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They used words like “humble” and “historic” and “mature” and “poised.”
And, oh yeah, flat-out good.
They all were talking about Houston’s wunderkind shortstop, Carlos Correa.
“Just his poise. This kid came into the big leagues with a great spotlight on him,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said of the 21-year-old who came up in June and stuck in the middle of what became a playoff lineup. “Everyone knows who Correa is, No. 1 pick, expectations through the roof. And you wouldn’t expect anyone to live up to them, let alone exceed them the way he has. So he’s handled himself with a ton of poise, a ton of charisma.”
Correa was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft and quickly displayed a magnificent blend of speed (14 stolen bases), power (22 homers) and defense.
“Correa is A-Rod with better makeup,” an opposing executive said Monday, comparing the Astros shortstop to Alex Rodriguez. “This is a special kid who may be the best player in baseball for the next 10-15 years.”
Correa just took all the praise in stride. Joe Girardi heaped effusive praise on Correa and noted at his age, he still should be in college, instead of being a possible Rookie of the Year winner.
“It’s really humbling for him to say something like that. He’s a great manager and for him to say something like that means a lot,” Correa said.
“It’s been quite a journey so far, a great season for us as a team. Nobody expected us to be here but we’re in the playoffs, in the postseason when nobody thought we would be. That is what matters.”
And one of the guys who Correa drew a comparison to, Rodriguez, did not hold back on his praise, even if he went a tad overboard.
“I think he’s phenomenal, one of the best of all time,” said Rodriguez. “He’s a historical player, [one] we’re going to see for the next two decades.”
OK, more than a tad.
Very nice, said Correa. But at this point, it is all about the team.
“The most important thing is we had the confidence we can get it done. And we do. We trust in each other,” Correa said. “We have confidence. It doesn’t matter what others think.”
But everybody thinks Correa is beyond special.
“Everyone knows he is going to be one of the best players in the league. He’s very humble and just wants to get better every day,” said Jose Altuve, the 2014 batting champ and first Astro ever with consecutive 200-hit seasons.
“There’s really nothing that doesn’t impress about Correa. He just turned 21. I was still in college at 21. He’s very mature. He never really panics at the plate,” said Dallas Keuchel, Tuesday’s Houston starter. “That really blows my mind, that a 21-year-old can really be that mature this quick. I had heard it from everybody from the front office, the coaching staff, a lot of players that have played with him but I hadn’t seen it until he got up in June.
“I’m really dumbfounded about how that can possibly happen. He possesses power, average. Steals some bags. His defense is really great. There’s really nothing not to like about the kid.”
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