Fantasy Baseball: 10 Hitters Expected to See an Increase in Production
Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
2016 nF Score: 2.66
2017 Projected nF Score: 5.3
Projected Boost: 2.64
| Year | PA | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 660 | 76 | 20 | 96 | 13 | .274 | .811 |
| 2017 (Projected) | 641 | 89 | 21 | 98 | 15 | .283 | .832 |
For all intents and purposes, Carlos Correa's sophomore season in the big leagues was a success. He produced a 4.9 fWAR and his walk rate increased to 11.4%, but he hit 2 fewer homers than his rookie campaign despite getting 228 more plate appearances.
His BABIP did increase from .296 to .328 and his hard-hit rate jumped to 37.2% (was 32.9% in 2015), but part of the problem was the type of batted balls he produced.
Correa's line-drive rate stayed steady at 22.4%, but his ground-ball rate climbed to over 50%, while his fly-ball rate dipped to 27.4%. What's great for the shortstop in 2017 is that he'll once again be in the middle of the Houston Astros' lineup, which just so happens to be incredibly deep and talented.
As long as he stays healthy, the opportunity will be there to rack up the baseline projections seen above, which is quite valuable given the position he plays on the field.
Current Fantasy Draft Information:
Could the expectations still be too high for Correa, though? Offense at shortstop comes at a premium and he's expected to create a lot of runs, but it's also a pretty deep position. Still, he's currently the first shortstop getting drafted with an ADP of 16.26, according to NFBC drafts.
