Why Platinum Glove winner Correa is welcoming the move to 3B

BOSTON -- After his first Major League start at third base in Friday’s series opener at Fenway Park, career shortstop Carlos Correa walked into the visiting clubhouse Saturday and joked with Astros manager Joe Espada, saying that his body felt so fresh it was like he hadn’t played the day before.

Nine innings at third base don’t quite put the same physical strain on a body, especially a 30-year-old body, as nine innings at shortstop.

“I said, ‘Well, today I need you to play shortstop,’” Espada said. “He said, ‘Really?’ I said, ‘Yes, just today.’”

With All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña out of the lineup Saturday after suffering a right hamstring cramp in the 10th inning of Friday’s loss, Correa was back at shortstop for the Astros’ 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. He shouldn’t get too comfortable, though. Correa’s second act in Houston after being traded from the Twins on Thursday is as a third baseman.

“I’ve seen Carlos play elite third base,” Espada said. “I know it was during the [World Baseball Classic], but I’ve seen how he was able to make that adjustment right away. I know he can do it. [Third-base coach] Tony [Perezchica] is going to work immediately, but there’s some things he’s going to have to learn: the perception, slow rollers, having Jeremy to his left. Those are all things he’s going to have to learn and work, but [with] his baseball IQ, it’s not going to be an issue for him.”

An eventual move to third base always seems to have been a possibility for Correa, who possesses one of the best infield arms in the game and stands 6-foot-3, which is tall for a shortstop. That didn’t stop him from winning a Platinum Glove while with the Astros in ‘21, recognizing him as the best defensive player in the American League.

“The last two years, I’ve been thinking about potentially moving to third and how it would be better for my body and my longevity,” Correa said. “And I’m glad it’s happening here.”

Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, who shared the left side of the infield with Correa for six seasons in Houston -- and who was drafted on the day Correa made his Major League debut -- has no doubts he can play the hot corner at a high level.

“He’ll be great,” Bregman said. “Obviously he’s got a Platinum Glove. He’s always been one of the best defenders in the league. And we always used to say if he caught the ball the guy was out, because of the big-time arm. And we saw it in the WBC in 2017, he was making great plays over there. So I think he’ll be fine.”

Correa has always been a “one-handed shortstop,” which means he fields all grounders with only his glove, while most shortstops use two hands on balls hit directly at them. That will help Correa’s timing at third, but he’ll be charging slow rollers more often and making more barehanded plays.

“[Against] lefties, he’s going to be off the line and you get those balls slashed at you,” Espada said. “That’s another different angle he’s going to have to get adjusted to. We’re going to try and rehearse and work on all those things, but at the end of the day, his IQ is up there, so I expect him to make that adjustment nicely.”

Perezchica, a renowned infield teacher who was hired last October to improve Houston’s defense, said Correa has the tools to succeed at third.

“He has the plus arm, and if you have a plus arm at third base, it slows the game down for him, and he doesn’t feel like he’s rushing all the time,” Perezchica said. “That’s the biggest attribute he has. It’s over the top [at] 95 mph going to the bases.”

Perhaps the biggest adjustment will be working alongside Peña, who was tutored by Correa in the Minor Leagues. Peña took over for Correa at shortstop in 2022, winning a Gold Glove as a rookie, and has tremendous range of his own.

“When you have a guy with the caliber of a defender that he is, it’s kind of easy to get used to it, because you know he’s going to go after balls,” Peña said. “He’s aggressive. He’s a shortstop. I’m aggressive. I’m going to go after balls. It’s about communication, but there’s no shyness in our play. I know we’re going to be on the same page. I know we are going to feed off each other.”