'You gotta live up to the hype': The pressure of being MLB's No. 1 pick

TORONTO - Carlos Correa had no idea how much the 2012 MLB Draft would change his life, but he knew he wanted to be there to hear his name called.

He didn't have to wait long.

Despite entering the draft as the fifth-ranked prospect, Correa was selected first overall by the Houston Astros, making him the highest-drafted Puerto Rican in MLB history. The then 17-year-old shortstop hugged his family, walked on stage, and greeted commissioner Bud Selig.

His life would never be the same.

"Going into the draft, I wasn't sure," Correa told theScore when asked if he thought he would go No. 1. "I knew it was a possibility. I was looking at Bud Selig, and he called my name. It was a life-changing moment for me and my family. We come from poverty back in Puerto Rico, so that moment completely changed my life forever."

Correa went into the draft fairly blind and a little naive. He kept up with some early projections and mock drafts, though he said his access to technology was limited. Correa grew up in Boca Velázquez, a little town he describes as a place "nobody even knows about" but where "everybody knows each other."

"I kind of followed (mock drafts), but I didn't have a phone at the time," Correa said. "I didn't grow up with a phone. We were very poor. My agency, I would talk to them, so I kinda knew I was a top-five player going into the draft, but I didn't pay too much attention to it because I didn't have a phone."

He's proud of where he comes from and his upbringing. His father, Carlos Sr., worked long hours in construction to help support his son's dream, hoping to give him a better life.

"He would take me to work construction with him in the summers when I was 15, 16 years old, and I was like, 'Dad, I don't want to do this at all," Correa said. "It motivated me even more to chase my dreams."

Correa's certainly lived up to the hype of being a No. 1 pick; he won the 2015 Rookie of the Year, has been named to three All-Star teams, and won a Platinum Glove. He also helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series.

"I'm very happy to make my parents proud, and all their hard work and sacrifices paid off," he said. "They still spend months with me during the year in Minnesota. We have a very close relationship to this day, and I'll always be grateful for all their efforts."

'Everyone was on edge'

Correa opted to attend the event with his family, but others chose to celebrate their big night at home, surrounded by loved ones.

"The important thing on draft day was I wanted to be around my friends and family," Baltimore Orioles catcher - and 2019 No. 1 pick - Adley Rutschman told theScore. "Those are the people that have been there through the journey. That was a really important part for me."

Rutschman, a junior at Oregon State at the time, was the projected first overall pick on most mocks heading into the draft. Despite that, he said he didn't know the Orioles were selecting him until about 45 seconds before it happened.

"That was kind of exciting and the cool part of it - not knowing," Rutschman said. "I think everyone was on edge."

Spencer Torkelson was full of nerves on his draft day. He tried to relax by spending the morning on the golf course with friends.

"I don't even remember what the golf round was like," Torkelson said. "I was so excited that day. It was one of the most special feelings I've ever felt."

Torkelson's experience may have been the most unique. The 2020 event came during the COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions meant it was done remotely and limited to five rounds. MLB Network set up a satellite camera in the corner of the living room where he was sitting with a group to capture the reaction.

Torkelson said he tried his best to avoid reading projections in the months before the draft, but he admitted he was constantly tagged in social media posts, making it difficult to avoid.

The Tigers gave Torkelson no advance notice that they would select him.

"There was no call before. When the public found out is when I found out," Torkelson said. "The commissioner introduced the draft and then went to commercial. People were asking if I got a text or a call, and I was like, 'Nope.'

"As soon as they said 'Spencer,' the room went ballistic. I didn't even know they drafted me as a third baseman because we all were celebrating so loud."

Three weeks later, Torkelson was on a plane to Detroit. He'd take part in the alternate site at Comerica Park with a handful of players getting reps during the COVID season.

"It was eye opening," Torkelson said. "To go straight from the college season being canceled to big league spring training was wild."

Casey Mize was a bit of a late bloomer. Like Torkelson, he wasn't drafted out of high school, and early projections weren't promising.

"At the start of the season, I don't think I was mocked in the first round," Mize told theScore.

Mize climbed the ranks as the year went on. He dominated at Auburn as a junior and garnered a lot of attention after throwing a no-hitter against Northeastern.

Mize didn't attend the MLB draft, but he had a good excuse.

"We were still playing," he said. "The night before, we were in Raleigh, North Carolina. We just won the regional. We went back to Auburn that morning, and I got drafted that night. We had a game the next week against Florida in the super regionals."

Mize gathered in the Auburn football team's meeting room on draft night with members of the baseball program.

Unlike Torkelson two years earlier, the Tigers tipped him off.

"They told us the night before that I was going to go first, but I didn't really buy it until I heard my name," Mize said. "It was truly emotional."

'It definitely weighed on me'

There have been 60 first overall picks since MLB implemented the draft in 1965. Only 28 of those players have been All-Stars. Four have been elected into the Hall of Fame. Two retired before reaching the majors.

Unlike the NBA, NHL, and NFL, there's a much lower probability that MLB's No. 1 pick will be a franchise-altering player. So many variables factor into development, and so many things can go wrong.

Every player that gets drafted faces extreme pressure to succeed, but for the No. 1 selection, the external expectations are amplified.

"You come in as the first pick, and everybody's looking at you head to toe," Correa said. "They want to see what you're all about, see what your character's all about, see what your body looks like, see how you move, see how you hit. They're paying attention to every single detail. You gotta live up to the hype, and it can be a lot of pressure for a lot of people."

Torkelson signed the highest bonus in MLB draft history at the time. He made his MLB debut in 2022 and anchored the Tigers' lineup the following season, hitting 31 home runs. While there were flashes of success, the early years were also full of inconsistent production, and he was eventually demoted to Triple-A in 2023.

He believes the expectations that came from being No. 1 took a mental toll on him.

"It definitely weighed on me," Torkelson said. "I fell into the trap of trying to be what everyone was wanting me to be, rather than going out and being me, which is what got me picked. It took me about three or four years to get over that hump."

Rutschman began to feel the weight of expectations as his stock rose heading into his draft year. He made it a priority to speak with family and close friends to come up with a way to eliminate distractions.

"Expectations come from everywhere," he said. "This is the first time real expectations are placed on you.

"That's when I decided what I wanted to focus on, what was important to me, and how I wanted to attack every day. I felt, once you have that format, you just keep going. The game's always chasing after you. So just keep sticking with it."

Torkelson fought through his struggles and believes he's come out on the other side. He's enjoying the best season of his young career and credits his change in mindset. He believes what he learned through his experience can help others.

"I just stopped caring about (expectations)," Torkelson said. "I'm gonna be me no matter what. I'm gonna live and die by me. So that's it."

It can take patience. Not all progress is linear. Torkelson understands that better than most, and he wants other players to know that, too.

"No matter what, whether it's first overall or 10th round, everyone in pro ball has somewhat of an equal opportunity once they get there," he said. "Do what got you there and don't change unless you really need to. Don't try to make anyone else happy."