Astros: Comparing Carlos Correa’s Rookie Season with Jeff Bagwell’s

Third Similarity

Oct 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning in game four of the ALDS at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

wRC+ (Runs Created plus On-Base Average)

What is wRC+? If you ask Bagwell what it means, he may not know about that because the sabermetrics in baseball in a recent thing in baseball. Let’s take a look at what +wRC means based on the definition from Fangraphs.

"“Similar to OPS+, Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measures how a player’s wRC compares with league average after controlling for park effects.  League average for position players is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than a league average hitter would have in the same number of plate appearances. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.” – Fangraphs."

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

Both Bagwell and Correa finished their respective rookie seasons with a similar w RC.+

Bagwell’s 1991 wRC+: 138

Correa’s 2015 wRC+: 133

While they are not exactly identical, you have to factor in the time that Correa missed compared to Bagwell starting opening day and Correa not debuting until June. They both created more than 30% more runs than the average MLB baseball player. This takes in the ballpark conditions, so Bagwell might get the slight edge with doing what he did and the Astrodome while Correa gets to hit in Minute Maid Park.

Next: Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa voted BBWAA AL Rookie of the Year

Both Bagwell and Correa showed maturity in their first season with the Astros. People are raving on how much Correa knows about baseball and how he composes himself with the media. Bagwell was the face of the Astros for many years. Hopefully, Correa follows in his footsteps.