HOUSTON – For Carlos Correa, becoming the best shortstop in Major League Baseball simply isn’t enough, though he is already well on his way.
The 22-year-old Puerto Rico native has been compared to the likes of Alex Rodriguez, was the No. 1 draft pick in 2012, and is credited with being one of the rising stars on the Houston Astros. But Correa has loftier goals.
"I just don't want to be one of the best players -- one of the best shortstops -- to ever play the game,” Correa said. “I want to be like Roberto Clemente, one of the best humanitarians to ever be around the game."
KPRC Channel 2 News spent time with Correa in his home town of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, a small city on the southern coast of the island where many spend time fishing and cultivating a national obsession with baseball.
"Baseball here is like football in the states," Correa said. "Everybody watches baseball, everybody loves baseball. And you know, everybody's watching the Astros game, the Indians game, the Cubs games, because they follow the Puerto Rican players all around."
It was on a dusty baseball diamond in Barrio Velazquez that Correa first began working on his skills with his father.
His mother, Sandybel, and father, Carlos Sr., married young — at ages 14 and 16 respectively — and at times, struggled to make ends meet.
Carlos, Sr. worked a construction job and built the family’s home in Santa Isabel himself.
"My dad was very dedicated with me,” Correa said. “He was always there for me. He would come from work at 6 p.m. and be two hours, three hours with me at the ballpark."
In fact, the father-son duo worked so often and so hard at the baseball field that neighbors began to take notice, and were at times critical of how hard young Correa was working.
"People would say I would get worn out, I would get tired and stuff, because it was too much for a little kid, but at the end of the day, (my dad) just wanted me to get better every single day at baseball,” Correa said.
As people began to take notice of Correa’s combination of natural talent and relentless work ethic, it was clear the young man was destined for greatness.
When asked when he realized he had a remarkable talent, Correa noted that he was in his sophomore year of high school, though he had frequently dreamed of playing baseball at the highest level.
“I always dreamed about making it to the big leagues, and creating an impact in the big leagues and have a lot of kids look up to me," he said.
In 2012, that dream would begin to fall into place for Correa. He was selected as the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Houston Astros, surrounded by his family.
He would go on to impress not just his teammates and spectators, but he made a great impression on those who were charged with coaching him.
Astros Head Coach AJ Hinch explained that Correa’s determination to improve mirrored a player far beyond his age and experience level.
"If Carlos Correa achieves the goals he wants, he has the ability to carry a team,” Hinch said.
But a tremendous part of the player Correa wants to become has nothing to do with the sport of baseball.
"I always talked to my dad when we would work out at this ball park when I was 15, 16 years old, a kid with a dream," Correa said. "I would talk to him about getting to the big leagues and then after that, helping the community, helping the kids out there, letting them know that they can have a dream like I did one day, and if they work toward accomplishing that dream, they can do it."
Correa didn’t wait until he signed a major MLB contract to start making an impact off the field. He partnered with the Salvation Army in Houston and with Mattress Firm to donate thousands of beds to children in need, a cause he said is important to him as an athlete.
“I need my rest," he said. "I sleep eight hours a day, nine hours a day in order for me to be ready for the next day, in order for me to play, so I feel like it's really important to get your rest in, and if there are going to be more Carlos Correas out there, I feel like the kids need their rest, too."
It was important for Correa to extend his outreach to Puerto Rico as well. He has hosted two charity golf tournaments there in the past two years to benefit Puerto Rican children living in poverty.
Correa frequently visits his hometown of Santa Isabel, and when he made the trip in November, he received a hero’s welcome. Dozens of people gathered at the baseball park to greet him, many adorned in Astros jerseys and hats.
His mother, father and sister were there, too, as members of the family’s church sang songs and prayed.
Diego Postigo, 8, wrote Carlos a letter thanking him for being a role model, and Postigo read it out loud to Correa and the crowd.
"Carlos has been a tremendous person on and off the baseball field,” the boy recited in Spanish.
Correa said he was touched by the gesture, explaining that he would keep the letter in his room.
"I just want to show these kids that it can be done anywhere, and I want to help them some way, like a lot of people helped me through my whole career," Correa said. "I want to help them, too."