Carlos Correa reaches new level in September

Betsy Helfand, Pioneer Press
·4 min read
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Over the course of six postseasons, Carlos Correa has made one thing crystal clear: he thrives in those moments. October always brings the best out of the shortstop, who in 79 games sits tied for seventh on Major League Baseball’s all-time postseason home run list with 18.

The players he’s tied with — Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, also known as “Mr. October,” and Nelson Cruz — provide some pretty good company.

But in order for Correa to add to his postseason prowess, he must help lead an injury-depleted Twins team there. And in the month of September, the shortstop has turned on the star power in an attempt to do that.

“We’ve got a lot of guys down right now and I just feel like I’ve got to go out there and play my best baseball in order for us to have a chance at playing playoff baseball,” Correa said.

Coming into Wednesday, Correa was hitting .356 with a .396 on-base percentage and 1.151 OPS in 11 games this month.

Correa entered Wednesday with five home runs and 12 RBIs in September. That includes a crucial eighth-inning home run in the Twins’ 4-3 win over the Yankees on Thursday and another big home run in Tuesday’s win over the Royals.

“He’s not talking about it. He’s actually going out there and doing it and showing everyone how to do it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He kind of stated that almost in words and in actions very early on in September. He was almost walking around, smiling, dancing around, talking about September. It’s a real thing to him and an important time where you come out and play your best.”

Stretching back even further, Correa is hitting .330 with a .987 OPS in his past 29 games entering Wednesday’s contest. The recent hot streak has him sitting at .280 with a .819 OPS on the season.

Correa’s 4.4 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement per Baseball Reference) is first on the Twins and his OPS+ (which takes a player’s OPS and normalizes it across the league) is now 136, which is 36 percent better than league average. It’s also better than his 2021 OPS+ (131), posted during a season in which he finished fifth in Most Valuable Player voting.

“He’s doing a lot right now, and even Carlos would probably look around and go, ‘I can do more,’ ” Baldelli said. “As well as he’s been playing, he’s been pretty fantastic in September so far. I think he never stops demanding of himself and I think that’s a good message for everyone.”

All for a chance at October — his time of year.

“(I’m) just trying to do the best I can to take my teammates to the postseason,” Correa said. “Focusing on the work in the cage and never being complacent. Just working every single day to try to get better with my approach and my swing. It’s been paying off lately.”

BUXTON UPDATE

Byron Buxton is expected to start ramping up his activity within the coming days, Baldelli said, but the Twins do not expect him to travel with them on Thursday night when they leave for a critical series in Cleveland.

“I think we still need some time before he’s fully into all of his baseball — swinging the bat, running, playing catch — kind of activities,” Baldelli said. “… He’s still kind of building up is what I would say. He’s not quite there yet, but he’s going in the right direction.”

When he does return, it sounds as if the Twins are not opposed to bringing him back to serve strictly as a designated hitter before he is ready to start playing center field again.

Buxton, who has been on the injured list since Aug. 23 with a hip strain, often filled that role this season prior to this injury as he dealt with a lingering knee issue.

“If he can be in the lineup and swing the bat and be able to run the bases without significant concern that his leg isn’t healed, I think he can help us win,” Baldelli said. “I’d be in favor of that when the time comes. That point hasn’t hit us yet, but obviously we want full-strength Byron Buxton. We want him doing everything. But I would say we’ll take his at-bats any time we can get his at-bats.”

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