Following agreements with both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets that fell apart due to failed physicals, Correa re-signed with the Twins.

[1] Although the family's income was low, they had enough money to build a small house in Barrio Velázquez, a fishing village located in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, where Correa was raised.

From an early age, Correa often played catch in an alley adjacent to his home, which prompted a neighbor to suggest enrolling him in a youth league, the parent-pitch category, when he was five years old.

[2] Correa was assigned to play as a first baseman due to his hitting ability, while his father continued training him every day during their free time.

[citation needed] When he was seven years old, Correa was performing solidly in Santa Isabel's Playita Cortada American Baseball Congress affiliate, hitting up to 150 home runs.

[3] When the team was eliminated, the league's champion, Rio Grande, recruited Correa to play in the championship series held in Atlanta.

His discipline and talent prompted his coaches to work extra hours to improve his bat and they helped by offering transportation when the family's car was totaled in an accident.

[4] After attending one of these Perfect Game events, Correa made adjustments to his batting swing with his hitting coach, José Rivera.

[4] However, it was Correa's performance at the 2011 PG World and National Showcases that promoted him to the top of his class, earning him a spot in the Aflac-PG All-American Game, where he was named Rawlings' Defensive Player of the Year.

[4] Correa opened 2012 by being selected the MVP in the Víctor Pellot Excellence Tournament, following an extraordinary performance for a shortstop that included a two-home run game.

[5][6][7] His stock rose during the month before the draft, with outstanding performances in team workouts, including one that reportedly left the Houston Astros' scouts "blown away".

[11] With his selection, Correa became the highest-selected player to be drafted directly from a Puerto Rican high school, besting Ramón Castro's 17th pick in 1994, while joining several other top-10 Puerto Rican picks such as Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez, all of whom had moved to the mainland United States to complete their high school or college education after developing in the local youth leagues.

[12] Correa became the third Latino to be the first overall selection in the MLB Draft, after Alex Rodriguez and Adrián González, as well as the first Puerto Rican and Latin American-born player to do so.

[14] Upon returning to Puerto Rico the following day, Correa was greeted by a victory parade in his native Santa Isabel, which was attended by hundreds of people.

[20] Correa was ranked the top prospect in the Astros' farm system prior to the 2013 season and opened the year on a ten-game hitting streak that was halted by injury.

Despite not having an official at-bat, his pre-game batting practice was scouted as impressive, including some home runs that reached the second deck of Citi Field.

[19] After the team prevented him from playing for Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico, Correa began a training camp to improve his physique and add speed, which lasted from October to February.

[30][31] After Correa hit .385/.459/.727 in 117 at bats over 29 games for Corpus Christi, the Astros promoted him to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on May 11.

His batting average and RBI total led the AL, on-base percentage ranked third, hits and OPS fifth, and slugging tied for sixth.

[48] On October 6, 2017, Correa hit his first home run of the 2017 postseason against the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

On October 14, he hit his third home run of the post season including a walk-off double leading the Astros to their second win of the ALCS series against the Yankees.

The Astros won Game 7 by a score of 4–0, advancing to their second World Series in franchise history, to face the National League pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

He joined Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as the only major league shortstops to hit 100 career home runs before their 25th birthday.

[79] The Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) named Correa the Astros' team Most Valuable Player, his first such award.

[82] On October 12, Correa moved into sixth all-time in postseason runs batted in (RBI) with 54 (tied with Albert Pujols) with his two-run single in Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Chicago White Sox.

[90] The trio of Luis Arráez, Buxton, and Correa each hit consecutive home runs off former Astros teammate Gerrit Cole to open the bottom of the first inning in a contest versus the New York Yankees on June 9, 2022.

[91] Correa completed a 3–6 triple play in the fourth inning on August 22, when Texas Rangers batter Nathaniel Lowe lined out to first baseman José Miranda.

[92] On August 23, Correa returned to Minute Maid Park for his first game as a visitor to play against the Astros and received a standing ovation and video tribute.

As a taller shortstop at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg), he relies on footwork and a more upright ready position for fielding the ball.

[110] After winning the 2017 World Series, Correa proposed to his girlfriend, Miss Texas USA 2016 Daniella Rodriguez, on national television.