How Corbin Carroll became an unlikely MLB superstar | MLB Deep Dive

He is nine inches shorter and listed nearly 120 pounds lighter than Aaron Judge.

But when you look at the home run leaderboards both in this 2025 season and since last year’s All-Star break, there he is right near the top: Corbin Carroll, a not-so-heavy heavy hitter, providing big power for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

When Carroll went deep twice off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on May 12, he was already more than halfway to his home run total from his 2023 Rookie of the Year season and trailing only Judge and known dinger dealer Kyle Schwarber in the season home run tally.

That’s impressive stuff from the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Carroll.

But there’s so much more to his game than slugging.

There is also speed and defense, intellect and intensity. At 24 years old, Carroll is a complete player having a sensational season that could put him firmly in the mix for the National League MVP.

His power might be surprising, given his small stature. But to know Carroll’s story is to know there’s nothing he can’t do on the baseball field.

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He is listed 9 in shorter and nearly 120 lbs lighter than Aaron Judge. But when you look at the home run leaderboards both in this 2025 season and since last year’s All-Star break, there he is right near the top. Corbin Carroll, a not so heavy heavy hitter, providing big power for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fly ball Corbin Carroll. Goodbye. Corbin Carroll’s reign of terror continues. When Carol went deep twice off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on May 12th, he was already more than halfway to his home run total from his 2023 Rookie of the Year season and trailing only judge and known dinger dealer Kyle Schwarber in the season home run tally. That’s impressive stuff from the 5’10”, 165-lb Carol. But there’s so much more to his game than slugging. There is also speed and defense, intellect and intensity. At 24 years old, Carol is a complete player having a sensational season that could put him firmly in the mix for the National League MVP. His power might be surprising given his small stature. But to know Carol’s story is to know there’s nothing he can’t do on the baseball field. Carol was born to a mother, Pay Lynn, who immigrated from Taiwan and who would often throw batting practice to him. He is said to have gotten his feisty competitiveness from his mother and his highlevel ability to process information from his father, Brandt, an eye surgeon. In a different version of Carol’s story, we wouldn’t get to see him slashing, dashing, and mashing for the Dbacks. We have a former MLB all-star, a player whose 14-year career ended with Arizona to thank for not letting that happen. Jeff Cerillo was Carol’s coach with the WW Sweets baseball club in an 18 and under league in the Seattle area when Carol was just 14 years old. At the time, Carol was an elite soccer player as well. He was small and he was fast and he had a chance to have a real future in the beautiful game. But when he wasn’t on the pitch, he would pitch for Cerillo’s club. And though Carol was towing the mound at the time, Cerillo recognized that the teenager had speed and hand eye coordination that couldn’t be taught. Cerillo told Carol’s parents that the kid was doing himself no favor showing up at baseball practice with bruises and rolled ankles from the grind of soccer. He understood that Carol might want to just play soccer or continue to play both. But he also made it clear that if Carol committed to baseball, he could truly be something special. Apparently, Carol and his parents agreed because soon thereafter, the kid left soccer behind and focused firmly on the diamond. He entered high school at the private Lakeside School in Seattle at just 5’6, 130 lbs. But there he was as a freshman, not only starring for the Lions in Center Field, but also pitching for them in the 3A state final, which they reached for the first time in school history thanks to his stellar season. Carol’s High School is known more for its academics than its athletics. Heck, Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen graduated from there in the early 1970s. But in Carol, Lakeside had a bonafide baseball star. One of the best prep players ever to emerge from the Pacific Northwest. He committed to UCLA as a sophomore. But when he became MVP of the area code games and the All-American game, professional scouts were salivating. Carol caught the attention of even casual fans, too. When a video of one of his high school homers went viral. In the clip, he is seen attempting to call timeout at the plate, but the ump doesn’t grant it, and the opposing pitcher tries to quick pitch him. Forced to think fast, Carol simply swings at the pitch and belts it to the burm beyond the right field wall. Needless to say, Carol never made it to UCLA. Instead, the Dbacks drafted him 16th overall in the 2019 draft. Because of his still undersized 5’10 frame, he was the fourth outfielder selected behind JJ Bladeet, Riley Green, and Hunter Bishop. But even as he navigated a shoulder surgery and a season lost to the pandemic during his minor league career, Carol’s super speed, advanced approach, and improving power made him one of the most exciting prospects in the sport. Carol also made the most of the downtime during his shoulder recovery in 2021. While rehabbing in Arizona, he decided to take in just about every Diamondback’s home game at Chase Field from the scout section behind home plate. There, he sat with the club’s advanced scout Jeff Gardner and saw the game from a different perspective. The following year, a newly healthy Carol put those lessons to use. He soared through three minor league levels in 2022 before making his big league debut in late August of that year and immediately contributing his first big league hit, a two-run double to a victory in which the Dbacks rallied from a 7 nothing deficit against the Phillies. In that 2022 season, Carol posted the fastest sprint speed in MLB at 30.7 ft per second, and he was just starting to run. In his first full season in 2023, Carol, newly inked to an eight-year $111 million extension, electrified the baseball world and turned the playoff order on its head. In the regular season, he became the first rookie in MLB history to swat at least 20 homers with at least 50 steals. He also became the first player of any experience level to have 10 or more triples, 25 or more doubles, 25 or more homers, and 50 or more stolen bases in a single season. That made Carol a lock for National League Rookie of the Year, an honor he claimed unanimously to become the first player of Asian-American descent to win the award. But Carol was also productive in the postseason as the Dbacks went on an epic and completely unexpected run to the NL pennant. Carol doubled and homerred in the twoame sweep of the Brewers in the wild card series. Had three hits, a homer, and two steals in a surprise sweep of the rival Dodgers in the division series and went three for four with two runs, two steals, and two RBI in the NLCS game seven clincher over the Phillies. Carol’s rookie season was a smashing success, but it’s actually failure that has brought out his best. The failure came in 2024 when for much of the season and for the first time in his baseball life, Carol looked overmatched on the field. With a 212 average and 635 OPS in the first half, he was not a repeat all-star. Instead, he began to doubt his abilities, taking hundreds of swings before games and trying all manner of TE’s, bat sizes, and mechanical adjustments to find a fix that wouldn’t come. It was not until the last two months of the season when Carol learned to not let the negative thoughts spiral that he got his groove back. In his final 53 games of the season in August and September, he banged out 14 homers, 15 steals, and a 918 OPS to put a respectable finish to a frustrating season. And here in 2025, he has taken the lessons learned from last year and applied them to one of the best starts in all of MLB. Those who know Carol best rave about his intellect and adaptability as much as the raw talents we see on the field. His manager, Tory Lavell, calls Carol a mad scientist, putting together the perfect concoction of information and preparation every day to craft the best version of himself. Carol is the type of athlete who probably would have found a way to excel in whatever his chosen field, but he chose the baseball field and has provided a blend of power and speed the game has rarely seen before. Despite his small size, Carol’s power has surged this season, maximizing the potential of his efficient swing, grip strength, and strong forearms. He’s in the upper echelon in MLB in bat speed and hard hit and barrel percentages. And he is the only player in MLB in the top 3% of the league in both expected slugging percentage and sprint speed. that his extra bases and stolen bases also come with one of the highest outs above average totals of any right fielder over the last three seasons only adds to his value. Carol is the Diamondback’s dynamo signed for the long haul, brandishing the long ball and standing much taller than his height can measure.