Recap of the Historical Rookie Season for Corbin Carroll
This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced to Game 5 of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.
Corbin Carroll had a terrific rookie season in 2023 and improved upon his short career numbers.
Jake Oliver
Corbin Carroll had one of the best seasons in MLB history for a rookie. He set numerous records for both the Diamondbacks and MLB. He won numerous awards. There’s been so much said about him for his phenomenal 2023 campaign that rather than dig into everything, this is a recap of his magnificent first full MLB season. There will be brief recaps of his months for the 2023 season. Corbin Carroll proved that size does not matter at all in baseball in 2023.
Carroll jumped out full throttle in April as he slashed .309/.374/536/.910 before MLB pitchers could even get used to facing him. He had 30 hits, 19 runs, 13 extra-base hits, including four home runs, nine RBI, and an 8/24 walk-strikeout ratio in 28 games. Plus, he stole 10 bases.
He cooled off slightly in May as teams began to make adjustments against the star outfielder. Still, in 25 games, Carroll hit .267/.379/.500/.879 with 16 runs, 23 hits, five doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI, 15 walks against just 18 strikeouts, and six stolen bases. Carroll displayed a strong plate presence and showed a veteran-like approach as he worked the strike zone for walks and laid off pitches to obtain walks.
In June, Corbin continued his warpath across the MLB with a sensational slash line of .291/.348/.631/.979 with 25 runs, 30 hits, seven doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 22 RBI, and eight stolen bases over 26 games. He won the National League Rookie of the Month and Player of the Week for his standout performance in June. However, there was a scare at the end of the month on June 29th when Carroll appeared to reinjure his shoulder that he had surgery on two years prior. Luckily for the D-backs and Carroll, he was not injured and he sat out just a few games to be safe.
In July, Carroll was selected as a starter for the National League All-Star Team and made his debut All-Star appearance in his hometown of Seattle, Washington. Despite that, Carroll started to slow down at the plate as the grind of a full MLB season took its toll and MLB pitchers counter-adjusted against him. Still, he hit .250 with a .800 OPS and 17 runs, 20 hits, seven extra-base hits, 14 RBI, and 10 walks to 22 strikeouts in 23 games. He continued to tear around the bases with nine stolen bases.
The outfielder improved with a better month in August. He hit .269 with a .808 OPS in 27 games. Carroll had 19 runs, 25 hits, and nine extra-base hits to go with seven RBI. He continued to nearly walk as much as he struck out with a 12/16 ratio. Plus, once again, he stole eight bases.
He surpassed that “slump” across July and August with a strong finish in September. While he didn’t slug as much as he did in the first half of the season, which is a concern, Carroll still had a .453 slugging percentage and a .815 OPS. Over 26 games, he hit .311 and had 33 hits to go with 20 runs, five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBI, and six walks. He struck out 23 times. Carroll stole his most bases in a month yet with 13, scaring pitchers and catchers alike across the MLB with his elite speed.
Once the season was over and records in hand, Carroll finished with 30 doubles, an NL-Leading 10 triples, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 54 stolen bases, 57 walks, 125 strikeouts, and a team-leading 134 OPS+ across 155 games in just his age-22 season. He’s not even close to his prime years of age yet. He had .370 wOBA, .346 xwOBA, and a great 133 wRC+. His ISO power was a good .221 and his BABIP of .325 is sustainable thanks to his speed. He walked just 8.8% which is a tad low, but he struck out at a below-average 19.4% offsetting any lack of walks.
In the playoffs, Carroll was great. Across the five games in the NLWC and NLDS, Carroll had a slash line of .412/.565/.824/1.389. He had six runs, seven hits, a double, two home runs, four RBI, six walks, just three strikeouts, and two stolen bases. He acted like he had been to the playoffs ten times before.
In the NLCS, Carroll battled some adversity. He hit just .222 with an OPS of .489. However, he came through for the Diamondbacks in a major way in Game 7 as he broke out of his slump with three hits, two runs, two RBI, and two stolen bases in the must-win game. He silenced the critics and proved his mettle. He finished the NLCS on a three-game hitting streak.
In the World Series, Carroll had a hit in four of the five games. Despite that, he had just a .227 average and .610 OPS. Still, Carroll drove in four runs, had five hits, a triple, and walked two times to five strikeouts. It wasn’t a star performance, but Carroll didn’t let the team down as he got on base seven times in five games.
Corbin Carroll’s Records and Awards
Carroll became the first rookie in MLB history to hit 20 or more home runs and steal 50 or more bases, as he ended the season with 25 and 54, respectively. He set the D-backs rookie record with 54 steals. He set the team rookie record with 10 triples, and Win Probability Added at 5.2. His Adjusted OPS+ of 134 was yet another team rookie record. He had 12 games with 2+ steals, setting the franchise record, surpassing Tony Womack who had 10 in 1999.
Corbin Carroll was the first Asian American and Diamondbacks player to win Rookie of the Year, and he did so unanimously. He won the Players’ Choice Award for National League Outstanding Rookie. He was the first MLB player, EVER, to have 10+ triples, 25+ doubles, 25+ home runs, and 50+ stolen bases in a single season. Plus, he was the first MLB rookie with 15+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases before the All-Star Game. Carroll finished fifth in NL MVP Voting, the highest for a D-backs player since Paul Goldschmidt in 2018 when he finished sixth.
Carroll won the Luis Gonzalez Award, signifying the player with the most Arizona Diamondbacks Team Spirit Award. He was their Heart and Hustle Award winner too. Plus, he was a member of the All-MLB 1st Team. He joined Zac Gallen as the only Diamondback to ever make the team. Carroll was the first player of Taiwanese descent to play in the World Series.
2024 Status and Outlook
Thanks to the heads-up move by GM Mike Hazen, Carroll is under contract with the Diamondbacks through 2031. The All-Star signed an 8-year, $111 MM deal with a club option for 2031. The deal started with the 2023 season. Thus, he is entering his age-23 season in the second year of the long-term extension. He will make just $3.625 MM which is not even close to the value he will give the D-backs. He’s their engine and the player they need to perform the most. There’s no reason not to expect that Carroll won’t be better than he was in 2023 in 2024. He’s a year older and has a better understanding of what to expect from MLB pitching.
Plus, playing an extra month of intense and pressure-packed playoff baseball will only aid and help his development. Don’t be surprised if Carroll improves upon his numbers. Plus, it’s safe to buy his jersey as there’s a zero chance that he will be gone any time this decade. The Diamondbacks have their franchise MVP-contending player wrapped up for the foreseeable future. Enjoy watching one of the best players in baseball play at Chase Field in 2024. Corbin Carroll was the best Diamondbacks player in 2023 and will be their best player once again in 2024.
