MLB Insider: Explaining my National League Rookie of the Year ballot

In the early part of the offseason, Major League Baseball announces its annual awards winners. My vote this year, as a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, was for National League Rookie of the Year.

My ballot went as follows: Corbin Carroll, Kodai Senga and James Outman.

That’s precisely how the Rookie of the Year voting finished, with Carroll winning in a unanimous decision. Senga finished second while Outman, an emerging Dodgers rookie, finished third. Here’s how I came to the decision with each player on my ballot.

1. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

The decision to put Carroll atop my ballot was relatively straightforward. Just look at his numbers this season: .285/.362/.506 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI and 54 stolen bases. 

Carroll quickly emerged as the Diamondbacks’ best player and became the first player in baseball history to record 50+ steals, 25+ home runs and 10+ triples in a season. The Diamondbacks saw superstar ability in Carroll when they drafted him and called him up for 32 games in 2022, signing him to a whopping eight-year, $111 million contract extension before the 2023 season began.

Carroll, 23, is going to be a force in the National League for a long time. He was a primary reason why the Diamondbacks ultimately advanced to the World Series and while voting was done after the regular season, it was apparent that he was the obvious choice to win the award.