The hapless 2021 Minnesota Twins finished with 73-89 record and were dead last in the AL central Division finishing one game worse than the Kansas City Royals and four games worse than the Detroit Tigers.
Here is my WAG for 2022
Tag: Carlos Correa
Twins shock everyone with their Carlos Correa signing
News broke just after midnight that the Minnesota Twins had signed free agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a $105.3 million three-year deal with opt outs at the end of each season. The deal has not been confirmed by the Twins ballclub but Correa has confirmed it. Twins fans were shocked and amazed as was I with the signing this morning.
After the Twins acquired shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Texas a few days ago and less then 24 hours later traded him to the Yankees, most Twins fans were baffled. Then news came out that the Twins were interested in FA shortstop Trevor Story and fans were excited but days went by and nothing happened until this mornings breaking news about Correa. I don’t think there was a single fan in Twins Territory that thought that the Twins would even consider going after Correa.
Even if Correa was to leave after just one season via his opt out it would give Royce Lewis and Austin Martin more time to develop and give the Twins more time to determine if either one could be a long term answer to the shortstop job. In the mean time it will be fun to watch Carlos Correa, the 2015 ROY, two-time All-Star and last years Gold Glove winner play shortstop in Minnesota. If you are looking for something to be critical of, it would be that he has just played more than 110 games twice in his seven big league seasons.
The FA signing of Correa was the latest in a series of moves made by Falvey and Levine in the last week that included trades with the Rangers, Yankees, and Reds. When you watch a Twins game this season in person or on TV you may need a scorecard to identify the players. I would say that we will see more moves before the season starts on April 7 when the Twins face the Mariners at Target Field.
According to ELIAS – 11 runs in the 8th inning – Really?
Astros turn dial to 11 in comeback win over Twins
The Astros picked a good time for their highest-scoring inning in more than 20 years. Houston overcame a six-run deficit by scoring 11 runs in the top of the eighth inning in its 16–8 victory over the Twins at Target Field. Monday’s win marked the first time that the Astros won a game by at least six runs after overcoming a deficit of six or more runs. The only other team in the majors with a win of that kind over the past five seasons is the Blue Jays, who won a 12–6 decision at Yankee Stadium in August 2016.
Prior to Monday, the Astros had never won a game in which they trailed by six or more runs in the eighth inning or later. Houston was 0–921 in games with a deficit of that kind prior to the comeback victory on Monday. That leaves the Diamondbacks as the only active MLB franchise that has never fashioned a comeback of that kind; Arizona is 0–374 in games in which it trailed by six or more runs in the eighth inning or later. On the flip side, the Twins have lost 12 games in which they led by at least six runs in the eighth inning or later, which are the most such defeats for any major-league team.
Plethora of clutch hits by Houston’s hitters
The Astros entered Monday having completed a 10-game homestand in which they batted .169 with runners in scoring position, compiling 12 hits in 71 at-bats in that situation. Houston nearly equaled its RISP hit total from that 10-game span, going 11-for-17 with runners in scoring position against the Twins. Entering play on Monday, the only other team this season to produce at least 10 hits in a game with runners in scoring position was the Mets, who batted 12-for-20 in that scenario at Atlanta on May 3. (Later on Monday the Blue Jays became the third team this season to accumulate 10 or more RISP hits in a game, going 12-for-21 against the Reds.)
No relief in Minneapolis
Three Twins pitchers shared the misery in the Astros’ 11-run inning on Monday.Ryan Pressly, Craig Breslow, and Matt Belisle recorded one out apiece in the eighth inning with Pressly surrendering five runs and both Breslow and Belisle giving up three. There had been only one other game in the past 20 seasons in which three teammates gave up three or more runs with no more than one out recorded. Coincidentally, that game also featured an 11-run eighth inning for the victorious team. On Aug. 28, 2007, the Devil Rays defeated the Orioles 15–8, with three of Baltimore’s pitchers allowing runs in Tampa Bay’s 11-run eighth. Jim Hoey allowed the first five runs in that inning, Brian Burres was charged with the next three runs (without recording an out), and Chad Bradford allowed the final three. Kurt Birkins came on to relieve Bradford and record the final out of the inning.
