Previewing the Arizona Diamondbacks’ potential 2024 Opening Day line-up
By Noah Wright
Right Field
Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll won the first Rookie of the Year in Arizona Diamondbacks franchise history. He had a historic campaign in 2023 and is looking to follow that up with another strong campaign. If he can replicate his rookie season, Carroll won’t just be the Diamondbacks’ best position player, but one of the best position players in the league.
Carroll batted .285/.362/.506. Both his 8.8% walk rate and 19.4% strikeout rate were slightly above average. But Carroll provided a dynamic combination of power and speed that MLB has never seen from a rookie, quite literally. With 25 home runs and 54 steals, making him the first 20/50 rookie ever. He had a .370 wOBA and 133 wRC+, both of which were top 15 in baseball.
Carroll spent time in all three outfield positions. He had exactly 481.1 innings in both left and right field with 304 more frames in center. With Gurriel Jr. back into the fold and Thomas in center, Carroll will likely see most of his time in right field. Right was his best position defensively with +1 defensive runs saved, +2 outs above average, and +19.9 UZR/150.
It’s going to be fun to watch Carroll’s encore in 2024. He’s one of the most electric players in baseball and a true five-tool threat. It would not be shocking if Carroll became an MVP finalist at the end of the season.