'He just has a presence to him:' Correa brings peace of mind to hopeful Astros

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- After the Astros suffered their third consecutive shutout loss while they were in Detroit last August, veteran Carlos Correa spoke in a team meeting and challenged his teammates to play better. That came only three weeks after Correa had been traded back to the Astros following a 3 1/2-year stint in Minnesota.

Correa had no reservations about speaking up on a team that he had just joined a few weeks earlier. Some had played with him before, but most hadn’t. It didn’t matter to Correa. He slid right back into his role of clubhouse leader and filled a much-needed void for the Astros.

During his first stint in Houston, Correa’s leadership was renowned. He became the team’s de-facto spokesman in the fallout from the sign-stealing scandal and famously challenged pitcher Framber Valdez to get the next batter out during a mound visit in Game 6 of the 2020 American League Championship Series against the Rays.

Those were only a pair of examples of the weight that Correa carries, and last July’s trade gave the Astros the kind of leadership they had missed since the team lost veterans Michael Brantley, Martín Maldonado and Alex Bregman. Just ask Hall of Fame first baseman and Houston senior advisor Jeff Bagwell, who was the Astros’ clubhouse leader for more than a decade.

“I’ve watched Carlos come from a young kid when he got here to grow into one of the best leaders in the game,” Bagwell said. “People follow Carlos and they believe in what he says because he’s very passionate about it. Whatever he preaches, he does himself, because that’s what leaders do. He’s very special, and I think to bring him into our clubhouse with the experience he has and in a winning culture, you couldn’t ask for a better guy.”

One moment last year stuck with Bagwell. When rookie outfielder Zach Cole homered on the first pitch that he saw in the big leagues on Sept. 12 in Atlanta, Correa made sure to track down Cole’s parents after the game to congratulate them.

“That’s big stuff,” Bagwell said. “For a young kid to have Carlos Correa come over to talk to him and his parents after the biggest day of his life, it’s a big deal. He just has a presence to him. When he walks in the room, it changes the room.”

Astros manager Joe Espada leaned on Correa heavily this offseason, with the two sharing several lunches to talk about the state of the club. At the team’s annual Fan Fest at Daikin Park in January, Correa challenged his teammates again. He said some players didn’t have the “the routine that they needed” to withstand injuries and said there would be some changes implemented this spring.

Those changes came in the weight room, where players’ pre- and post-workout maintenance was emphasized to ensure they stay on the field more. There were other changes, too. Espada has taken steps to try to get players off their feet more and work more efficiently on the field.

“There’s some stuff you can do post-workout so when you wake up the next day, you feel strong,” Espada said. “Those are the things Carlos has done to help him stay on the field and he’s always sharing those experiences with our players.”

Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña had to follow in Correa’s footsteps after Correa signed with the Twins after the ‘21 season. Correa helped prepare him for the starting role and was thrilled when his understudy was named MVP of the ALCS and World Series as a rookie in ‘22. With Peña entrenched at shortstop, Correa unselfishly made the move to third following the trade from Minnesota.

“He’s a player that a lot of guys gravitate towards and ask questions,” Peña said. “He has a lot of experience in this game and he’s done pretty much everything you could do in this sport. He’s a very knowledgeable guy, very approachable. He gives the young guys a lot of confidence to be able to go up to him and ask questions and give them a straight answer. They don’t feel intimidated.”

When Correa is on your team, Bagwell said, everything “is going to be OK.”

“We’ve got Carlos out there and he’s going to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of -- offensively, defensively, pitching staff,” he said. “He’s the total package as far as a leader.”