Astros: 3 Playoff Stats Carlos Correa Shines At

Carlos Correa ranks top tier in three major postseason offensive categories. Read on for more.

Now that the Houston Astros prepare to head back to the postseason, this might be the last rodeo in an Astros’ uniform for MLB’s 2012 first overall draft selection, Carlos Correa. The 2015 AL Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star shortstop has accomplished several special milestones.

Correa’s Career Postseason Home Runs, Rank: 9th

You might not know, but over 22,000 big leaguers have suited up in the history of Major League Baseball. And out of those thousands, Carlos Correa is so accomplished, he is tied for ninth all-time in playoff home run production with 17 postseason dingers.

Who keeps Correa company at number nine? Tied for ninth, can be found none other than Hall of Famer, Jim Thome, and, soon-to-be Hall of Famer, David Ortiz. Also tied with Correa in career postseason home runs happens to be a 41-year-old Tampa Bay Ray, Nelson Cruz, whose Jeff Bagwell-esque regular season career home run production might grant the aging right-handed slugger a shot at Cooperstown, himself.

So being tied for ninth in career postseason home runs speaks to the rarified air Correa’s career seems to continue soaring through.

As crazy as it might sound, Correa—at only 27-years-old—stands a chance at finishing as the all-time postseason home run leader. Of course, he would need to continue to play on teams good enough to earn a postseason berth—even if he leaves the Astros—and, most obviously, he would need to continue to hit postseason home runs.

But as it stands now, Correa only needs 12 postseason jacks to tie Manny Ramirez, the all-time playoff home run leader. And, get this—Correa’s 17 postseason homers have come in less than 60 percent of the plate appearances that Manny Ramirez needed in his storied career to launch an MLB-record 29 playoff long balls. In effect, Correa has proven much more efficient in launching round-trippers in the playoffs than MLB’s all-time postseason home run leader.

Correa’s Career Postseason Runs Batted In, Rank: 7th

Not only does Correa hit postseason home runs more frequently than just about anyone, he ranks in seventh place in career postseason runs batted in. Over his postseason career, Correa has driven in exactly 50 RBIs, and he still has nearly three full years before his thirtieth birthday.

Also of note, in 2020, Correa drove in 17 RBIs, good for ranking seventh all-time for most postseason RBIs during a single year in MLB history. To put this massive stat into context, if Correa got lucky enough to drive in another 17 RBIs in the 2021 postseason like he did the year before, he would rank third in career postseason RBI production before he even turned 28-years-old.

Correa’s Career Win Probability Added, Rank: 9th

Statisticians utilize another metric, in a way similar to wins above replacement (WAR) to gauge a player’s value to help a team win a given game.

The statistic is known as Win Probability Added (WPA). Carlos Correa, of all 22,000-plus players in the history of Major League Baseball, holds the ninth highest rank in postseason WPA. Correa’s +2.2 WPA reflects how potential contributions from his postseason plate appearances can influence the outcome of a given playoff game being won by the team he plays for.

So while Correa may walk at the end of the season from Houston, his postseason power hitting in an Astros’ uniform has represented historical excellence. One thing remains certain: If this is Correa’s last go-round in Astros’ gear, fans have experienced one of the most consistent playoff power hitters in MLB history—and, perhaps also as rare, a playoff power hitter who has achieved massive numbers all for one team.