Carlos Correra continued to solidify his star status Monday after being named Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year.The last Astro to win the award was Willy Taveras in the Astros NL Champions season in 2005. Sporting News, a former print magazine turned website, features their own MLB awards each season as listed below:
- Sporting News Player of the Year (each position in AL & NL)
- Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (AL & NL)
- Sporting News Rookie of the Year (AL & NL)
- Sporting News Reliever of the Year
- Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
- Sporting News Manager of the Year
- Sporting News Executive of the Year
The awards distributed from Sporting News are considered by many fans as in the same high regard as those from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America because players vote on the award instead of the writers. Correa recently responded to the Houston Chronicle’s Jose de Jesus Ortiz on collecting the award.
“For me it means a lot because the players are the ones on the field competing against you. For them to have voted for me, it means they appreciated the job I did. They’re the ones with you on the field trying to beat you and trying to beat your team.” – Carlos Correa to the Houston Chronicle
Correa’s rookie season helped the Astros start to fill Minute Maid Park again. He is considered by many as the next MLB phenomenon with his comparisons to Alex Rodriguez abilities and Derek Jeter‘s intangibles. He was the MLB’s youngest position player this seasons and hit .279, 22 homers, 22 doubles, and hit 68 RBI after the Astros called him up this past June.
Correa made his presence in baseball quickly after his MLB debut by winning the AL Rookie of the Month in June. In his first nine games, Correa stole three bases to become the youngest player to do so since Rickey Henderson. In his second game, he hit his first MLB home run after smashing one off of the White Sox’s Zach Duke. He set multiple franchise records this season such as the most hits in his first ten games with 14 followed by 15 hits in 20 games in which 9 were doubles (another franchise record). Despite not being called up until June, it only took Correa 42 games to lead the AL in home runs by a shortstop.
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One Correa’s most staggering accomplish was he was the first rookie since 1914 to record five games with a home run and at least three hits in just 25 appearances since debuting. By August 1st, Correa hit his first multi-home run game. Game #50 Correa surpassed the home run recorded by a rookie shortstop and later gave himself some cushion finished the season with 22. Correa hit .350 in the ALDS versus the Royals including a multi-home run game in the Astros devastating game four loss. That same game Correa became the youngest shortstop to hit a home run in a playoff game and also became the youngest to hit a multi-home run game.
Astros fans are hoping this award is just the first of many to come for the new face of the franchise. His rookie season was one for the books. But, Astros fans are hoping this is just a small glimpse into a very bright future for both the shortstop and the franchise.