Carlos Correa

Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr. (born September 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB).

With his selection, Correa became the highest-selected player to be drafted directly from a Puerto Rican high school, besting Ramón Castro's 17th pick in 1994, while joining several other top-10 Puerto Rican picks such as Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez, all of whom had moved to the mainland United States to complete their high school or college education after developing in the local youth leagues.

Correa became the third Latino to be the first overall selection in the MLB Draft, after Alex Rodriguez and Adrián González, as well as the first Puerto Rican and Latin American-born player to do so.

In 1998, Hurricane Georges caused heavy damage to the family's house.

This forced his father to take several odd jobs, but he continued training Correa Jr. on a daily basis.

When he was seven years old, Correa was performing solidly in Santa Isabel's Playita Cortada American Baseball Congress affiliate, hitting up to 150 home runs.

When the team was eliminated, the league's champion, Rio Grande, recruited Correa to play in the championship series held in Atlanta.

However, the distance between Santa Isabel and the municipality of Rio Grande made this difficult for the family.

His mother worked as well, but when this was not enough, she began selling food.

The citizens of Santa Isabel began helping them organize charity games and his original team donated their sales income to help pay for the travel.

Correa was Rio Grande's pitcher and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after striking out eight batters in a team comeback.

By the time that he was 11 years old, the family was traveling to the municipality of Caguas to have him practice with higher-level teams.

Correa was also an honor student and received a scholarship to attend Raham Baptist Academy.

Three years later, the family moved from Barrio Velázquez due to recurrent floods, but kept close ties with those who stayed behind.

Joined by his brother, Jean Carlos, in baseball practices, the family once again was forced to work more odd jobs.

Soon after, the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School (PRBAHS) brought Correa in as a scholarship student.

His discipline and talent prompted his coaches to work extra hours to improve his bat and they helped by offering transportation when the family's car was totaled in an accident.

In 2010, Correa participated in the Perfect Game BCS Finals and the WWBA PG Underclassman World Championships.

After attending one of these Perfect Game events, Correa made adjustments to his batting swing with his hitting coach, José Rivera.

The following year he appeared at the 2011 PG BCS Under-18 Finals and East Coast Professional Showcase.

However, it was Correa's performance at the 2011 PG World and National Showcases that promoted him to the top of his class, earning him a spot in the Aflac-PG All-American Game, where he was named Rawlings' Defensive Player of the Year.

He closed the year with an appearance in the PG WBAA World Championships.

He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, who selected him first overall in the 2012 MLB draft.

Correa opened 2012 by being selected the MVP in the Víctor Pellot Excellence Tournament, following an extraordinary performance for a shortstop that included a two-home run game.

At the 2012 PG World Showcase, he established a PG record with a 97-miles per hour throw across the infield.

After graduating from the PRBAHS, Correa signed a letter of commitment with the University of Miami.

Besides competing for the PRBAHS, Correa was also a member of Team Mizuno and the Puerto Rico National Baseball Team that participated in the youth Pan-American tournament.

Despite being the youngest high-profile player to enter the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, in the months leading up to the event the 17-year-old Correa was already projected as a top-ten pick by several major sources, including Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

His stock rose during the month before the draft, with outstanding performances in team workouts, including one that reportedly left the Houston Astros' scouts "blown away".

On June 4, 2012, the Astros selected him as the first overall pick, ahead of the projected top pick, pitcher Mark Appel.

Correa was incredulous, only saying that he must have been dreaming, after entering the stage while hoisting the flag of Puerto Rico.

Correa made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2015, and won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2017, Correa appeared in the World Baseball Classic, won the AL Player of the Month Award for May, was named an MLB All-Star, and won the World Series.

In 2021, he was named to his second All-Star Team and won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove Awards.

After seven seasons with Houston, he entered free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Twins which he later opted out of after his first season with the team.

Following agreements with both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets that fell apart due to failed physicals, Correa re-signed with the Twins.

Correa was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Carlos Correa Sr. and Sandybel Oppenheimer.

Although the family's income was low, they had enough money to build a small house in Barrio Velázquez, a fishing village located in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, where Correa was raised.

From an early age, Correa often played catch in an alley adjacent to his home, which prompted a neighbor to suggest enrolling him in a youth league, the parent-pitch category, when he was five years old.

Correa was assigned to play as a first baseman due to his hitting ability, while his father continued training him every day during their free time.