Corbin Carroll Wins National League Rookie of the Year Award
To almost nobody’s surprise, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll won the National League Rookie of the Year award, while New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga placed second and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman came in third.
Carroll was called up to the big leagues in August of last year and didn’t lose his rookie status. During that time, he hit .260/.330/.500 in his first 115 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 131. Based on these stats and his time in the minor leagues, the Diamondbacks wasted no time with an extension, rewarding him with an eight-year extension worth at least $111 million in guaranteed money. This was a record deal as it was the largest contract ever signed by a player with less than 100 days of MLB service time.
The Diamondbacks locked up their franchise guy at just 22-years-old and, so far, it has worked out well. Carroll crushed 25 home runs while batting .285/.362/.506 with a wRC+ of 131. He was also great defensively and produced a 5.4 rWAR.
The Diamondbacks broke their playoff drought this season and surprised a lot of people. They cruised through the first two rounds against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Dodgers, followed by winning in an intense seven-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Although they didn’t win the World Series, this year was a massive step in the right direction.
Carroll also did something great for the benefit of the team. He earned them an additional draft pick at the end of the first round. New rules, agreed to prior to the 2022 season, allow teams to get a bonus pick when certain rookies win the award as long as they were on the opening day roster. On top of this, Carroll is also the first person to win the award in Diamondbacks history.
When talking to reporters on Monday night, Carroll said that winning this award had a special meaning. He tries to model his game after others who have won it, and specifically Ichiro Suzuki.
“I think growing up, watching a player like that,” Carroll said. “who is not the biggest guy out there and still able to impact the game in so many ways, with his speed, his arm, his defense, his ability to put the bat on the ball, that inspired me to want to play a similar brand of baseball.”
Carroll won the award unanimously, gaining all 30 first-place votes. Now that this team has playoff experience, it will be exciting to watch them compete again. If the Diamondbacks make some good moves this offseason, they could emerge as the NL West favorites and make a deep playoff run again.
