It would be difficult to script a better rookie season than the one Corbin Carroll had in 2023. He became the first player in MLB history to record 25 or more home runs, 10 or more triples, and more than 50 stolen bases in a single season, he finished fifth in MVP voting and was unanimously named the National League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first ROY in Diamondbacks’ history.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!However, 2024 has been a different story for Carroll. In what is often regarded as a “sophomore slump,” Carroll’s .211 batting average and a mere two home runs, compared to 25 in his rookie season, have left many wondering what happened.
While the 23-year-old has shown signs of improvement in June, posting a .254 batting average and being on pace to finish the month with more walks than strikeouts for the first time in 2024, his production has been nowhere near what it was in 2023.
From a 5.4 WAR last year to 0.3 this year, Carroll’s first half of the 2024 season can be labeled as a disaster. In a recent list by Brandon Scott at Bleacher Report, Carroll’s performance was cited as the fifth biggest disaster in Major League Baseball this year.
Scott noted: “It has not been a smooth season for the reigning NL Rookie of the Year who was an All-Star for Arizona last season. Just three weeks ago, Corbin Carroll watched his average dip to .192, and he’s only slashing .167/.375/.333 over his last seven games. There was a 12-game stretch this month when he hit .340/.446/.511, but that’s a small sample size in a larger, more disappointing body of work in 2024. His numbers are significantly down from his rookie season across the board. For comparison, Carroll slashed .285/.362/.506 for a .868 OPS with 25 home runs last season. He’s slashing .211/.305/.313 for a .618 OPS with only two home runs this year. The 23-year-old probably deserves some grace for the sophomore slump, and maybe he’s a prisoner of his own success. But given the expectation he set last season, the first three months of this one have been disastrous.”
The Diamondbacks as a whole also appeared on Brandon Scott’s list, with “Pennant Winners,” i.e., the D-backs and the Rangers, named the eighth biggest disasters of this season. Both teams are below the .500 mark, and if the season were to end today, they would not be in the postseason despite trips to the World Series last fall. Scott highlighted the Diamondbacks’ pitching woes, noting they hold the fifth worst team ERA in baseball. He also criticized the offense, stating that the D-backs’ fortunes are not going to improve unless Carroll’s bat wakes up.
Coming in at #3 on the “10 Biggest Disasters of the 2024 MLB Season After 3 Months” list is Spencer Torkelson, a former Arizona State standout recently sent down by the Detroit Tigers. After smashing 31 home runs in 2023, Torkelson began this season with a -1.2 WAR across 54 games.
Rounding out Scott’s “disaster list” are the Giants’ Blake Snell at #2, followed by the Chicago White Sox at #1.
