The Twins brought Carlos Correa to Minnesota because he's one of the best players of his generation. The only thing diminishing him on the field has been injuries.
Right now, as far as the Twins report, he's healthy.
In each of the past two seasons, Correa dealt with plantar fasciitis in one of his feet, a heel condition so painful that rehab and recovery sometimes hurts as much or more as the ailment itself.
Late in September, Correa reported that he finally found a way to deal with it.
Correa has changed how he trains and prepares, whether it's wearing different kinds of cleats, or even running barefoot at times to train. Correa doesn't want to repeat the 2024 season, when he played only 86 games because of his right foot, along with other ailments to his hand and abdomen.
The Twins were noticeably worse, on both sides of the ball, without Correa playing shortstop.
And it's not only a matter of getting on the field. For Correa, even a repeat of 2023, when he played in 135 games but had his worst production by far because of his left foot, would be leave a foul taste.
Still only 30 years old, Correa has time to have his best season ever. And there's no time like the present for the Twins, who are still in a place where they can win the World Series despite a payroll rollback by the Pohlad family, along with uncertainty about who will own the team in the coming months.
A big reason is because Correa is a stud.
In 2024, Correa batted .310/.388/.517 with 14 home runs, 20 doubles, and 40 walks in 367 plate appearances. His offensive production translated to 50-55% better than league average. On defense, Correa bounced back to the 74th percentile in fielding run value, per Statcast. Correa was down in the 40s for the two previous seasons.
At his peak, Correa the shortstop was better than all but 2% of the league, regardless of position. Generational.
In making his third career All-Star squad, Correa lowered his strikeout rate to a career-best 16.6%, while keeping his walks near his lifetime pace. He also hit for more power and used the opposite field more often. And this came with him dealing with plantar fascia most of the season.
Having two healthy feet should restore the quantity and some of the quality to Correa's game. Toss in some better luck, and Correa again is one of the game's best players. It will show up in the AL Central standings. And once Correa gets to the playoffs, look out.