MLB Player Profile: Kevin Correia
Kevin John Correia currently plays as starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Born on August 24, 1980, Correia has eight years of experience in Major League Baseball and is currently in his ninth season. Although a slow starter, his pitching has always
been a threat to even the top batters in the Majors.
Standing at 6ft 3in, Correia was drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Of Portuguese descent, Correia was quick to make his mark on the big stage and in 2003 he became the first player to play in the Majors among
those who were selected in the 2002 MLB Draft.
The right-handed pitcher started seven games for the Giants in 2003 and was successful in registering a decent record. In 39.1 innings that he pitched, Correia leaked just 16 runs at an earned-run average of 3.66 which, in debut year, is mesmerizing. He
managed to drop just one game and won three good games with his precise pitching from the mound. Correia’s debut year saw him bag 28 strike-outs in just seven starts which is no less achievement from any perspective.
Correia was not introduced as a genuine starting pitcher by the Giants until 2008. He played just 12 games in 2004 and 16 games in 2005, splitting both seasons between Major League and Minor League. Out of the 12 games in 2004, the pitcher started just one
game, improving it to 11 starts out of 16 games in 2005.
Correia pitched just 19 innings during the 2004 season and his performance in that stretch was not up to the mark. He gave away 20 runs, including 17 earned runs, that season at an ERA of 8.05. He lost the only game that he started but he continued to impress
in the Minors where he got more chances to display his talent.
His dip in confidence after lack of starts in 2004 was felt in the next season where he lost five games and managed to win just two of his 11 starts. His stats did not depict his true worth and the Giants, analysing his ability from his stats, did not allow
him any starts for the entire 2006. He played as a relief pitcher in the 2006 season and held ten games at an ERA of 3.59. Correia exhibited control and precision in 69.2 innings from the mound which gave him the boost in self-confidence that he needed to
revive.
The Giants finally gave Correia an extended run at the mound in the 2007 and 2008 seasons and hungry for success, the pitcher rightly impressed. He bagged 146 strike-outs in both season combined but an ERA on 6.05 at the end of 2008 did not tempt the Giants
to retain the pitcher and he became a free agent.
The San Diego Padres acquired the right-handed pitcher and unlike the Giants, did not waste much time in exposing Correia to the big stage. The Padres were marred by injuries and this led Correia to spearhead their pitching staff. In his two years at San
Diego, Correia bagged 257 strike-outs and had a win-loss record of 22-21 which was decent, given his lack of exposure at the Majors in his first six years.
Correia moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2011 season after a two year $8-million deal on December 17, 2010. His abilities finally came to the lime-light with the Pirates when he was tied for the most number of wins in the league as of June which earned
him a call-up to the All-Star team. He still has one more season to play with the Pirates and it will be interesting to see how his rise at the mound is taken by other teams who require quality pitchers.
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