Carlos Correa Was the Twins’ 2024 MVP Until He Wasn’t

[Cody Christie]

The Twins don’t have a frontrunner for the team’s 2024 MVP. However, Carlos Correa was a lock for the award until everything changed for the team’s star shortstop.

Image courtesy of John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

After winning its first playoff series in two decades, Minnesota entered the 2024 season with high expectations. Carlos Correa was at the center of those high expectations because he was healthy after battling a plantar fasciitis injury in 2023. When the Twins re-signed Correa, he brought with him higher expectations. Correa’s pedigree as a two-time All-Star, World Series champion, and a strong defender made him the highest-paid player on the team. He more than lived up to that billing in the first half of the season. Unfortunately, an untimely injury derailed his season and the team’s postseason dreams.

Correa’s 2024 season started as a redemption tour. He came into the year with a chip on his shoulder to prove the 2023 season was a fluke. Last year, he played 135 games but struggled with a 94 OPS+ while setting the team record with 30 GDP. By the time the All-Star break rolled around, there was no question that Correa had not only shaken off the rust but was thriving at a level fans had rarely seen from him in a Twins uniform. 

He slashed an impressive .308/.377/.520 (.896) with 16 doubles, three triples, and 13 home runs through the first 75 games of the season, combining his power and plate discipline in ways that brought comparisons to his best years in Houston. Correa’s defense also returned to elite form, with an OAA in the 87th percentile, providing critical value on both sides of the ball. It was arguably his best first half in his illustrious career. 

The result? Correa earned a well-deserved All-Star nod, reminding everyone why Minnesota committed to the largest contract in franchise history to keep him. His leadership, poise, and production had the Twins comfortably holding a playoff spot heading into the break.

Then disaster struck. Shortly before the Midsummer Classic, Correa suffered another bout with plantar fasciitis, this time in his right foot. It was initially unclear how much time he would miss, but as days turned to weeks, his absence loomed larger. As the calendar turned to September, it was evident that if Correa returned, it would be with less than 100% healthy. 

The Twins floundered without Correa anchoring the lineup and stabilizing the infield defense. His presence on both sides of the ball was sorely missed. The once-surging team found itself stumbling, struggling to generate offense, and unable to win vital divisional matchups. The slide was painful and, for many fans, frustratingly familiar. Minnesota went 29-38 (.432 W-L%) from his last game in July to the end of the season. The playoffs, once a near certainty, were slipping out of reach. 

What made Correa’s injury all the more frustrating for the team was the pressure surrounding him. As the team’s highest-paid player, the expectations were immense. The front office, the fans, and even Correa knew he needed to be the central figure in any Twins' success. 

And for the first half of 2024, he embraced that role with open arms. His absence became glaring in his two-month absence, and the Twins failed to fill the void. With so much invested in Correa, this felt like a season that could’ve been saved had he been healthy. It was a stark reminder of Minnesota's reliance on their superstar, especially in light of ownership cutting $30 million from the payroll this winter. Correa takes up such a large percentage of the team’s financial commitment that he is essential for the team to succeed. 

The Twins' playoff hopes evaporated as the regular season came to a close. September’s stretch of games turned into a nightmare, with Minnesota’s offense flatlining without its MVP in the middle of the lineup. Correa returned in the middle of September, but by that point, the team was beyond saving. He went 13-for-40 (.325 BA) with four doubles and a home run in 11 games, but the Twins ultimately fell short.

Minnesota missed the postseason for the second time in Correa’s three seasons with the club, and many will point to his injury as the defining moment of the collapse. While baseball is a team sport, the Twins' late-season struggles underscored how much Correa had meant to their success.

The 2024 season is one of missed opportunities for Minnesota. Correa’s All-Star first half showed what could be possible when he’s healthy and at his best, but his absence down the stretch was a sobering reminder that one player can’t win or save a season on their own. He finished the season as the team's leader in fWAR and rWAR, showcasing his great first half and how poorly the team performed without him. The Twins, already facing questions about their future roster construction, now must hope that Correa’s health returns to form in 2025 and beyond. 

For Correa, his MVP-caliber start in 2024 should serve as motivation to return stronger, hungrier, and with unfinished business. Minnesota will need him more than ever. And for Twins fans, there’s hope that this star can guide them back to where they want to be—a playoff team with championship aspirations.

Is Correa still the team’s 2024 MVP? Who would make your top-five ballot? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

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[DJL44]

Your article perfectly illustrates why Correa is the 2024 team MVP. He was their best player, he had a great season when he was available, and the team fell apart when he wasn't available. Without Correa, they would never have been close to the playoffs.

[Jocko87]

32 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Your article perfectly illustrates why Correa is the 2024 team MVP. He was their best player, he had a great season when he was available, and the team fell apart when he wasn't available. Without Correa, they would never have been close to the playoffs.

