Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll has the NL Rookie of the Year award on lockdown. Heck, he’s making a compelling case for the MVP, too. Carroll has only played just over 100 MLB games, so some fans still might not know about him. But plays like the one he made on Thursday afternoon prove that he won’t be able to fly under the radar for much longer.
After Carroll reached base on a fielder’s choice, Christian Walker hit a single up the middle and Carroll began zipping around the bases. It takes some decent speed to go from first to third on a single, but Carroll didn’t stop there. He motored around third and scored the first run of the game—all the way from first base.
Corbin Carroll turned a Christian Walker single into a run scored.
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) June 22, 2023
Can you say elite?! pic.twitter.com/mgtbfhzUcL
Now, Carroll was aided a bit by an error on center fielder Derek Hill, who bobbled the ball slightly. But still, that camera angle of Carroll sprinting around the bases is incredible.
In 72 games this season entering Thursday’s action, Carroll was leading the National League in both slugging (.581) and OPS (.962). He has the highest Baseball Reference WAR (3.7) in the NL and trails only the Rays’ Wander Franco among all MLB players. As Tom Verducci wrote earlier this week, Carroll is off to one of the best starts to a career in MLB history.
