Notable events during shortstop Carlos Correa’s tenure with the Astros, which ended early Saturday when he agreed to a free-agent deal with the Twins.
2012
June 4 — Correa, 17, is selected first overall in the MLB draft, the first draft pick of the new Astros regime of owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow. He also becomes the highest-drafted player from Puerto Rico, surpassing Ramon Castro, whom the Astros picked 17th overall in 1994.
June 18 — Correa makes his pro debut for the Gulf Coast League Astros rookie team, going 1 for 5 in a 1-0, 13-inning victory over the Cardinals.
2013
July 1 — While with low-A Quad Cities, Correa is voted into the MLB All-Star Futures Game in a fan vote.
Sept. 14 — Correa helps Quad Cities win the Midwest League championship.
2014
June 22 — While with high-A Lancaster of the California League, Correa suffers a fractured right fibula sliding into third base, ending his season and chance of a likely call-up to Class AA.
2015
May 12 — After hitting .385 with 7 homers and 32 RBIs in just 29 games at Class AA Corpus Christi, Correa is promoted to AAA Fresno.
June 7 — Hours after Jonathan Villar bungled a routine ninth-inning popup that led to a loss in Toronto, Correa is called up to the majors. At 20, he becomes the youngest Astros position player to make his big league debut sinec Derrel Thomas in 1971.
June 8 — In his major league debut, Correa goes 1-for-4 with an RBI single In the Astros’ 3-1 road loss to the White Sox.
June 9 — Correa hits his first major league homer, a two-run shot off Chicago’s Zach Duke in a 4-2 Astros loss.
June 12 — Correa makes his Minute Maid Park debut, hitting a solo homer in a 10-0 win over Seattle.
July 2 — Correa wins American League Rookie of the Month after hitting 5 home runs, driving in 15 runs and hitting .287 in 21 June games.
Oct. 12 — Correa homers twice in the Game 4 loss to the Royals in the ALDS, joining fellow Puerto Rico native Carlos Beltran as the only Astros to have a multi-homer game in the postseason. He’s the second-youngest player in MLB history to do it at 21, behind only Atlanta’s Andruw Jones (19) in the 1996 World Series.
Nov. 16 — Correa is voted AL Rookie of the Year. In just 99 games, he led all MLB shortstops in homers (22), OPS (.857) and slugging percentage (.512) and ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.345). He is the first Astros Rookie of the year since Jeff Bagwell in 1991.
2016
April 5 — At Yankee Stadium, Correa (21 years, 195 days) becomes the youngest Astro to make an opening day start since Cesar Cedeño (21, 50) in 1972.
Oct. 1 — Correa finishes his first full season with 96 RBIs, an Astros single-season record for a shortstop.
2017
July 2 — Correa is voted an All-Star starter for the first time, joining teammates Jose Altuve and George Springer in the starting lineup for the July 11 game in Miami.
July 17 — Correa undergoes surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. The injury was originally sustained sliding head-first into home plate July 4 in Atlanta and aggravated a couple weeks later. He misses 42 games with the injury.
Sept. 3 — Correa returns to the Astros’ lineup, going 1 for 3 with an RBI in an 8-6 home win over the Mets.
Oct. 14 — Correa drives in both runs in the Astros’ 2-1 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALCS, including the winning RBI double in the ninth inning. It’s his first postseason walkoff hit.
Nov. 1 — The Astros win their first World Series championship after a 5-1 win in Game 7 at Dodger Stadium. Correa finishes the playoffs with seven career postseason homers, becoming the first player to do so before turning 24. His 14 RBIs tie the franchise record for a single postseason.
2018
April 3 — Correa hits his first career inside-the-park homer during a 10-6 win over the Orioles at Minute Maid Park.
June 26 — Correa goes on the disabled list with lower back soreness, forcing him to miss 36 games.
2019
Feb. 5 — Correa wins his arbitration case against the Astros and is awarded a $5 million salary for the 2019 season.
May 29 — Correa goes on the disabled list with a fractured rib, keeping him out until late July. Correa later says his masseuse broke the rib during a massage at his home and the rib had been bothering him before the fracture.
July 27 — Correa hits his first career grand slam in an 8-2 win at St. Louis.
Aug. 21 — Correa goes back on the disabled list, this time with back discomfort. All told, he plays in a career-low 75 regular-season games.
Sept. 20 — With two homers in a win over the Angels, Correa joins Alex Rodriguez and Cal RIpken Jr. as the only shortstops to post four 20-homer seasons before turning 25. He also joins them as the third shortstop with 100-plus homers before age 25.
Oct. 13 — Correa’s 11th-inning walkoff homer beats the Yankees 3-2 in Game 2 of the ALCS, allowing the Astros to even a series they eventually win in six games.
Oct. 30 — Correa’s fifth-inning single gives the Astros a 2-0 lead but they can’t hold it in the later innings en route to a crushing World Series Game 7 home loss to the Nationals.
2020
Jan. 10 — Correa and the Astros agree to a one-year deal for $8 million to avoid arbitration.
Feb. 15 — Discussing the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme from 2017, Correa says “we were wrong for everything we did.” He then goes on an expletive-laced rant defending the team’s accomplishments and defends teammate Jose Altuve from claims by rivals such as the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger that Altuve “stole” the 2017 AL MVP award.
Oct. 5 — Correa homers twice in the Astros’ ALDS Game 1 win over the A’s, becoming the first shortstop in MLB history to have two multi-homer playoff games.
Oct. 15 — With the Astros trailing the Rays 3-1 in the ALDS, Correa hits a ninth-inning homer to extend their season, his third career playoff walkoff hit. The Astros ultimately lose in seven games.
2021
Jan. 21 — As fellow franchise cornerstone George Springer leaves in free agency, Correa says “I would love to be an Astro for life.”
Feb. 6 — Correa and the Astros avoid arbitration, settling on an $11.7 million salary for 2021, his final year before free agency.
April 1 — As his opening-day deadline to get a deal comes and goes, Correa says he’s looking for “a big, long contract” when he hits free agency after the Astros’ extension offers (five years for $125 million and six years for $120 million) aren’t to his liking.
Oct. 3 — In perhaps his final regular-season game as an Astro, Correa exits the game to a huge ovation before the ninth inning and doffs his cap to the Minute Maid Park crowd.
Oct. 7 — As the playoffs begin, Astros owner Jim Crane says the team will be “in the mix” to keep Correa but acknowledges “dollars are a factor.”
Nov. 2 — Correa goes 1 for 4 as the Astros lose the World Series to the Braves in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park. As he batted in the ninth inning, he acknowledged the possibility it was his final at-bat as an Astro “was the only thing going through my mind, to be honest.”
Nov. 7 — Correa wins his first Gold Glove Award after leading all major leaguers with 21 runs saved, per FanGraphs and 3.0 defensive wins above replacement according to Baseball-Reference’s calculation.
Dec. 2 — After the collective bargaining agreement expires, MLB owners lock out the players, putting Correa’s free agency on hold.
2022
March 10 — MLB’s lockout ends, resuming Correa’s free agency.
March 13 — The Astros will re-engage in contract talks with Correa, Crane says.
March 19 — Correa’s time as an Astro effectively ends as he agrees to a three-year, $105.3 million deal with Minnesota, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism