Just what the American League needs to hear from the reigning World Champion Houston Astros: Something akin to a Correa conveyor belt, possibly providing the Astros a second hard-hitting middle infielder, this time in the cleats of JC Correa, younger brother of the Astros’ shortstop, Carlos Correa.

Related: Houston Goes ‘Stros Bros, Drafting JC Correa and AJ Bregman

Jean Carlos Correa Oppenheimer is a 19-year-old sophomore second baseman and has just announced his verbal commitment to transfer from Alvin Community College to Lamar University, a Division I school, for the 2018-19 season. A signing ceremony, April 11, made it official.

JC Correa chose to play college baseball in the United States to help develop a raw skill set rather than try to go pro, like Carlos, who was drafted by Houston as a 17-year-old high schooler.

The Astros are not without some links, already, to the Lamar Cardinals, most notably with Will Davis. The Cardinals’ head coach was an assistant at LSU while current Astros infielder Alex Bregman played for the Tigers. In fact, it was Davis who actually recruited Bregman to attend LSU. Plus, as a catcher for the Tigers from 2004-2007, Davis caught quite a few pitches from current Astros bullpen stalwart, Will Harris. Now he’ll be coaching Correa 2.0.

At 5’10” and 160 pounds, JC is hardly the solid physical specimen as is his 23-year-old big brother, the Astros’ standout All-Star shortstop, who towers over many, at 6’4″, 215. But, scouts say JC has plenty of room on his still-growing body to fill in muscle.

Brotherly Glove

Just as Carlos did, JC attended the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School, before being discovered at a Perfect Game Tournament in Jupiter, Florida by Mike Partida, an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Alvin Community College. Houstonians know Alvin as the hometown of Hall-of-Fame pitcher (and former Astro) Nolan Ryan, and is 31 miles south of Minute Maid Park.

Partida was scouting for players in Florida in the summer of 2016 when the play of JC caught his eye. MLB.com, in a January 2017 article, picks up the story:

“Partida liked what he saw — the quick bat, terrific instincts, dirty uniform and hustle — and thought the player would be a good fit. He was listed on the roster as Jean Carlos Correa Oppenheimer, so Partida didn’t immediately know exactly who he was trying to recruit.

“A buddy of mine, Omar Rodriguez, who’s the director of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy, I asked him about the kid, and he said, ‘Hey, Mike, do you know who that is?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘That’s Carlos Correa’s little brother of the Astros,'” Partida said. “I said, ‘No, it’s not. He has a different last name.’ He said he was using the mom’s [maiden] name, but it’s Carlos’ brother.” JC has since dropped that last name.

Good Advice

Jean Carlos has watched his big brother’s rapid development in becoming a key contributor on a World Series champion team and is determined to follow in his footsteps.

“It’s great because he gives me good advice to be better every day,” JC told Houston’s FOX 26 Sports in January 2017. “If I do something wrong he’s right there supporting me. He’s always taking care of me.”

And, as you might imagine, Carlos enjoys being there for his brother.

“Every time he’s struggling, he’ll call me [and ask] ‘what should I do’ to get out of a slump and stuff like that,” said the Astro.

“So I would just give him advice. I’ve been there and done that. I’m always there to help him, and he obviously listens to me.”

“He’s my brother, I will say that, and I am proud of him,” Jean Carlos said of the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year. “People are always comparing us, and I always say we are two different people. We have the same talent, but he’s a shortstop and I’m a second baseman, so we are totally different. People can’t compare us.”

Although the brothers have never competed together because of their four-year age gap, living one hour apart kept them closer than they had been since turning double plays on a less-than-standard pebble field in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.

We Are United

While at Alvin Community College, in 2017, JC stayed off campus like a lot of his teammates, but often went into Houston on weekends to stay with Carlos.

“We share a lot of time together like brothers, and we are united,” Jean Carlos said. Now that JC has transferred to Beaumont’s Lamar University, about 87 miles due east of Houston, he’ll only be 90 minutes away from Carlos.

Alvin head coach Jason Schreiber, when he had the younger Correa on his squad, said that he could see some of Carlos in the way Jean Carlos prepared at the plate and how he attacked the ball.

“He’s done really, really well for us and really fits in with what we do here — we hit the ball the other way, we slash the ball all over the field,” Schreiber said. “He’s got a very advanced swing and does a good job with it.”

JC Correa has slashed .364/.432/.491 in 80 careers games at ACC, with 103 total hits, including 25 doubles, one triple, and three home runs for 59 RBIs. He has walked 37 times with only 33 strikeouts, and has five stolen bases, while being caught just once.

Bleacher Coaching

According to a May 8, 2017, Houston Chronicle account, Carlos was able to attend a small handful of JC’s games at ACC, and could be heard quite clearly from the stands shouting playfully in little bother’s direction:

“¡Dale galleta!” Carlos yells. Crush the ball.

“¡Ponle piquete!” he adds. Swing with swagger.

He also laughed and pointed from the stands when JC did a faceplant while rounding second base on what would have been a triple.

“When I looked up from second, he was dying,” JC said, smiling about the embarrassment.

Orgullo Entre Hermanos

There’s no telling where JC will end up, but being drafted by the Astros has to have crossed his mind at some point, especially the thought of playing next to big brother, even if it would be years away.

“I am so proud because I saw how hard he worked in his childhood,” Jean Carlos said. “He never played basketball and all that. He was focused on baseball always. To be the first [Draft] pick in 2012, he made history [being the first No. 1 from Puerto Rico]. I’m so proud of him. Now that he’s in the big leagues, I know he reached his dream, and I know he’s looking forward to being a Hall of Famer. He’s always working hard.”

Big brothers have a way of getting in the last word, and it’s no different here:

“He’s trying to get to the big leagues the way I did,” Carlos beamed, proudly. “He has another way to do it, which is going to college first.

“I think it’ll work out for him.”