Sporting News MLB awards 2015: Astros' Carlos Correa voted AL Rookie of the Year

Ryan Fagan

Sporting News MLB awards 2015: Astros' Carlos Correa voted AL Rookie of the Year image

Astros SS Carlos Correa is Sporting News'  2015 American League Rookie of the Year, as selected by a panel of 176 AL players. SN has given out Rookie of the Year awards since 1946.

Carlos Correa was a rookie in 2015. 

No, really. If you watched the Astros shortstop much this season, though, you might not believe he was a rookie who didn’t turn 21 until late September. 

“His poise, his calmness has been the thing that's kind of impressed us all,” teammate George Springer said during Houston’s ALDS against the Royals. “There hasn't been a day where I can say, all right, hey, you know, slow yourself down.”

SN MLB AWARDS: NL Rookie of the year | AL Comeback Player of the Year | NL Comeback Player of the Year

Correa was so good as a rookie, actually, that he was voted American League Sporting News Rookie of the Year — an award voted on by other AL players. 

Correa, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2012 MLB draft, was called up in early June and, as they say, hit the ground running. He singled in his first game off White Sox ace Chris Sale, one of the most uncomfortable pitchers to hit against in the majors. 

He homered in his second game, and went deep again in his fourth game. In his seventh-eighth-ninth games in the majors, he went 8-for-14 with a home run. By the end of June, his first month in the bigs, he had five home runs, 15 RBIs and an .852 OPS. 

At 20 years old. With a grand total of just 24 games above Double-A under his belt. 

“He has been everything as advertised,” Springer said. “For being 21, he's got incredible poise. The skill-set is there.”

The skill-set is there, and it’s spectacular. And it’s intoxicating for Astros fans, who salivate when thinking about how good this guy can be. 

“Player comparisons, in general, for me, are a little unfair,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “When a guy's 20, we always look back to the past on how guys relate a little bit or look like previous players. So, with Carlos being a tall shortstop, slender, lean, you know the comparisons I heard. Cal Ripken. I heard (Troy) Tulowitzki. I heard (Derek) Jeter and A-Rod. All we've ever wanted him to be is Carlos Correa. I'm not big on putting limitations on guys or expectations. I just want him to be his best.”

His best was pretty darn good in 2015. 

In 99 games, he hit 22 home runs — the most by any shortstop in the majors, by the way — stole 14 bases, scored 52 runs, had 68 RBIs and produced a .279/.345/.512 slash line, for an impressive .857 OPS. Despite playing just four months of a six-month MLB schedule, he was third among Astros position players in WAR (4.1 by Baseball-Reference’s formula, 3.3 by FanGraphs’ calculation). 

And without Correa cementing himself as the No. 3 hitter in the lineup by the end of his first month, the Astros almost certainly don’t make the playoffs. 

“I think he was able to show everybody what he can do,” Springer said. “And he's obviously only going to improve.”

Previous Astros rookies to be honored by Sporting News include Joe Morgan (1965), Jeff Bagwell (1991) and Roy Oswalt (2001).

VOTING RESULTS

Carlos Correa, Astros — 98

Francisco Lindor, Indians — 30

Miguel Sano, Twins — 13

Roberto Osuna, Blue Jays — 6

Andew Heaney, Angels — 5

Carlos Rodon, White Sox  — 3

Lance McCullers, Astros — 2

Others — 19

THIS WEEK’S SN AWARD SCHEDULE

Monday: Rookies of the Year (AL and NL) and Comeback Players of the Year (AL and NL)

Tuesday: AL and NL Managers of the Year

Wednesday: AL All-Star Team | NL All-Star Team

Thursday: MLB Player of the Year

Ryan Fagan

Ryan Fagan Photo

Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. He also dabbles in college hoops and other sports. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards.