked up at least one hit in 37 of his first 50 games, tied for the fifth-most in franchise history. Outfielder Gerald Young holds the club record by collecting at least one hit in 40 of his first 50 big league games back in 1987.

• Those 37 games with at least one hit are also tied for the sixth-most by any shortstop within his first 50 games. Red Kress and Harvey Kuenn hold the all-time record, with each picking up a hit in 40 of their first 50 games. Both players did so over parts of two seasons; Kress completed the feat from 1926-27 and Kuenn did it from 1952-53. (Casella - mlb.com - 8/5/15)

August 2015: Correa became the first shortstop in more than a century to hit 14 home runs in 51 games.

October 2015: Correa became the youngest post-season batter with a hit (21 year, 16 days). He also became the youngest player in American League history to hit two home runs in a postseason game, and he did become the first rookie in Major League history to have four hits and four RBIs in a postseason game.

April 5, 2016: Correa hit 24 HRs during his first 100 MLB games. It is the most by a shortstop in MLB history.

Aug 10, 2019: Correa’s 474-foot blast during Houston's 23-2 win over the Orioles was the longest ever tracked at Camden Yards. The ball that cleared both bullpens was the longest home run of Correa’s five-year career, and it also tied for the longest Astros homer since Statcast began tracking in 2015, matching a blast from Yordan Alvarez the same season.

Oct 10, 2020: The Astros, Rays, Yankees and A’s all received standout individual performances throughout the ALDS, but one player’s series-long contributions stood out: Carlos Correa’s.

Correa hit .500 in the series with a 1.754 OPS and three homers — including a three-run homer in the fourth inning of ALDS Game 4 that put the Astros ahead for good in the eventual clincher. Correa had five RBIs in Game 4, becoming just the fifth shortstop in postseason history with at least five RBIs in a game.

2020 Season: Correa hit .264/.326/.383 with five homers and 25 RBIs in 58 games in the regular season last year before batting .362/.455/.766 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 13 games in an electric postseason. He was a Gold Glove finalist after making one error in 212 chances in the regular season and leading American League shortstops in defensive runs saved.

While being interviewed on the team’s offseason Hot Stove radio program Astroline, Carlos said he wanted to be an Astro for life. The No. 1 pick in the 2012 Draft and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, Correa won’t turn 27 until September and will headline a group of star shortstops in next year’s free-agent market.

Oct 12, 2021: The two-run double also put Correa in some historic company: The seventh-year shortstop (in just his 66th career playoff game) recorded his 53rd and 54th career postseason RBIs. That extended his franchise-high playoff RBI record while putting him into a tie with Albert Pujols for both the sixth-most postseason RBIs in AL/NL history and the most among active players.

July 4, 2023: Correa recorded his 1,000th major league hit.

June 12, 2024: Correa's first career five-hit game. He went 5-for-6 with five singles, three runs scored, and an RBI.

 2024 Season: Although two injuries limited him to 86 games, Correa showed why he's one of the best at his position by hitting .310 with a .905 OPS (152 OPS+). Correa, 30, is entering Year 3 of the six-year, $200 million contract he signed with the Twins in 2022.

He's young enough for the Hall of Fame to at least be a possibility, especially if he's able to further his postseason track record. In 85 October games, Correa has slashed .282/.352/.508 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. (Jon Paul Hoornstra - Jan. 23, 2025 - Newsweek)

Carlos has the above-average ability as a defensive shortstop that is rare. His range, arm and fluid actions are all plus tools. His feet work great.

Correa has soft hands and a far above-average plus-plus arm.

Carlos has played shortstop since he was 5 years old and he doesn’t plan on giving up the position any time soon, no matter what scouts say. And some say he will have to move to third base. But Correa takes pride and he loves challenges.

"I’m going to work hard to stay at short because that’s my position. I love to play there," Correa said.

His footwork is clean, his athletic actions are smooth and his arm is another plus tool at shortstop. He has impressive balance and body control.

Some scouts speculate that Correa will move to third base because he will soon lose the first-step quickness shortstops should have, after he physically matures. For now, he's quick enough, and he positions himself well. He makes every play expected of a front-line shortstop.

He can make plays in the hole thanks in part to a 70 arm, and he also goes to his left well. Correa is more sure handed than most young shortstops, with soft hands and a refined internal clock that lets him know when to charge a ball, when to stay back and when to put the ball in his back pocket.

Carlos combines exceptional tools and outstanding knowledge and feel for the game.

"Any play a shortstop should make, he makes—in the hole, behind the bag,” said a pro scout who saw Correa play in the Midwest League last year. “I know he has first-step quickness. His arm will play no matter where you put him.”

Correa committed just 15 errors in his first full season. It’s not uncommon for young shortstops make 30 or more. Jeter, Correa’s role model growing up, committed a South Atlantic League record 56 errors in his first full pro season.

“You have to have a clock in your head,” Correa said. “You have to know whether you can throw the guy out. Against the Tigers the other day, I dived for a groundball and grabbed it. When I got up, I knew I couldn’t throw the guy out. It would have been close, but I wouldn’t have thrown him out. So I didn’t throw it. You have to make those decisions. Keep the double play in order.”

