Can Carlos Correa Get Back on Track for the Hall of Fame?

He doesn’t necessarily need individual stats to make it to the hall. If he wins 2 WS titles with the twins, he is a lock to get in just by the playoff success and leadership qualities. 

11 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Did the Mafia force Correa to play for the Twins? Don't be silly, dude, he had choices. Of course he took the larger salary. Is that a first in MLB history?

The ONLY reason he is a Twin is because TWO other teams bailed on him. His real dedication to being a Twin was 1 year. Yes he had choices...... He could have stayed after his first year but opted out. Puckett could have left for more money but chose NOT to. BIG difference.

13 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

It’s clear you are big fan of Correa. As you should be, because he’s really good. At the end of the day, all TDers are probably big fans as well. And we are all cheering hard for him. Really hard. And, yes, maybe someday he will vie for the HOF.

But just keeping things a bit real:

A. To date, has Correa underperformed, outperformed, or performed more or less to expectations as a Twin?

B. Has that performance to date been better, worse, or about commensurate with the perceived value of his contract?

C. Of course, no one knows what the future holds, but at the moment, does the “market” believe the Twins are underwater, level or above water as it relates to the remaining obligations of Correa’s contract.

D. What specifically provides hope that Correa’s performance will improve over the next five years?

E. What concerns are there that his performance might diminish?

Objectively, IMO (as if anyone cares):

A. Slightly underperformed.

B. Slightly worse.

C. Underwater - not sure any team would sign him now per the remaining terms of his deal (but we probably expected some of that when we signed him anyway).

D. He’s still young, has had solid lengthy periods of outperformance, he’s a pro and very talented, he’s had better years so he’s capable, regression to the mean, he gets healthier, the young guys inspire/push him, he embraces the leadership role.

E. He’s not getting younger, his recent injury issues, overall downward trend.

There’s more to like about his upside than not. We’d all like to see five great years, and yes, maybe even legitimate HOF consideration. But he probably hasn’t shown to this point all of what the Twins/we had hoped to be getting. We are all invested in seeing that change a bit more for the positive because he’s a really important/critical part of this team and its success.

In his first year with the Twins he put up a 5.5 WAR which was 21st in baseball (Hitting), then last year was hurt, but still played 135 games and had a WAR of 1.4. The year before he put up 7.2 and was 5th in the MVP voting.  In 2020 he put up 1.7 and was a again a top 40 in the league. In 18 and 19 he was hurt again but up (3.1, 3.7) in 110 and 75 games.

By age 25 he had accumulated 25 WAR and is on pace to have another 20 by age 30. If ages 30-35 are the same as 25-30 (remember that included a COVID year and an injury) he will have around 65 career WAR will puts him in the Boudreau, Cronin, Banks, Reese range. and if he can get another 5 total after that he will be in the Larkin, Trammell, Jeter area.

The Twins and us fans should fully be expecting another 4-5 years of WARS between 4-5 and maybe a year or two back up to his 7.2, 7.0, 6.7 years.

The other thing is go look at Mauers stats.  They are similar OPS+ and both play defensive positions.  Correa is just a tad behind Mauer.  Correa was well on track for the hall of fame and still is.  He is 29.  29-34 should be the prime of a players career.  Hopefully we get an elite year from him and people can calm down LOL.  The counting stats should still come especially if he is in the middle of the order for the next 6-7 years.   

1 hour ago, rv78 said:

The ONLY reason he is a Twin is because TWO other teams bailed on him. His real dedication to being a Twin was 1 year. Yes he had choices...... He could have stayed after his first year but opted out. Puckett could have left for more money but chose NOT to. BIG difference.

FWIW, Puckett was given the largest contract in baseball history when he signed it. 

The Twins were happy to sign Correa and Correa was happy to return. The idea that he had no other options is absurd. 

Why do people pay such negative attention to player's salaries. They make far less than many corporate executives (not to mention trust fund folks) and have to earn their pay in a short window before ... poof ... the career is over. 

Baseball is entertainment, enjoy it.

I say this past year is most likely an outlier year due to his planter fasciitis.  When your feet are in pain, it will affect every part of your game, hitting more than defense.  I am hopeful that will get cleared up over the offseason and he will get his offense back to above average for SS and his defense improves slightly too. 

I used to love the HOF discussions and would obsess over if a player would make it. I thought that it mattered, then they elected Harold Baines...

Seriously, though. I've learned to appreciate players that were superstars for a short period of time, or had very good careers that didn't quite meet HOF approval.

Guys like Joe Carter, Johan Santana, Dale Murphy, Kenny Lofton, Tim Lincecum, Nomar Garciaparra, etc. All superstars at the top of the game for a while. Not making the Hall doesn't diminish them at all in my eyes. 

Correa has a chance, but I see him falling just short as of right now. Fortunately, he's a SS that plays amazing defense and has been clutch in the post-season. Those things should help even if he falls short of certain benchmarks.