Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Yasiel Puig, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell.

This elite group of baseball players is signaling the evolution of the MLB. Players are starting to contribute to big league rosters at a younger age, and a youngster who possesses massive raw ability is the type of player who is starting to overtake the game.

A guy who may be leading the next crop of talent just got one step closer to cracking his first big league lineup. 

Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reported on Monday afternoon that Houston Astros top prospect Carlos Correa was promoted to Triple-A Fresno. This came as terrific news to the 20-year-old Puerto Rican who was the first overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft.

"You work your entire life to get at some point to the big leagues," Correa told Ortiz. "To get one step closer means a lot."

Correa's promotion is certainly well deserved. He was hitting .385 with seven home runs, 15 doubles and a perfect 15-for-15 on stolen-base attempts. Despite his youth, he has dominated at every level so far. Last season, he hit .325 with six home runs and a .926 OPS before his season ended prematurely due to a fibula injury.

For his career, Correa sports a .317 batting average with an .892 OPS. That average and power would be stellar for any prospect, but it is especially impressive at the shortstop position, where offense is getting harder and harder to find.

As of March 12, Correa was leading the Texas League in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, runs scored, hits and doubles. He was doing so well that the Houston front office thought there was nothing left for him to accomplish.

"He's dominated, and there's really not much for him to do at Double-A," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "Everything from the high average to the power, to the speed, defense, leadership—he's done it all. We wanted to see a couple of teams face him twice, and they did, and they weren't able to get him out. It's time for him to face better pitching."

While he will definitely see better pitching in Triple-A, should he be with the big league club by now?

First, keep in mind that he is only 20 years old. That age puts him as the third-youngest in Double-A. But he would be older than Harper and Trout were when they made their debuts, so it's not like a cameo this year would be uncharted territory.

Most importantly, the Astros currently have a void at shortstop. Jed Lowrie was doing a tremendous job there before he injured his thumb—he was leading the team in on-base percentage—but he is going to be out until sometime after the All-Star break, per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.

Jonathan Villar and Marwin Gonzalez have both seen time at short since Lowrie went down, but their production has left much to be desired. While both are solid backups, it is a bit unrealistic to expect them to carry the load for multiple months.

And the Astros, who have cooled off considerably in the past week, could use a bit of a spark. 

Also, there are the questions that surround the young prospect's contract status. As the Cubs did with phenom Kris Bryant, the Astros' organization might want to wait a few more months to ensure that they maximize club control of Correa.

Still, Luhnow is confident that they are on the right track from a baseball perspective.

"Our concern is Carlos' development, and he's ahead of schedule," Luhnow said, via McTaggart. "We want him to help our club win at the right time, and that may be soon."

Forgetting about contracts and years down the road, Correa might be the most qualified major league shortstop in the organization.

His talent has never been in doubt. MLB.com has Correa as the third-best overall prospect in the game, while Baseball America ranks him fourth. MLB.com has him as the top-rated shortstop.

However, development is key, and it is a slippery slope when deciding when prospects are ready. Bring them up too early before they are ready, and you run the risk of them struggling and losing their confidence. Keep them down in the minors for too long, and you waste precious time they could have spent contributing to the big league club.

The plan now must be to trust what the Houston front office is doing. They obviously have a plan, as things are looking bright for the Astros for the first time in nearly a decade. 

They promoted George Springer to the MLB last May, and while he has not reached his full potential yet—especially hitting for average—greatness seems to be on the horizon.

Whatever the Astros decide to do, the future looks promising. Despite the hot start, Houston is a long shot to make the playoffs. But they will expect to contend next year, and a fully developed Correa would likely be competing for a starting job in the majors.

On the other hand, I would not be surprised to see Correa taking grounders in an Astros jersey before season's end.

If they choose to let Correa stay in the minors for the rest of the season, the 'Stros might be out of contention by the time Lowrie returns in June or July.

He is the most talented shortstop in the organization, and after a month or so in Triple-A, he should be given serious consideration to get a shot at playing Houston. 

And who knows? If he hadn't gotten injured last year, he might already be there.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Heath Clary
I am a sports columnist and blogger. I mostly write about the MLB and college football, but I do a little of everything