At first glance, Correa's physical presence as a 6-foot-4, 210-pound shortstop is striking. His range, the way he moves, his quick first step and his arm strength are well above average. You see him glide to the ball, plant his feet and throw a bullet to first base as well as most All-Star shortstops. He has soft hands and quick feet—a fantastic combination for a defender, especially one as tall as Correa.

His excellent instincts aid in his defense playing up. And he has a quick first step that helps him make the play in the hole.

Correa is only average when it comes to turning the double play.

Carlos has one of the strongest arms in the game, with relay throws tracked by Statcast at 90 mph or higher. In a game on May 31, 2018, against the Red Sox, he made a 96.3 mph throw to the plate that was, at the time, the hardest throw ever tracked by Statcast for an infielder.

In fact, it was Correa’s laser to the plate for an out in in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the 2019 AL Championship Series that loomed large in the Astros’ win over the Yankees. The throw, which came after José Altuve bobbled the ball, was clocked at 87 mph, just short of his "max effort" of 88.8 mph that he reached on his top 10% of his throws in 2019. For reference, 88.8 mph was the second-highest average max effort by a Major League infielder last season. (McTaggart - mlb.com - 5/29/2020)

2020 Season:  Correa may have had the finest season by a shortstop in franchise history in 2020. He led all AL shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved with eight, topping J.P. Crawford (6) and Tim Anderson (3), who were second and third, respectively. He also posted a Major League-best .995 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 212 total chances.

Correa’s fielding percentage was the best ever by an Astros shortstop in a single season and ranks as the fourth-best in a single season in MLB history, trailing seasons by Mike Bordick (.998 in 2002), Cal Ripken, Jr. (.996 in 1990) and Omar Vizquel (.995 in 2000). Correa has a chance to become just the second shortstop in franchise history to win a Gold Glove. The first was Roger Metzger in 1973. 

Correa was a finalist for a Gold Glove for shortstop, but the award was given to Mariner J.P. Crawford. With a fielding percentage of .995, Correa was a vacuum at short with his highest fielding percentage in his career. 

GOLD GLOVER

June 21-end of 2014 season: Correa sustained an injury while sliding into third base. The Antelope Valley Press reported that the 19-year-old shortstop was out for the rest of the season.

Carlos broke his right ankle and fibula when his spikes got caught as he slid into third base on a triple at Lake Elsinore.

June 25, 2014: Correa underwent surgery to repair the fracture of his fibula just above his right ankle.

July 18, 2017: A torn ligament in his left thumb put Correa on the DL.

July 19-Sept 3, 2017: Carlos underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. 

June 26-Aug 10, 2018: Correa went on the 10-day disabled list because of a stiff back. 

Nov 5, 2018: Correa underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum. Correa said he was having trouble breathing through his nose while running the bases but hopes the surgery will help alleviate the issue. According to the Mayo Clinic website, a deviated septum occurs when the thin wall between nasal passages is displaced to one side, restricting airflow and causing difficulty breathing.

"It's annoying," Correa said. "I was having trouble breathing and I saw a doctor and she told me I needed surgery on my nose, and I was like, 'All right, let's fix it.' It's been tough the last three days, obviously, to breathe through my nose, but at the end of the day it's for the greater good."

May 29-July 26, 2019: Carlos was on the IL with a fractured rib. Correa's rib injury is more serious than it originally seemed. The Astros announced that Correa will miss approximately four to six weeks. The injury happened while getting a massage.

Aug 20-Sept 17, 2019: Carlos was on the IL with a stiff lower back. Correa’s back stiffened up early in the game before, and he wound up informing Astros manager AJ Hinch he couldn’t continue after striking out in the first inning. Hinch said he doesn’t think the injury is serious.

“He’s doing a little bit better, but he’s not doing well enough to play,” Hinch said. “We haven’t seen anything that’s made us believe that this is anything major or massive, but it’s going to take up to 10 days to mend.”

July 9-15, 2021: Correa was on the IL with a fractured rib.

May 6-18, 2022: Correa was placed on the 10-day injured list. He took two shots to the right hand on the same day and suffered a middle finger contusion.

May 30-June 8, 2022: Correa was on the Covid-19 IL.

Sept 20-Oct 2, 2023: Carlos was on the IL with left foot planter fasciitis.

April 13-29, 2024: Carlos was on the IL with right intercostal strain.

July 14, 2024: An MRI revealed that Correa has plantar fasciitis in right foot.

July 16-Sept 14, 2024: Carlos was on the IL. Correa received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right heel, where he is experiencing plantar fasciitis in the opposite foot from the lingering issue that held back his production throughout the 2023 season.

Jan 25, 2025: A busy winter of conditioning has pain-free Correa feeling optimistic about the planter fasciitis in his right heel.  

April 15, 2025: Correa was removed from an April 15 game due to wrist pain, and he said he has been working to manage the joint since the spring and even back to late 2024.