Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa and wife Daniella embody Thanksgiving spirit all year
HOUSTON – In many ways, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is still the same kid who dazzled the American League in 2015 as a 20-year-old phenom. By the time he turned 21 later that summer he was already well on the way to becoming the Astros franchise’s second Rookie of the Year.
Correa changed a bit and showcased his romantic side two years later at Dodger Stadium by stealing the spotlight immediately after he helped the Astros win their first World Series title. He dropped to a knee after Game 7 of that 2017 Fall Classic and proposed to Daniella Rodriguez on national television.
The couple had a long, two-year engagement, chronicling it often on social media before finally visiting the courthouse in Houston to get married on Nov. 11.
Through it all, Correa has kept his daily routine, beginning with the banana pancakes always on the right corner of his plate for breakfast. The banana pancakes his chef makes are better, but Daniella’s are made with more love, Correa says with a proud smile.
At 25, Correa still appears 21 when he smiles at a fan or laughs with his teammates. He’s clean cut in an era of long beards, tattoos and goatees. He lights up when he talks about Daniella in the same way he did when he would speak about his parents and younger sister when he debuted in the majors in June 2015.
Yet, he changed throughout the difficult 2019 season. He endured back injuries and a fractured rib, prompting some fans to dub him injury prone and wonder if the Astros should trade him.
Correa didn’t sulk. He rehabbed with Daniella constantly at his side and counted his blessings.
Correa established his commitment to the less fortunate in 2015 by leading a drive to donate mattresses for children without beds in Houston and Puerto Rico. He helped donate 500 bed frames, mattresses and bedding as part of the Houston Children’s Charity’s “A Better Night’s Sleep” program in 2016.
Four days before his 23rd birthday in 2017, he donated another 500 mattresses and bedding to folks in his adopted hometown. When the Astros visited President Donald Trump at the White House in 2018 to celebrate their 2017 World Series title, he quietly skipped the trip to send supplies for the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
He shone in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He helped to lead relief efforts along with veteran teammate Carlos Beltran and then-Astros bench coach Alex Cora to rally fellow major leaguers to donate multiple cargo planes of relief supplies to hurricane victims.
Beltran is now the manager of the New York Mets. Cora already won a World Series title as manager of the Boston Red Sox. Correa has yet to even hit the prime of his career. He has more to give, on and off the field.
He is still that kid from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, with a giving heart.
He’s definitely more mature, though, after extending his altruism to hospital visits with Daniella.
Correa has never seemed to be one of those players who takes his gifts for granted. Nonetheless, the back injuries, thumb injuries and fractured rib over the last two years have given him a new appreciation.
Moreover, the visits to MD Anderson’s Cancer Center have put life in perspective for the young couple.
He is adamant that he’s more mature now because his injuries and the hospital visits to sick children have put life in perspective for him.
“Sometimes I feel like times might be tough, but when I go visit my kids at the hospital they change my perspective,” he said. “Sometimes I get mad or sad because I’m hurt, but there are people out there that have it a lot tougher than I do.
“When I go visit my kids they inspire me to move forward, to keep doing my rehab and keep working hard and keep doing what I need to do to get back on the field. Because if they’re fighting cancer, which is a terrible disease, I can fight a back injury or whatever problem I have to get back on the field like they want to get out of the hospital.”
Carlos and Daniella Correa developed a special bond this season with 16-year-old Jalen Garcia, who was born in Daniella’s hometown of Laredo, Texas.
The couple visited Jalen Garcia, who attended Daniella’s former high school, at MD Anderson while he fought for his life.
The Correas visited Garcia at the hospital a day after the Astros eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series. They returned to Garcia’s bedside a day after the Astros knocked off the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
Correa presented Garcia with an orange American League champion T-shirt.
“I’ll say they inspire me,” Correa said of the children he has met during hospital visits, “so they’ve made me mature as a human being. … If I could make my own schedule, I would go every morning because they change your life.
“You spend time with them, they’re smiling, they’re having a good time with you. I see things different now that I get to go down and spend more time with them.”
The Correas mourned Garcia, who died a few days after the World Series. They paid tribute to him on their social media pages.
They’ve counted their blessings as they begin their life as husband and wife. They don’t wait for Thanksgiving to count their blessings.
Featured Image: Jean Fruth
Inset Images: Jean Fruth