The biggest storyline behind the Diamondbacks’ struggles to begin 2024 has been the performance of their superstar player, Corbin Carroll. The 2023 National League Rookie of the Year is off to a dreadful start to the season, sporting a .192/.292/.242 slash with just one home run in his 31 games in 2024. He’s been moved down to the bottom of the order as the team tries to take the pressure off Carroll and jumpstart his bat.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The area where pitchers have found success attacking Corbin Carroll has been on fastballs up and in. Since making his MLB debut on August 29, 2022, Carroll has seen 129 fastballs in the shadow and chase zones that are up and in on him. On those pitches, he’s batting .053 with a .053 slugging percentage. It’s a tough location for left-handed batters to hit, as they are hitting .177 with a .267 slugging percentage over that same stretch. Comparing Carroll to the rest of the league, it’s clear he has a massive hole in his swing against fastballs up and in. Until he closes that hole, the struggles at the plate will likely continue.
No such sequence better showcased that than in the Diamondbacks’ 7-1 loss to the Padres Friday night. Facing Dylan Cease in the 5th inning, Carroll swung at three up-and-in fastballs. The three swings produced a foul ball and two whiffs.
If you looking for an at-bat that best epitomizes Corbin Carroll's struggles at the plate, I'd start here. https://t.co/0xjmCpkbrN #MLBFilmRoom via @MLB
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) May 4, 2024
With the team’s health issues in the outfield, they’ve continued to run him out in center field. Carroll’s solid glove in center field has kept him above replacement level for the season, despite the struggles at the plate. Alek Thomas is set to return to the lineup soon, which would move Carroll back to right field. Moving to a less physically demanding position would theoretically allow him to focus on his bat more and try to figure out how to close the up-and-in hole in his swing.
As the face of the franchise, the Diamondbacks will likely go where Corbin Carroll will take them. While the team is struggling with injuries to the pitching staff, the biggest issue they’ll need to fix is Carroll’s bat. Once they have him going, that sets the table for the rest of the lineup and allow them to add more pressure on opposing pitchers.
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Michael McDermott is the lead writer covering the Arizona Diamondbacks for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
