Slumping Carlos Correa sympathizes with jeering Twins fans: 'I'd boo myself, too'
After a wild offseason, the regular season hasn't started well for Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. He has struggled mightily at the plate, and after another disappointing game Tuesday, Correa began to hear boos at Target Field — boos that were directed at him — for the first time.
“I'd boo myself, too, with the amount of money I'm making, and I’m playing like that,” Correa said via MLB.com, referring to the six-year, $200 million contract he signed with the Twins in January.
Here's the at-bat against the San Diego Padres that brought out the boo birds. Correa was at the plate in the bottom of the seventh with two on and two out. The Twins were down by just two runs, so a well-placed double could've tied the game. But Correa flailed at the ball, dramatically swinging through strike three and ending the inning.
Ugly at-bat & strikeout for Carlos Correa results in 2 runners left stranded & the home crowd booing him. Correa is now hitting .187. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/NzfSOD5kmS
— Talkin' Twins ⚾️ (@TalkinTwins) May 10, 2023
That's what it looks like when your triple slash falls to .185/.261/.363 for the season. (That's also what it looks like when your average with runners in scoring position falls to .138.) Overall, Correa went 0-for-5 with six runners left on base in the Twins' 6-1 loss. If the season ended today, it would be the worst triple slash of Correa's career by far.
Thankfully for Correa, the season is not ending today. There are still 120-plus baseball games to play, and he's working with Twins hitting coach David Popkins to bust out of that slump. One mechanical change they've made has already helped Correa feel like he's driving the ball farther, and they're working on undoing the effects of the stretching and yoga he did in the offseason. While staying limber is good, he believes the increased flexibility made his swing longer, and it's now taking him too long to get the bat to the ball.
“Obviously, this has been a rough start, but the season doesn't end there,” Correa said. “So my work doesn't end there, either. Just keep working, trusting the process of the work I'm putting in the cage every single day, and naturally, something is going to click.”
