Prospect Profile: Carlos Correa

The cream of the crop in a loaded SS landscape, Carlos Correa is the second best fantasy prospect at the position. Correa can become a future superstar and a perennial first round draft pick in even the shallowest of fantasy leagues. In our yet to be released Top 200 prospect list, I have Correa listed 3^rd overall and a favorite to top the list next season. Most fans might look back and think the Astros whiffed by passing on Byron Buxton for the first overall pick in the 2012 draft, but I firmly believe Correa was absolutely the right pick. Given the state of the Houston Astros organization, they couldn't afford to miss on the pick and needed to find a player with a high likelihood of contributing at the major league level. Despite having only reached the Lo-A level, Carlos Correa has the highest floor of any prospect not named Xander Bogaerts. That can't be overstated enough. Correa has the potential to be a Troy Tulowtizki-esque fantasy option without the injury risk, but at the absolute worst he's a league-average option that contributes positively in multiple categories.

Carlos Correa figures to slot in the middle of the Houston Astros sometime during the 2015 season. When he does, he's automatically a Top 10 option in the position. He will spend 2014 at 19 years old and likely start off in Hi-A with a good shot at finding himself in AA in short order. There has been some talk of Correa reaching the MLB level by the end of 2014, and I'm not sure I buy into it yet. He certainly has the talent and the elite makeup required to succeed at the highest level at 19 years old, but for an Astros organization that will likely struggle this season, there is little to gain in rushing their top prospect. With that said, Correa is already the best SS in the entire organization and on talent alone deserves a look at the starting job.

Last season, Correa spent the entire year at Lo-A Quad Cities of the Midwest League. He hit .320/.405/.467 with 9 HRs, 10 SBs, and an 83:58 K:BB ratio. Even for a 1^st overall pick, it's hard to ask for much more than that. What I will be keeping an eye on as Correa moves up the organizational ladder, is how the power and AVG develop and if one becomes more prominent. He certainly figures to be average to above-average in each category, but is he a .280, 25+ HRs type, or a .300, 20 HR guy. I certainly can see more power developing, but it might come at a cost to the AVG. Fantasy owners won't be disappointed either way, but Correa's 6'4" 205 lb. frame makes me wonder if he'll be more of a power threat instead of the high-AVG guy his minor league numbers have shown.

Correa is Top 3 pick in any new dynasty leagues and a worthwhile acquisition for any dynasty team looking to blow it up and rebuild. He's had an extremely smooth development to this point, so don't be scared off if the Astros aggressively push him to AA and he stumbles. The makeup and work ethic are elite, and nothing should keep Correa from producing for a long time. Invest freely in Correa and reap the benefits starting next season.