Carlos Correa is a divisive figure among MLB observers: Houston Astros fans love him because he has contributed so much to the franchise since being drafted in 2012, but fans of other teams often dislike him for his cocky attitude and the fact he was heavily involved in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
Some consider him to be a very complete player, but others say he is overrated.
Most underrated: Carlos Santana
Most overrated: Carlos Correa
— Triple Play Fantasy (@TripPlayFantasy) June 9, 2020
What is the truth?
Well, he is far from overrated, and here is why.
3. People Mix Up ‘Injury-Prone’ With ‘Overrated’
Over his seven-year tenure in the bigs, Correa has suffered his fair share of injuries.
He has played over 110 games in a season only one time, back in 2016 when he took part in 153 contests.
He suffered injuries that took sizable portions of his season in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
He has been healthy for the most part in 2020 and 2021, and is eager to show his worth over a full 162-game season.
Of course, he also has the motivation of his looming free agency, so he is focused, locked, and loaded.
The problem is that people often mistake being injury-prone with being overrated, and they are not the same thing.
Whenever he is on the field, Correa performs, and that’s a fact.
And that’s in both the regular season and the playoffs, where he has hit multiple game-winning home runs and made crucial plays.
Injury-prone, maybe; but definitely not overrated.
2. He Has An Extensive Track Record Of Being Great
Correa has a career 131 weighted Runs Created Plus, or wRC+, when the average is considered 100.
It means he has produced 31 percent more than his peers over seven seasons, and that’s enough time to consider him a great hitter.
Additionally, he has shown he can hit without the aid of trash cans and complex sign-stealing schemes, as difficult as it may be to read for some fans.
Yes, he had a career year in 2017 (152 wRC+), but he was a comfortably above-average offensive player in every year but 2020 (98 wRC+).
And he is showing this season that the trash cans are far in the rearview mirror, with a .305/.400/.534 line, 14 home runs, and a 160 wRC+, which would be his best mark yet.
Carlos Correa – Houston Astros (13) Solo. pic.twitter.com/WaAAPYDf7v
— MLB HR Tracker (@hr_mlb) June 20, 2021
1. He Contributes In All Facets Of The Game
Not only is Correa a proven hitter that performs in the biggest of stages, but he is also a very good fielder at a premium position, shortstop.
He has six Defensive Runs Saved, or DRS, this season, and has accumulated 53 in his career.
Though Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) is not the best measure for infielders, he is also in the positives this season.
Perhaps more importantly, he is also a net positive in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric, with +6 on the season.
He is young (26) and athletic, and could probably steal more bases if he wanted to.
He was more of a base-stealer earlier in his career, but hasn’t been too active on the basepaths for years.
All in all, Correa is a very complete player with an important track record of success that may be considered overrated by some, but is far from it.
NEXT: 2 Players Holding Houston Astros Back Too Much In 2021