Five years after they played together in a showcase of the best high school baseball players in America, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson won the Rookie of the Year Award on Monday, only the fifth time both leagues’ winners have been unanimous.
Both players, Carroll and Henderson, began the season in the major leagues and were ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball. As part of the Prospect Promotion Incentive negotiated by the players’ union in collective-bargaining discussions to discourage service-time manipulation, their teams will receive an additional first-round pick in 2024.
At 23, Carroll is anticipated to perform well in the National League Most Valuable Player voting after an impressive season where he posted a batting line of .285/.362/.506, hitting 25 home runs and stealing 54 bases – the second-highest in the majors, trailing NL MVP favorite Ronald Acuna Jr.
Henderson, aged 22, played a crucial role in the Orioles’ successful season, contributing both power and solid defense. He played a part in the Orioles’ 101-61 record and clinching the American League East title. Henderson became the Orioles’ first Rookie of the Year since Gregg Olson in 1989.
Cleveland Guardians’ right-hander Tanner Bibee secured the second position, gaining a full year of service time despite debuting in late April. Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas finished third. In the NL, New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga took second place, and Los Angeles Dodgers’ James Outman secured the third position. they played together
The unanimous selection of both Rookies of the Year, Carroll and Henderson, with 30 of 30 first-place votes is a rare occurrence. The last time this happened was in 2017 when Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers received unanimous votes. Other instances of two unanimous winners were in 1997 with Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen, in 1993 with California’s Tim Salmon and Los Angeles’ Mike Piazza, and in 1987 with Oakland’s Mark McGwire and San Diego’s Benito Santiago.
Interestingly, Carroll and Henderson shared the field in the Under Armour All-American Game on July 20, 2018, at Wrigley Field. Carroll led off and Henderson hit sixth, and both players contributed to the game. Carroll went 2 for 3 with a run scored, while Henderson was 1 for 3 with a pair of RBIs.
Carroll had an outstanding rookie season with 6.0 FanGraphs wins above replacement, ranking among the top 10 most productive rookie seasons in the last half-century. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to an eight-year, $111 million contract in spring training after his impressive debut late in the 2022 season. Carroll expressed pride in contributing a draft pick and around $2.5 million in bonus-pool money to the Diamondbacks with the award, emphasizing the team benefit over personal recognition. Carroll is the 14th unanimous winner in the National League since the Rookie of the Year award was established in 1949.