Are Surveyed Players Right to Call Carlos Correa Overrated?

Sports debates have been part of water cooler and barstool discussions for generations. Who is the GOAT? Who makes your favorite team’s Mount Rushmore? Media can drive the conversation in many of these areas, for better and worse. Current players fall into similar traps as fans, with the media and significant storylines shaping their opinions. Earlier this week, The Athletic posted the results of their annual player poll, which included a look at the game’s best players, best organizations, and various other topics.

One question asked on the survey had mixed results, because some players hesitated to answer. Over 100 players were interviewed, but only 59 were willing to name someone as baseball’s most overrated player. Jazz Chisholm Jr.(20.3%), Anthony Rendon (10.2%), and Carlos Correa (6.7%) were the top three finishers. Mathematically, four players voted for Correa, while Chisholm Jr. (12) and Rendon (10) received double-digit votes. Chisholm is near the top of the list, with many questioning why he was picked as the cover athlete for MLB The Show 23. Rendon finishes second, after comments earlier this year about not enjoying playing baseball. 

Let’s look into why Correa is featured so highly on the list, though, and discuss how he can move down the list in future years. 

The Face of the Cheating Scandal
Correa’s final year in Houston was when reports surfaced about the Astros' elaborate sign-stealing system, which helped them win the World Series. Some Astros players stood before the media and refused to answer questions. Correa took the opposite approach, and made himself available to the media to answer the tough questions. He was part of one of baseball’s biggest scandals, but he didn’t shy away from the mistakes made by that Houston team. Correa is a very smart player and is well-spoken in media interviews. It might have helped him more to take the approach some of his teammates adopted, but he understood the long-term ramifications.

Fans mercilessly booed the Astros in the aftermath of the cheating scandal being revealed. Correa and other current/former Astros are still booed at stadiums, even by some fans who likely don’t know why they are displeased with the star shortstop. Other players hear the boos, and it is hard to ignore, which is one of the big reasons he’s viewed as overrated. 

Free Agency Saga and Subsequent Poor Performance
Another reason he is featured highly on this list is that Correa’s name was dragged through the muddied waters of free agency in back-to-back seasons. He headed to free agency after the 2021 season as one of the top players on the market. MLB owners locked out the players, and Correa was forced to wait until spring training to sign with a club. He was so frustrated with the process that he switched agents and joined Scott Boras’s growing group. Minnesota signed him to a record-breaking deal, with him fully intending to hit the open market following the 2022 campaign.

Correa performed well in his first year with the Twins and hoped his second free-agent stint would improve. He agreed to massive contracts with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, but both deals collapsed because of concerns over his surgically repaired ankle. Eventually, the Twins re-signed him to a six-year, $200 million contract. Other players must have followed his free agency saga closely, and it was another knock against Correa. The first year of his new massive deal was marred by a plantar fasciitis injury that impacted him on both sides of the ball. He showed up big in October for the Twins, but other players might not pay as close of attention when their season ends.

In the end, it was a small sample size of voters, and it speaks volumes that some players refused to answer this question. The prominence of Correa's mention in the subsequent article oversells the real extent to which the survey showed any resentment or doubt in his talent on the part of his counterparts throughout the league. Factors largely beyond his control (teams backing out of deals to which he had agreed and the injury-driven struggles in the first year of the deal that was finally consummated) set him up for this kind of list appearance, but it's a safe bet that just as many players (or more) quietly think of the smart, well-rounded Correa as underrated.

Correa will get further away from the cheating scandal and his free agent debacle, which should remove him from the list in subsequent years. Other players behind him deserve more attention for their performance (or lack thereof). Correa can help his own narrative by performing well in the regular season and helping the Twins to win games in October.

Is Correa one of baseball’s most overrated players? Who is the most overrated player on the Twins? Leave a comment and start the discussion,