It started with an anonymous players poll, continued with a barb from a beat writer, but ended with Carlos Correa going on an all-time streak to prove everyone wrong.
Last week Correa finished third in a poll The Athletic ran in which it asked players around the league who they thought the most overrated guys in the game were. Right around the same time, LaVelle E. Neal called out Correa's lack of offense as evidence that he's not living up to his $200 million contract.
Ever since those two things happened, Correa has been on a historic heater for the Twins.
Over the weekend he joined franchise icons like Kirby Puckett, Tony Olivia, and Joe Mauer by becoming the tenth player in team history to record 22 or more hits over a ten game span. He has 17 hits over the last seven days, collecting 9 RBI and hitting 3 home runs -- two of which came in the same game on Sunday.
As if Correa burying his critics wasn't already satisfying enough, MLB naming him a Player of the Week was the perfect cherry on top.
Carlos Correa wins MLB Player of the Week honors after getting called overrated
Carlos Correa: 3 HR, 9 RBI, .548/.576/.871
— MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2024
J.D. Martinez: 3 HR, 9 RBI, .450/.593/1.050
Your Players of the Week presented by @Chevrolet! pic.twitter.com/3260bgEDG0
Correa was criticized last season for slumping offensively, even getting booed at Target Field. Rather than make a whole thing out of it, Correa defended fans who were frustrated with him and used it, as he put it, fuel in his Ferrari.
That was a gentle moment with fans to let them know he wanted to play better. This is a whole different level of determination to prove people wrong. It's one thing for fans to be upset, but the outside noise is clearly something that has awakened a sleeping offensive giant within Correa and it's the best thing that could have possibly happened.
Signing Correa for $200 million over the next six seasons was already a bit of a bargain for the Twins, but to have this version of him unlocked feels like a steal. It's not just what Correa is doing himself, it's the energy now pulsing throughout the clubhouse that matters most. Royce Lewis is on a tear, Jose Miranda is cooking pitchers, and the dormant Twins offense is alive and well.
That all goes back to Correa, and Twins fans should send the largest fruit basket possible to all those who woke him up.