ESPN: D-backs’ Corbin Carroll has real chance to be 3rd rookie to win MVP

Those around the Valley are no strangers to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and his uncanny ability all around the diamond.

Carroll has recently shined in the national spotlight and rightfully so.

He is slashing .301/.381/.579 with 16 home runs, 41 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and an OPS+ of 160. Additionally, he has shown flashes in the outfield because of the amount of ground he can cover with his speed.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield thinks the D-backs are off to a red-hot start because of the overall production of the entire team. ESPN predicts Arizona has a 73.3% chance to make the playoffs and that Carroll is the engine that makes the D-backs move.

OK, so the Diamondbacks are getting contributions across the board: Geraldo Perdomo is hitting around .300 and drawing walks, Ketel Marte has been healthy and productive, Christian Walker is hitting for power and driving in runs and Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have been a terrific 1-2 punch (a combined 16-5 with a 2.99 ERA). But Carroll is the engine that drives everything, and he looks more and more like a BMW S70/2. It’s no coincidence that the Diamondbacks have surged past the Dodgers as Carroll has been lighting up the box scores lately. From May 28 to June 13, he hit .414/.485/.914 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games as the Diamondbacks went 12-3. He’s not just the clear Rookie of the Year at this point but an MVP candidate, too.

The National League Rookie of the Year award odds see Carroll at -475 and the heavy favorite, with Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz at +500, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. No one else is closer than +5,000.

Although when it comes to the MVP odds, the rest of the league is looking up at Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who is sitting at -115. Carroll sits in second place at +500, followed by four other NL West players in Freddie Freeman (+650), Fernando Tatis Jr. (+2,500), Mookie Betts (+2,500) and Juan Soto (+2,500).

Carroll, 22, looks to join Vida Blue, Johnny Bench and Stan Musial as the youngest players to win the MVP award.

The speedster in the outfield is also a finalist for a starting position in the All-Star Game alongside his teammate Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who both aim to join Acuna as starters.

The first round of adjustments favored Carroll as he improved his walk rate after an aggressive approach the first few weeks. We’ll see how the league adjusts, but this is clearly a special player. The only rookies to win MVP were Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001, and I’m giving Carroll a chance to become the third. He’s the real deal.

Arizona takes on the San Francisco Giants in game No. 2 of the series at 1:05 p.m. Catch all the action on 98.7, the Arizona Sports app and ArizonaSports.com.