When the Houston Astros selected Carlos Correa first overall in the 2012 draft, it was actually a series of firsts: Correa also became the first Puerto Rican player and the first Latin American player picked No. 1 overall.

That's saying quite a bit considering so many great Latin American players have graced this game. Hall of Fame Puerto Rican players include Robert Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and Roberto Alomar.

Correa may only be a rookie, but he's making his presence felt already. The Astros are in first place in the American League West, and they are presently the No. 3 seed in the AL. Correa is one of the biggest reasons for the Astros success this year. The 6-foot-4 Puerto Rican shortstop has the highest slugging percentage on the team this year.

Back in June Correa became the second youngest player to steal three bases in a single game in the last 100 years. It comes as no surprise that Ricky Henderson was the only player who was younger to accomplish that feat. What makes Correa such a great talent and promising player is his overall skill set. He's an exceptional shortstop, great batter and good base runner.

Baseball has always been popular in Puerto Rico, but the numbers in MLB have been somewhat dwindling in recent years. According to the Washington Post, just 11 Puerto Rican-born players were on MLB rosters in 2012, significantly less than the 1990s. Boxing and soccer are emerging as the more popular sports in Puerto Rico while the Dominican Republic is dominating in the Latino demographics within MLB.

Last year it was Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox who broke out as the best young Latin American player in the game. Abreu had one of the best power hitting rookie seasons of all-time with 36 home runs, and now the game is poised with Correa's great rookie year. 

Correa may even win the AL MVP this season.

He's young and he hasn't even completed a full season in the majors yet, but Correa has become the face of Puerto Rican baseball. Many Puerto Rican baseball fans, regardless of what team they root for, are showing up in bunches to watch this young man play. Yankee stadium was filled with Puerto Rican flags and fans earlier this season when the Astros played in New York