With Carlos Correa hitting his stride, Houston Astros have their X-factor for October

For years, Carlos Correa was the centerpiece of a whole lot of winning. His arrival in Houston in 2015 was the unofficial starting point of the Astros’ ascension into what has become a decade as a perennial powerhouse in the American League.

And even after he left Houston in free agency to chart a new course with the Minnesota Twins, Correa and the Astros always seemed better together than they were apart. So it was only fitting that with one of the most blockbuster trade-deadline moves in recent memory, the Twins sent Correa back to Houston for an Astros reunion on July 31.

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One month later, it’s clear that in the addition of Correa, the Astros found a stabilizer and the player who might be their biggest X-factor down the stretch as they look to embark on another deep postseason run.

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This season was an unusual one for the Astros. Their early-season inconsistencies combined with an uncanny number of injuries made many wonder if Houston’s long reign atop the AL West was about to be usurped by the Seattle Mariners. Even as Houston stabilized and took control of the division in the second half, it needed something besides health to give it the edge.

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Enter one of the franchise’s most important players.

Correa was the right man at the right time for the Astros. At the deadline, Houston needed a right-handed-hitting, corner-infield bat, and who better to fill the void than the infielder the Astros knew best?

Offensively, Correa got himself into a groove in his first full month back in Houston, posting a .295/.362/.410 slash line with three homers in August. The batting average and on-base percentage have been there, and you can expect that his power will continue to increase as well.

That’s because a healthy Correa is a confident Correa, and a confident Correa is a productive Correa. And lately, the three-time All-Star appears to be healthier than he has been in some time. Perhaps just as importantly, the former World Series champion’s move to third base in Houston could help keep him healthy long-term.

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In today’s baseball, almost everything is quantifiable. And Correa will deliver those numbers, whether it’s average, OBP or slugging percentage, which have all increased since his return to Houston, or even defensive metrics, which show that he’s grading out as a good third baseman. But Correa’s importance to Houston goes beyond that.

Presence isn’t something that can be quantified, but make no mistake: Correa being back in Houston’s lineup every day is a hand-in-glove fit for all involved. It’s not a new player learning on the job; this is a player who helped build the culture in the Astros’ clubhouse. Whether we’re talking about his longtime double-play partner in José Altuve, the young players he mentored in Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez or even Houston’s coaching staff, the Astros’ third baseman makes those around him better.

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And this trade wasn’t just a boost for them; it also provided a boost for the player himself. If he had been traded to any of the other 28 teams in baseball, that team likely would’ve gotten a solid version of the veteran star. But because he landed in the middle of a pennant race with the franchise he helped revive, Houston is now getting the best version of Correa, who has a 108 OPS+ since his return. It certainly can’t hurt that he still has a home in Houston, and his parents still live there, making for about as smooth an adjustment as possible.

Last but certainly not least, the biggest on-field benefit that Correa provides is the one teams look for most: postseason experience. Granted, Houston has no shortage of that on the roster, given its run of success over the past decade, but Correa stands out as one of the best playoff performers in the history of baseball. He has a career .860 postseason OPS, with 91 hits and 18 home runs, 10th in MLB postseason history.

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When the lights are the brightest, Correa performs, and the Astros know that better than anybody.

There’s still a month to go before the Astros will know where their postseason journey will begin, whether it’s as division champions for the fifth straight time or as a wild-card team. But Carlos Correa and the Astros are a combination that usually wins this time of year, and the rest of the American League should be wary.

Editor