Agreed.  Headline could be Correa was always the MVP, and then it became really, really obvious. 

No chance they collapse like that if he's playing. 

[FlyingFinn]

I was surprised how well the Twins played in July, after Correa got hurt. And then I was surprised how they collapsed in late August and all of September. Maybe it averaged out and Correa's injury made us a mediocre team.

It really shows how Correa being injured creates a domino effect. Castro is stretched into being a SS. Castro is then missed as super utility or at a position he is better at. Then, maybe a Margot is forced to play against a rh in the OF. And on and on we go. Correa is so important on both defense and offense.

[thelanges5]

The best ability is availability. Hopefully he keeps wearing his New Balance cleats. 

[MinnesotaTwins26]

Yes, he had a torrid stretch to start the season, but even when he was injured, Correa was a key part of the Twins' roster. He mentored the younger guys (especially Brooks Lee), kept positivity high in the clubhouse, and stuck with the club even when we started to plummet. I think he deserves to be the team MVP, injured or not.

[bean5302]

Probably goes to Correa. Led the Twins with 4.3 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR. Woof. 

Top player fWAR for other teams.
Ari = 6.3
Atl = 6.4
Bal = 8.0
Bos = 6.7
ChC = 4.3
ChW = 4.7
Cin = 6.4
Cle = 6.5
Col = 3.7
Det = 5.9
Hou = 5.3
KCR = 10.4
LAA = 3.5
LAD = 9.1
Mia = 2.5
Mil = 5.4
Min = 4.3
NYM = 7.8
NYY = 11.2
Oak = 5.1 (Brent Rooker)
Phi = 5.4
Pit = 4.3
SDP = 5.3
Sea = 5.4
SFG = 5.5
StL = 3.8
TBR = 2.3
Tex = 4.5
Tor = 5.5
Was = 3.2

Only 6 teams in MLB had a less valuable top WAR player than the Twins. None of those teams made the playoffs.
 

[nclahammer]

IMHO, Willi Castro gets the nod for team MVP because of his availability and flexibility.  Castro filled more holes than the little Dutch boy (definitely dating myself with that reference) for the Twins with 25 or more games at four different positions if I remember correctly, and performing admirably..

[h2oface]

Are appointments by the commissioners office to be a mandatory member from a team that the fans and players didn't want any player from really "earned"? Or is that type of All-star appointment (and injury replacement of another player to replace a mandatory pick that is not going to play because of injury) a gift? 

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, h2oface said:

Are appointments by the commissioners office to be a mandatory member from a team that the fans and players didn't want any player from really "earned"? Or is that type of All-star appointment (and injury replacement of another player to replace a mandatory pick that is not going to play because of injury) a gift? 

The All Star Games are largely popularity contests. Teams who draw poorly or who aren't national darlings are going to be at a major disadvantage. I think the more fair question is whether or not a player was worth an All Star title. Correa was.

Also, Correa lost a month and a half to ineffective treatment. He only missed 2 weeks once the new treatment was started. Maybe the trainers and medical staff eat a little responsibility here, too.

[h2oface]

10 hours ago, bean5302 said:

The All Star Games are largely popularity contests. Teams who draw poorly or who aren't national darlings are going to be at a major disadvantage. I think the more fair question is whether or not a player was worth an All Star title. Correa was.

Also, Correa lost a month and a half to ineffective treatment. He only missed 2 weeks once the new treatment was started. Maybe the trainers and medical staff eat a little responsibility here, too.

When each year's all-star selections are based on about 12 weeks of a season only, and only hot starts, it is really ridiculous. But you can't really make up your own rules. Or maybe you feel you can. Correa will only ever probably be selected by his teammates or former teammates. The rest of the players really will not ever forgive him. The fans, like you are a fan, are smarter than, I think, you give them credit for, but many are maniacs and vote soooooo many times, which is also ridiculous. I don't even vote anymore. Can't get into it when each person can vote so many times, and I don't have time for that. 

The fact is, Correa was the best the twins had to offer, at the time, and they are required to pick someone. He was not one of the best 3 shortstops in the AL, even so. A mandatory pick. Compared to the best options in the league at the time, he was still not worth the all-star title, or he would have been selected the other ways. If you are given the spot on the team, it hardly means you earned it, in my book, which was the direct question. Same with Castro. Cuddyer. Suzuki. etc etc...... Fair? Life is rarely fair, eh?

[ashbury]

On 10/8/2024 at 7:23 AM, Jocko87 said:

No chance they collapse like that if he's playing. 

And yet, he did come back.

And the collapse continued, to the tune of 2-9, until they gave him the final game or two off again.