Rookie shortstop Carlos Correa is carrying the Houston Astros this season, and his teammates are well aware of this fact. After being called up in June, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012 has been nothing short of dominant — not to mention refreshingly flashy.
Over the past weekend, Astros players were spotted wearing “Showrrea” Nike t-shirts. In July, closer Luke Gregerson told Correa to get his teammates “Team Correa” t-shirts, and the shortstop delivered.
“We were on a road trip, and Gregerson told me I needed to make Team Correa shirts for everybody,” Correa said, via the Houston Chronicle. “As a rookie if they ask me to sing on the bus or do other things, I’ll do them. If he tells me to bring shirts, I’ll bring them. I ordered them right away. I wanted to make them so they’d like them. I wasn’t going to bring some cheap shirts. I got them some Nike shirts so they could use them out for batting practice.”
Clearly he is a clubhouse favorite and has shown his bubbly personality, but he also has consistently delivered on the field. Upon being called up, coaches and scouts projected Correa to be a singles and doubles hitter, spraying gap to gap. However, he has flexed big-boy muscles this year hitting 19 home runs and 56 RBI, all while posting an extremely respectable .279 batting average.
The 20 year-old’s 19 home runs this season makes him second all time among Astros shortstops for most home runs in a season. Dickie Thon hit 20 homers for Houston in 1983, and he played a full season with the club.
Not only is Correa doing it with the bat, but he is flashing his leather like no other shortstop, too. On Saturday night, he tracked down a fly ball in short-left field to make an acrobatic catch. This type of play is often seen as “routine” for an athletic shortstop, but according to Statcast, Correa reached a maximum speed of 16.4 miles per hour. For comparison, treadmills max out at 11 miles per hour.
To date, the Astros are battling the Texas Rangers for the top spot in the NL West and are currently 1.5 games back for the lead. If the Astros make the playoffs this season, which they most likely will, it will be the first time Houston will play postseason baseball in 10 years.
Phenomenal starting pitching, stellar defense and timely hitting have all played factors in the Astros magical season, but the spark of the rookie shortstop has raised all energy levels and will prove invaluable come October.