Correa hits milestone homer
Carlos Correa cleaned up for the Astros on Monday, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs. Correa’s first hit of the day – a solo homer to open the scoring in the fourth inning – was his 50th home run in an Astros uniform. Correa, who has 321 hits in 298 games for Houston, became the second player in franchise history to compile at least 300 hits and 50 home runs for the Astros within his first 300 major-league games. Lance Berkman was the first to do so for Houston, producing 313 hits, including 58 homers, in his first 300 major-league games.
According to ELIAS
Sano hits his 10th homer
Twins rookie Miguel Sano hit his 10th home run in Minnesota’s 15-2 win at Baltimore on Thursday. Sano, who made his major-league debut on July 2, is tied with the Astros’ Carlos Correa for the most homers in the majors since that date by a rookie, and he leads the 2015 rookie class with 31 runs batted in over that span. Source: ELIAS
Who will reach the majors first? Buxton or Correa
The Houston Astros had the first overall pick in the 2012 June Amateur Draft and they used that pick to select 17 year-old Puerto Rico Baseball Academy shortstop Carlos Correa. The Minnesota Twins had the second choice and they used it to draft 18 year-old outfielder Byron Buxton from Appling County High School in Baxley, Georgia. Both players are currently rated as the top prospecst in their organizations and Buxton has been rated as baseball best overall prospect two years running. Both players have had injuries delay their arrival in the major leagues.
Carlos Correa is 6’4″ and 210 pounds and is a right-handed hitter and missed all but 62 games in 2014 due to injury. Correa was recently promoted from AA Corpus Christi to AAA Fresno and is holding his own in six games in the PCL after tearing up AA to the tune of a .385 average with seven home runs, 32 RBI, and 15 stolen bases (with zero caught stealing) in just 29 games. To this point Correa has 264 minor league games and 1,180 plate appearances under his belt.
Byron Buxton is 6’2″ and 190 pounds and also bats from the right side and as we all know all too well, missed all but 14 games in 2014 due to several injuries. Buxton too started this season in AA with the Chattanooga team but got off to a dismal start but has caught fire and is hitting .241 with seven triples, four home runs, 25 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts in 36 games. To this point Buxton has 240 minor league games and 1,061 plate appearances under his belt.
The fans for both teams are anxious for Correa and Buxton to be promoted to the big club. In recent years both the Astros and Twins have been their divisions cellar dwellers but both teams have played surprisingly well in 2015. Does the fact that their teams are playing good baseball slow down or speed up the process of reaching the big leagues for these two future stars?
Being the top picks in the 2012 does not guarantee that you will be up to the bigs sooner than players that are drafted further down the list. Todate there are eight other players drafted later in the first round of the 2012 draft that have tasted a sip of life in the major leagues, but all but one, Cubs shortstop Addison Russell (11) were drafted out of college (by the A’s and traded to the Cubs). Other 2012 first rounders that have reached the majors are catcher Mike Zunino (3), RHP Kevin Gausman (4), LHP Andrew Heaney (9), RHP Michael Wacha (19), RHP Marcus Stroman (22), catcher Kevin Plawecki (35) and RHP Eddie Butler (46). There are also two second round, three third round, two fourth round, two fifth round, one sixth round, one seventh round, and two ninth round selections that have spent time in the major leagues.
So when will Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton get that call to report to Houston or Minnesota? Which one of these future super stars will get the call first? These two players will be compared to each other from years to come, it will be interesting to see how their careers compare over time.
UPDATE: Carlos Correa was called up by the Astros on June 8th.
UPDATE: Byron Buxton was called up by the Twinss on June 14th.