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Correa and his back issues...

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by CinematicFusion, Oct 7, 2018.

  1. Fyreball

    Fyreball Contributing Member

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    Right, because he wasn't one of the major contributors to us winning the whole ****ing thing last year?? He obviously knows what it takes to win, and he also obviously knows that you celebrate the little things AND the big things. What's small-minded is getting so caught up in yourself and your "big goals" that you forget to enjoy the journey and the grind that it takes to get there. FOH with this nonsense.
     
  2. Buck Turgidson

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    They have mentioned that many, many, many times.

    Every team in the history of modern baseball has celebrated winning a division/series/etc...
     
  3. Nick

    Nick Contributing Member

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    Its the unfortunate "NBA mentality" here that is causing these asinine complaints/questions.

    That's a league that allows more teams to be in the playoffs than not in the playoffs. Baseball is still the hardest post-season to get to, still has the hardest/longest road to winning divisions, and still has the highest discrepancy between regular season pressure and playoff pressure.

    You damn right they should deserve to celebrate these division/series wins.
     
  4. leroy

    leroy Contributing Member

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    That's just like, my opinion, man.
     
  5. Blake

    Blake Contributing Member

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    Not sure why you talk to the media about this...

    Astros' Carlos Correa playing through nagging back injury
    7:56 PM CT
    • Associated Press

    HOUSTON -- Carlos Correa is in pain.

    Every swing-and-miss hurts, and on the bad days it can even be uncomfortable for the Houston Astros star shortstop to walk.

    Correa often puts on a brave face but told The Associated Press how much this is affecting him as the Astros prepare to leave for Boston and the best-of-seven AL Championship Series that begins Saturday.

    "You're a competitor, so every time you step on the field you play it off like everything is fine," he said Wednesday. "But obviously you're hurting."


    Correa returned from a six-week stint on the disabled list on Aug. 10 and declared that he was better. But he has struggled to regain his top form. He hit just .180 in the second half of the season and managed a single hit -- a home run -- in the ALDS, looking nothing like the player who made the All-Star team last season and was the 2015 Rookie of the Year.

    He said it bothers him most at the plate, and it's been impossible to get back to how he felt before the injury.

    "Not only to find my swing, just to feel comfortable at the plate when I swing," he said. "Because I know every time I swing and miss it's going to hurt. So, I try not to swing and miss and then I try to baby my swing and I don't swing as hard as I usually do or as quick as I usually do. So, it's definitely been tough."

    Correa said there's been a domino effect of pain in other areas, most notably in his obliques, as he tries to avoid doing things that make his back hurt.

    He's receiving treatment "24/7," but the pain remains. He's using a foam roller at home and has been sporadically taking anti-inflammatories.

    "It's just a pain down in my lower back that doesn't let me move right," he said. "When I bend over, when I rotate. Sometimes when I wake up and I walk in the morning, I know it's not going to be a good day."

    He has accepted that the aching likely will be with him until he gets an extended rest. He's trying not to let it weigh on him, but in private moments at home with his fiancee Daniella Rodriguez, he laments that he simply hasn't been himself this season.

    "When I go to sleep at night, I think about especially this year [how] I'm not performing the way I know I can perform, it's just been tough," he said. "Sometimes I talk to Daniella and I'm like: 'There's nothing I can do about it. I'm hurting.' But I'm a competitor, so you grind, you try to perform. But it's definitely ... been frustrating at times."

    Despite his woes, Correa started all three games of the ALDS and continues to play stellar defense, something he takes pride in as he struggles at the plate. And though he was just 1-for-10 against the Indians, his one hit was a big one -- a three-run homer in the clinching game -- providing hope that maybe things are getting better.

    "I feel like I had really good at-bats in the series vs. Cleveland, just not getting lucky with the balls I hit hard," he said. "But that one fell, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into this series."

    Manager AJ Hinch was asked if he's concerned about Correa.

    "Not now," he said. "We [have] four days off. We get to press the reset button. You don't just get to press pause either way. We had some guys get six and seven hits in that series, but you have to start over again, new opponent. So, no, it doesn't concern me."

    Correa is focused on keeping a positive attitude as he fights through this and is determined to do all he can to help the Astros repeat as champions.

    "It's been a tough year. But it's not the end of the world," he said. "I keep grinding every single day. I keep trying to find ways to help my team. I thought my defense this year was excellent, and I'm looking forward to winning another championship and getting some rest."

    "And come back next year strong and be the player that I am," he continued.
     
  6. HTM

    HTM Member

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    I've been thinking it's interesting the back hasn't hindered his fielding but has been the cause of his plate problems.

    Just going off memory, CC wasn't lighting the world on fire at the plate in the first half of the season either...

    So, I'm not comfortable attributing all of his plate struggles to the back.
     
