PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll came into the 2023 season as the favorite to win the National League's Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year.
And Carroll did nothing but deliver, hitting .285 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 116 runs scored and 54 stolen bases. He led the D-backs not only to the postseason for the first time since 2017 but also their first World Series berth since 2001.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: El jardinero de los Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll es el Novato del Año de la Liga Nacional
Now, Carroll has done was he was predicted to do in Spring Training, as he was named the NL's Rookie of the Year on Monday. He is the first Diamondback to win the award.
Carroll was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, receiving all 30 first-place votes. On a conference call with reporters, Carroll said he was honored to be selected as the NL's top rookie.
"It means a lot to me," Carroll said. "You (reporters) are the ones behind the scenes with years and years of experience who are deciding what makes a player, who's valuable. And for you guys to view me in that way, it means a lot to me. Especially in a year like this where I felt like even beyond the three nominees, there were so many more talented rookie players this year."
Carroll beat New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, who finished second, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman, who finished third, for the award.
Others receiving votes included Colorado's Nolan Jones, Cincinnati's Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz, Miami's Eury Perez, and San Francisco's Patrick Bailey.
You can find the full voting details here.
Carroll added that reason the Rookie of the Year award means so much to him is due to the fact that his favorite player as a child, Ichiro Suzuki, won it in his rookie year with the Seattle Mariners.
"Being able to be listed with players like that, who I looked up to, that that means a lot to me," Carroll said. "Having my name next to (Ichiro) in some way, he inspired a young Seattle kid and hopefully I can do that for the next generation."
Carroll also detailed what he hopes the next generation of baseball stars learn from him.
"(I'm) not the biggest guy out there in the field, but my ability to not be that guy and still be able to impact the game," Carroll said. "That's one piece of it. (There are) not too many Asian Americans in this circumstance, you know, I think that's another piece of it that I hope to inspire. And also just the style of play, right? Like, just with the respect for the game, going out there and giving your 110%. That's something that I also hope that people take from that."
The 23-year-old was Arizona's top prospect and made his MLB debut on August 29, 2022, just three years after being drafted by the D-backs with the #16 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Carroll rocketed through the D-backs' minor league system, showing off incredible speed and showing why he was one of the top prospects in the 2019 draft out of Lakeside High School in Seattle.
Since Carroll had less than 130 at-bats in the majors after his debut in 2022, his rookie season became 2023 and Carroll became one of the most talked about members of a D-backs team looking to continue their rise after losing 110 games in 2021 and 88 games in 2021.
A look back at Corbin Carroll's rookie season
Carroll made waves from the very first series of the season when he stole three bases in one game against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 2.
The next night, the D-backs were in San Diego and Carroll hit his first home run of the season.
That was just the beginning for Carroll, as he continued to make headlines all season long.
On April 6, the day of the D-backs home opener, Carroll was dropped off at Chase Field by his parents.
He hit his first home of the season at Chase Field on April 7, the second of back-to-back home runs off Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
On April 28, Carroll showed off his speed, almost catching teammate Geraldo Perdomo as they rounded the bases and scored on a Josh Rojas double.
Carroll walked off the Rockies on June 1 to complete Arizona's first four-game sweep of Colorado since 2002.
Carroll's first grand slam and multi-home run game came in Detroit just eight days later and helped him earn the title of NL Player of the Week.
And then in July, Carroll started in left field for the National League in the 2023 All-Star Game in his hometown of Seattle.
But as with any season, there were some downs for Carroll. He had an injury scare after crashing into the Coors Field wall in late April, after a swing in early July and after getting hit by a pitch in September. But Carroll bounced back from all of that along with the D-backs' midseason slump to help the team clinch the final Wild Card spot and first playoff berth in six years on the second-to-last day of the regular season.
Arizona finished with a record of 84-78, their best record since 2019. Carroll was the first rookie ever with 25 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases. He led all NL rookies in hits, extra-base hits, runs and wins above replacement (WAR).
The D-backs made the most out of their trip to the playoffs, sweeping the Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series and the Dodgers in the NL Division Series before beating the Phillies in seven games in the NL Championship Series. They then advanced to the World Series where they lost to the Texas Rangers in five games.
Carroll hit .273 in the playoffs with two home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases. He scored 11 runs.
Carroll said he was emotional after the loss to the Rangers in Game 5 of the World Series, which is why he did not speak with reporters after the game.
"I knew that I would probably cry if I had to talk to anyone," Carroll said, adding that the night of Game 5 was the first time he had cried in years. The second came right before Monday's call with reporters when he was thanking family and friends for supporting him this season.
When looking back on his rookie year, Carroll said he had one overwhelming emotion come over him: pride.
"I think within a few days, that was kind of the overwhelming emotion was just proud of our group, proud of what we have accomplished," Carroll said. "Proud of what we've done for the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona, and just kind of the way that we saw the whole community rally around us. I think all those things just made me feel proud about the year we had."
Carroll will be back on the field with the D-backs when they open Spring Training play against the Colorado Rockies on February 23 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale.
D-backs earn another first-round draft pick
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson was the winner for AL Rookie of the Year. He was also a unanimous selection. This is the fifth time both Rookie of the Year winners were unanimous selections.
The D-backs also earned an extra first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft due to MLB's Prospect Promotion Incentive.
Carroll said that draft pick was a major reason why he wanted to chase this award in particular.
"That's probably what brought the most weight to chasing something like this for me," Carroll said. "Not for the personal fame, or, you know, attention, but for that ability to benefit my team."
Carroll continued saying he hopes to play for the D-backs long enough that the player selected with that draft pick ends up being one of his teammates.
Carroll also views this award as a thank you to the D-backs' front office for believing in him this year, especially when it came to signing him to an eight-year, $111 million contract extension during Spring Training.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
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