Nod from A-Rod
One of the best says Astros shortstop Correa has all the tools to make it to Cooperstown
Take if from Alex Rodriguez that Carlos Correa is the real deal.
Alex Rodriguez has heard the comparisons before. Too often.
For the better part of 25 years, every shortstop with major league potential who stood 6-2 or better has been measured against him.
These premature evaluations were unrealistic, almost unfair. Predictably, none who stood eye-toeye with the 6-3 Rodriguez has come close to matching one of the most productive players in MLB history.
Rodriguez, whose final numbers are surely Hall-of-Fame worthy, didn’t have to wait for those careers to fall short to dismiss the comparisons.
But he says Carlos Correa, the 23-year-old Astros star, is different.
“This is the first guy that I look at and … I see it,” said Rodriguez, who is in town working as an analyst on Fox Sports’ World Series coverage of the Astros-Dodgers.
“I see it because of the size, he’s strong, he’s fast, he has middleof-the-lineup type power, he’s got soft hands, he’s got a cannon, he’s a worker.
“This is what excites me the most. He was valedictorian his senior year in high school. When you put all that combination, and you put high baseball IQ and high intelligence, then long term, you have a Cooperstown player, if he stays healthy.”
High praise for Houston
Rodriguez even corrected the notion that Correa has been special since his major league debut a little over two years ago.
“(He has been special) since he was born,” Rodriguez said. “That’s God’s creation.”
Rodriguez, who retired last year after 22 MLB seasons, was just as effusive in praising the city of Houston — he has business interests here and used to own a Mercedes dealership in League City — Astros’ fans, pitchers Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel, and, most of all, second baseman Jose Altuve.
Rodriguez, who has surprised many with his insightful analysis and fun personality on Fox, says Altuve, the favorite to be named American League Most Valuable Player, is arguably the best player in the game.
“He is so amazing,” Rodriguez said. “If you’re one of the millions of kids out there and you’re thinking about football or basketball or baseball, and you may not have the gift of height, how can you not look at it say, ‘If Altuve can do it, so can I?’
“They talk about his height, but they don’t talk about the size of his heart, his courage, his discipline.”
The Internet enjoyed quite the chuckle at the 5-6 Altuve doing a postgame interview with Rodriguez, David Ortiz (6-3) and Frank Thomas after the Astros’ extra-inning victory in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Altuve owns ‘heart of a lion’
As Altuve talked about his 10thinning home run, his sixth this postseason (in 13 games) — for comparison, Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio combined for four home runs in 73 playoff games — Rodriguez said he wanted to give the Astros’ “Little Giant” a hug.
“What I thought about is how this guy represents the city of Houston as well as anyone,” Rodriguez said. “Here is a guy who has the heart of a lion. You can measure his size, but you can’t measure what he represents, his character and how genuine he is.
“This guy is everything that’s great about Houston. You’d love to see a guy like this finish his career here and win a world championship.”
With the Series tied 1-1 and three games slated for Minute Maid Park this weekend, the Astros have never been this close to a World Series title.
The only other time the Astros advanced to the World Series, they were swept. Prior to Wednesday, it was 0-for-forever.
And the Astros have never been lovable losers like the Cubs (108 years), a cursed crew like the Red Sox (86 years), or had the pity of many as was the case with the White Sox, who beat the Astros in 2005 to claim their first championship in 85 years.
At least those franchises had won a World Series before lengthy droughts. The White Sox even got there and threw one.
For the Astros, it has been 55 years of disappointment and misery and a fan base that is desperate and hungry.
Rodriguez says the resulting raucous crowd at Minute Maid, which matched Yankee Stadium in the ALCS, can make a difference.
“I can’t wait to see the great fans of Houston,” he said. “All (the Astros) talked about was their great fans and how they felt they couldn’t lose because of their fans.
“I can tell you from personal experience, coming on the road and having that type of crowd supporting the Astros … it makes a big difference.”
While he jokes that his haters are muting him and turning the channel when he comes on, Rodriguez’s studio work has elicited near-unanimous positive reviews. His baseball knowledge is unquestioned.
‘Is there a better story?’
Describing the Astros-Dodgers as a battle worthy of Wrestlemania (insert a Ric Flair “Woo!” here), Rodriguez the analyst also knows a good story when he sees one.
How about the Astros winning the World Series?
“Is there a better story after Harvey?” he asked. “You get Verlander, they put all their chips in the middle of the table … go all in. And to be rewarded with a championship?
“I don’t know if there is a better American sports story in the entire year, or in years.”