Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is getting acclimated to his new environment.
Correa signed a three-year deal worth $105.3 million at the end of last week.
Today, the star shortstop stepped up to the plate and took his first hacks against live pitching since the World Series, when he was still a member of the Houston Astros.
A video was taken by ESPN’s Marly Rivera of Correa facing live pitching for the first time in a while.
In the video, Correa appears to be struggling just a bit and still shaking off the rust from the lockout, which lasted nearly 100 days.
Correa is facing live pitching for the first time since the World Series. pic.twitter.com/DRgfqkPBcF
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 23, 2022
Shaking Off The Rust
It certainly makes sense that there would be a little bit of struggle taking place.
One might be surprised given Correa’s track record of success, but a couple of things need to considered here.
First, there was a lockout.
That lockout put everything on hold for almost four months, including free agent signings and trades.
Correa was one of the top players still left out on the market when the lockout began.
Players were not allowed to communicate with team personnel including front office executives and coaches.
They were also barred from using team facilities.
Secondly, Correa wasn’t signed until we were a week into spring training, meaning there was a little less time for him to get up to speed.
But at the end of the day, everybody around baseball knows what Correa is capable of.
If there’s ever a time to be struggling, spring training would be it.
That’s the time where players work out all the kinks and get themselves up to speed in time for the season.
When the season begins, Correa should be just fine.
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