Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
Calling a former top overall pick in the MLB Draft a dark horse MVP candidate feels weird, but it does make sense in this instance. Despite a down year in which he accumulated 1.6 fWAR and a 101 wRC+ through 468 plate appearances, Carlos Correa is firmly on the radar of many with regard to the game’s best young shortstops.
The 24-year-old already has three seasons of 20-plus homers and two years of at least 5.0 fWAR under his belt, along with that 2017 World Series title. What’s most important for him moving forward is his health. After playing through back troubles last year, he’s declared himself totally healthy with 2019 coming into focus.
He qualifies as a dark horse MVP candidate because of the team he plays on — and more specifically, his teammates on the infield. Jose Altuve played through knee troubles last year, but still had a solid 2018 and is only a couple seasons removed from his own MVP campaign. And then there’s Alex Bregman, who legitimately broke out and shoved his way into the conversation last year thanks to a 7.6-fWAR performance.
This is as close to “under-the-radar” as Correa is probably going to get in his big-league career.
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