Corbin Carroll’s triples giving Valley sports fans something to cheer for

These are dark times in Valley sports. We are a booming metropolis and a destination city badly underserved by our major professional franchises.

Yet we remain unified and electrified by our only consistent show of greatness:

The Corbin Carroll triple.

Corbin Carroll motors all the way to third to set a new franchise record in triples! 👏 https://t.co/3JTv4YewU0 pic.twitter.com/xlM5Y7Hfwx

— MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2026

On Friday, Carroll became the Diamondbacks’ franchise leader in triples with 53. He posted 10 triples at the halfway point of the 162-game schedule. He is a near certainty to be Major League Baseball’s active leader by the end of the season (Mike Trout and Starling Marte each had 55 entering Monday’s games).

For 33 years, Hank Aaron was baseball’s all-time home run king. Yet even he called the triple the most exciting play in baseball, a moment that brings both dugouts to their feet and a sense of utter desperation to the opposing defense.

In Arizona, we might be watching the greatest triples hitter in history.

Start with the aesthetics. Carroll is a fearsome hitter. During his recent two-triple performance against the Rockies, the exit velocity of those hits was 108.9 and 105 miles per hour, respectively. His ensuing footspeed was 30.2 and 29.4 feet per second, respectively. Those are astonishing numbers. Few who run so fast carry that kind of slug.

A triple requires a banana-shaped route to third base, and Carroll excels at cutting corners. In May, he posted a personal best time of 10.71 seconds. He does not have the fastest triple on record (Billy Hamilton, 10.39). But since 2023, he has posted seven of the top 10 fastest times on record. He summons elite speed more consistently than anyone.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo noted that a standup triple for Carroll is like a standup double for anyone else. The triple is both rare and full of chaos. And there is no act in Major League Baseball more painfully distorted in the hallowed record books.

For visual proof, search for all-time triples leaders at baseballreference.com. You will get 24 headshots in return. All but one are black-and-white photos taken from the dead ball era. They are old-timey men with waxed mustaches and non-descript hats. They amassed triples by the bushels because of ancient ballpark architecture, where gaps in centerfield seemingly went on for miles.

“Wahoo” Sam Crawford retired in 1917 with a .309 batting average and 309 triples. The latter is a record that may never be threatened.

Still, Carroll is threatening to become the first player in 19 years to finish with 20 or more triples in a season. He will likely lead the National League in triples for four consecutive seasons. And if he gets to 20 this season, he’ll have 63 total triples after just five seasons.

He would need to average 20 triples for another 12-plus years to break Crawford’s record. But he’s only 124 behind former Cardinals great Stan Musial, who is the modern-era leader in triples, and the only photo on baseballreference.com that shows up in color. That record might be attainable.

Either way, a Corbin Carroll triple is currently the best thing we have in Arizona sports. Once it was the explosive running plays from former quarter Kyler Murray, who had 20 carries that went for 20 or more yards (his most famous rushing attempt was a two-point conversion that covered nearly 85 yards in total ground covered). But then he stopped running.

Once, it was Devin Booker going nuclear and scoring 40 or more points in a single game, which has happened 47 times in his 11-year career. But like an aging volcano, those eruptions have tailed off. And for one precious season, our best entertainment might’ve been broken tackles amassed by Cam Skattebo.

Now it’s the sight of a grimacing Carroll barreling for third, touching the first two bases without breaking stride, leaving his helmet well behind in the swirl of dust. And a throw from the outfield that has zero chance.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m.–10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

Related

Corbin Carroll becomes the Diamondbacks' all-time triples kingDiamondbacks swept by Rays, Merrill Kelly regresses with tough part of schedule nearingDiamondbacks unable to muster much offense in loss to Rays as team falls back to .500Yilber Diaz claimed by Tigers after getting DFA'd by DiamondbacksCan Kenny Dillingham overcome challenges to keep momentum going at Arizona State?Has LeBron James set himself up to pass Michael Jordan with move to 76ers? Has he already?