Is Corbin Carroll poised to become the greatest prospect in Arizona Diamondbacks history?
The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the brink of making franchise history in their 25th season.
Corbin Carroll, a talented outfielder for the D-backs, could potentially make history by being the first player in the team’s history to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
The top choice in Arizona sports betting to win the award is the 2019 first-round pick.
On DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, Carroll has odds of +400, making him the top choice, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Vargas with odds of +500.
According to MLB.com, Carroll is ranked as the second-best prospect in baseball and is expected to be in the starting lineup for Arizona on Opening Day, likely in one of the outfield positions.
Over the course of three seasons, the 22-year-old Carroll has played in a total of 174 minor league games, showcasing a stellar .302 batting average along with 31 home runs, 101 RBIs, 54 stolen bases, and 147 runs scored.
Carroll showed flashes of brilliance when he was called up to the major leagues towards the end of the last regular season, hitting .260 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 32 games.
Yengols.com utilized data from azsnakepit.com and Baseball-Reference.com to calculate the combined career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of the best Arizona Diamondbacks prospects in the team’s history. Additionally, they examined the criteria for Carroll to potentially join this esteemed group.
Diamondbacks prospects who have made a significant impact by their career WAR.
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Reasons Carroll Might Win NL Rookie of the Year Award
Carroll is a standout choice for baseball writers and oddsmakers because of his impressive skills in hitting, fielding, and speed, particularly given the significance of his position.
Carroll appears to be the up-and-coming talent in the Valley, showcasing a remarkable ability to reach base and exceed league standards in hitting during his age-21 season in his short stint in the MLB.
If Carroll maintains his 2022 WAR-per-game rate of .0375, we can expect him to reach a total of 6.075 WAR over the course of a full 162-game season in 2023.
The most recent NL Rookie of the Year winner with a WAR of 6 or higher was Jose Fernandez of the Marlins in 2013, while in the AL, Julio Rodriguez of Seattle accomplished this in the 2022 season.
In 2019, Ketel Marte of the D-backs finished the season with a WAR of 6.9, making him the most recent player on the Arizona team to achieve such a high WAR. The D-backs ended the season with a record of 85-77.
Carroll is anticipated to play a crucial role in the D-backs’ efforts to return to the MLB Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Other Notable D-Backs Rookies
If Carroll achieves a 6-WAR projection, he will surpass the first-year totals of some of the franchise’s past important players.
Yengols.com’s survey found that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had the highest rookie year WAR among the five players, achieving a 3.4 WAR in 2012.
In his first full season with the team, Goldschmidt, who would eventually win an MVP award with the Cardinals, recorded 20 home runs and 82 RBIs, which was more than double the production of any other player in the survey.
Following closely behind was rookie pitcher Trevor Bauer, who recorded a 1.9 WAR in 2014 following a trade from Arizona to Cleveland.
Max Scherzer, a pitcher who is destined for the Hall of Fame and began his career in Phoenix, encountered difficulties in his first season with the D-Backs. He recorded a 9-11 record and a 1.3 WAR in 170.1 innings pitched.
It is clear that if Carroll can sustain his performance from last season, he will be among the elite players as the 2023 MLB season wraps up.
Author
Peterson Christopher has over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona, with previous roles at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News. He has recently been named the lead writer at yengols.com.
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