Astros: ESPN Top 100 Ranking Reaction

Carlos Correa

Rank: #34  (2020- #49) 

Carlos Correa is coming off a 2020 season where he posted a career-low batting average (.264) and OPS (.709). But he’s also Carlos Correa, one of the best defensive shortstops in the game and the guy who posted a 1.8 WAR in a short season. Correa also was flat-out electric during the Astros playoff run — hitting .362 with 6 homers and 17 RBIs with an OPS of 1.221 in those 13 games. Oakland A’s fans know this all too well.

Correa enters a contract year with Houston Astros and could make lots and lots of money with a good season. Correa always seems primed for an MVP season with all his talent – he’s arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game and has shown stretches of power and dominance at the plate. But, as they all say, the best ability is availability. Correa has only had one season where he played more than 120 games, which is unnerving considering he’s not even close to his 30s. However, Correa played 95% of the games last year – if he plays at that rate over a 162-game season, Correa might be hoisting some serious hardware at the end of it.

Verdict: JUST RIGHT

Create came in ahead of other shortstops like Gleyber Torres (#49) and Javier Baez (#42), but was ranked behind Francisco Lindor (#10), Trea Turner (#26), and Tim Anderson (#33). While I believe Correa is one of the two best shortstops in the game, his offensive dip from last year and concerns over long-term health seems to justify the ranking. Correa has a higher ceiling than any of those other shortstops, as someone with a skillset to be top 10 player and a potential future MVP. Let’s just hope the Astro front office can get Correa under contract for the rest of the decade.

Should Be: 31-40