  7. Harrisment

    Harrisment Member

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    He also said yesterday that he feels great right now, so who knows.
     
  8. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    .855 OPS, 13 home runs, and 47 RBI in the first 245 at-bats which takes him through mid June. Then the back issues start coming along after the stros 12 game win streak

    OPS was right along the lines of the 23-year-old's career mark. It's maybe not the breakout campaign many were looking for but still a strong season at that point
     
  9. Major

    Major Member

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    Why? Fielding doesn't require significant sudden, twisting movements as much.

    He was pretty good in April and June (0.870+ OPS), though he struggled in May (0.686) though he still hit for plenty of power. But even his May was worlds better than August/September (0.517). He had 30 extra-base hits prior to injury and 6 after (in about half the at-bats), so it's pretty clear the back is causing problems with driving the ball.
     
  10. HTM

    HTM Member

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    Certainly, this is an obvious correlation between his back problems and his plate struggles but I thought I recalled that he wasn't exactly destroying MLB before these problems arose.
     
  11. sealclubber1016

    Supporting Member

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    Well as 2 posters pointed out, you recall incorrectly. An .855 OPS is great, it's elite for a SS.

    Because people expect Correa to be the greatest baseball player of all time, anything less makes it seem like he is doing poorly, which he wasn't...at all.
     
    eric.81 likes this.
  12. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    Average Exit Velocity, xwOBA
    Before injury...89.3, 0.332
    After injury to 9/27...85.8, 0.238
    9/28 to now...88.3, 0.357

    That last "is" should be a "was". Not to say he won't have days it is bothering him going forward, he's been driving the ball lately, but at defenders usually.
     
  13. HTM

    HTM Member

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    Always cute when people are so defensive. Give it a break.
     
  14. eric.81

    eric.81 Contributing Member

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    He wasn't being defensive. He was being correct.
     
  15. HTM

    HTM Member

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    Even if you are, you don't have to be condescending and a d*ck about it. I said, "as I recall" - if I recall incorrectly, I recall incorrectly but now looking at the stats, he had a pretty awful May and start/stop June with an abbreviated sample size but don't bring that up.

    So, yea, the last time he had a full month of games before his back problems started creeping up, he wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire.
     
    #75 HTM, Oct 11, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2018
  16. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    perfect example of what actually goes back to his point. Because people expect Correa to be the greatest baseball player of all time, anything less makes it seem like he is doing poorly, which he wasn't.

    the numbers have already been posted. he was just fine and having a strong season.
     
  17. HTM

    HTM Member

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    I didn't assert he was doing poorly. I asserted he "wasn't setting the world on fire" - there is a big difference.
     
  18. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    when someone says something like "wasn't setting the world on fire" in this context for correa, I'd say that many people do take that as doing poorly in some form or fashion. Whether you meant it to come across that way who knows.

    It certainly isn't a positive remark in the sports world that's for sure. And to be specific, negatively relayed in your original post
     
  19. Hey Now!

    Hey Now! Contributing Member

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    I've been somewhat obsessed with this topic, primarily because I have a bad back and I can't fathom how he could possibly excel at one and struggle with the other. I certainly don't think it's because we're talking about different motions. Maybe one is worse than the other - but they should both be difficult because with a bad back, any movement - up, down, left, right - is going to be severely restricted and painful.

    No, I think the issue is that one (hitting) is a choice, the other (fielding) is not.

    Now, technically, you *choose* whether you're going to field a ball - but it happens so quickly, you're almost done with the action before there's any conscious decision. And, yes, swinging, like fielding, happens quickly - but you're in much greater control of not only whether you swing but also how hard you swing.

    IOW, the difference is mental.

    If I have a bad back (which I do) and I ask you to toss me my keys, and you fire them directly at my head, back be damned, I'm going to duck because I'm not going to have time to process, Oh, **** - this is going to hurt. If, however, your toss is soft and lands meekly at my feet, my brain has plenty of time to process, Oh, **** - this is going to hurt as I prepare to bend down and pick them up.

    In this example, fielding is the shot directly at my head. Instinct and adrenaline kick in and drowns any notion of restriction or pain. Bending over is hitting - I have time to process the situation and think about the impact.

    Maybe Correa can get to a point of thinking less about it. But my guess is he'll be dealing with it until he can extended rest/treatment, hopefulyl starting November 1...
     
    Nippystix likes this.
  20. HTM

    HTM Member

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    Well that's on you for assuming things and not getting clarification before acting on those assumptions isn't it?

    "Not setting the world on fire" can quite easily mean doing ok.... not poorly but not tremendous.. which as I recall that's how Correa was doing especially in the May/June time period leading up to his injury. He was bad in May and was good in June but the sample size was abbreviated and he was in/out of the lineup.
     

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