Astros' Correa turns focus to MVP: 'I want to be the top' player in baseball

Carlos Correa has the team accolades. Now, he's ready to win himself some individual hardware.

After leading the Houston Astros to a World Series title in 2017 - only his third major-league season - the former first overall pick is setting his sights on earning the American League's Most Valuable Player award.

"MVP is something I don't want to retire without winning one," Correa told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "It would be like a dream come true. I already have a Rookie of the Year. I have (been an) All-Star. I've got a World Series championship. That's amazing. I don't know if it's this year, but at some point, I'd like to win that (MVP), and I'll just try to improve my game every single day to try to accomplish that."

If not for the disabled list, Correa might already have an MVP in his trophy case. All that stood in the way of the 23-year-old running away with the award last season was a thumb injury suffered in July that cost him nearly seven weeks of action. Correa finished strong and ended his year with a .315/.391/.550 slash line, plus 24 homers and 80 RBIs in just 109 games, but without a full season he only managed 17th in MVP voting.

Jose Altuve, who lines up beside Correa on the Astros' infield, took home the MVP in a landslide.

Correa said he's focused on improving his pitch selection and baserunning, in particular, all with an eye on moving past his peers to become the best player in his sport.

"I feel like I had a really great year last year, but there's still many holes in my game I can fix in order for me to get better," he said. "Obviously, my expectations are even higher than last year. With the experience I acquired last year and the things I've learned through the two-and-a-half years I've been playing in the big leagues, I'm thinking about becoming an even better player this year, and I know what I need to do in order for me to do that.

"I don't want to be one of the top (players); I want to be the top one."