After hitting into two double plays on Sunday, struggling Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa provided a surprisingly honest evaluation of his problems.
Following the Twins' 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Carlos Correa was asked if he knows why he has hit into so many double plays this season, and his response was refreshingly honest. He got right to the point, proclaiming himself a not-very-fast runner in an NSFW manner.
Correa's candid reply? "Yeah, I'm slow as f**k," as reported by Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.
Despite Sunday's 1-for-4 game, in which Correa drove in a pair, he hit into his 21st and 22nd double plays of the year. If that seems like a lot, it is. He leads the majors in that category, three ahead of Seattle's Ty France.
To his credit, Correa hit the nail on the head with his shockingly honest self-evaluation. The 28-year-old is in the 37th percentile with a 26.7 ft/s sprint speed, according to Statcast. Sitting below the league average of 27 ft/s, it's the lowest mark of his career and ranks him 47th among shortstops and 350th in the MLB.
He's also posting his slowest time from home plate to first base, clocking in at an average of 4.61 seconds on competitive runs.
Carlos Correa struggles without speed
Hitting a career-low .224 with a .690 OPS, Correa has struggled considerably this year. Speed, or the lack of it, has played a part in his troubles.
The second-year Twin has slowed considerably since his age-20 season in 2015 when he came into the league with a 28.3 ft/s spring speed. In his debut season with the Astros, he hit .279 with only 10 double-play balls in 387 at-bats.
This season, in roughly the same amount of at-bats (397), Correa has hit into his league-leading 22 double plays.
It's not just rally-killing double plays where Correa has lost a step in his game. After stealing 14 bases as a rookie in Houston, he hasn't swiped one base this season. He hasn't had a stolen base since a single stolen bag in 2019.
At least the openly honest Correa knows where his problem lies. Whether he can do anything about it is another matter.
