Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, crucial pieces of what proved to be transformative seasons for their franchises, were named American League and National League rookies of the year Monday night.
Henderson is Baltimore’s first winner since Gregg Olson in 1989 and the team’s first position player winner since Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken announced Henderson as the winner on MLB Network. Carroll, whose award was announced by Derek Jeter, is the first player in the 25-year history of the Diamondbacks to win the honor.
Members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote on the awards, though The Washington Post does not permit its writers to vote. Both Henderson and Carroll received 30 of 30 first-place votes. The next-highest vote-getter to either was New York Mets starter Kodai Senga, who pitched to a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts in his first MLB season. At 30, Senga would have been the oldest winner since 32-year-old Kazuhiro Sasaki in the AL in 2000.
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At 22, Henderson emerged as the heart of Baltimore’s young offense in his first full season, overcoming an early slump to cement himself in the middle of the Orioles’ order. He led Baltimore with an .814 OPS and finished second to catcher Adley Rutschman in wins above replacement while providing strong defense at shortstop and third base. He led all rookies with 28 homers and was crucial to the Orioles’ push for the AL East title.
Having Ripken present his award carried extra weight for Henderson. “He’s one of the best to ever do it. Having him for support, for him to take time out of his day to do this, come into the clubhouse and stuff, it’s been pretty special to have a guy like that. I can’t thank him enough for all he’s done, and I look forward to many conversations with him,” Henderson said.
While Henderson’s offense was remarkable, he said he was most proud of his work with his glove. “I feel like people kind of had an idea of what I could do at the plate, but I guess they kind of didn’t really know about my defense. I was glad to get out there and show I could play major league shortstop and third base.”
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Carroll finished second among rookies with 25 homers — though those homers were more footnote than headline for the speedy savant. At 23, Carroll established himself as one of the game’s more troublesome pests. He hit .285 with an .868 OPS that did not even reflect the fact that he regularly turned walks and singles into doubles with 54 stolen bases.
The outfielder, known for a dogged adherence to routine, put together a season that was nearly charmed from start to finish. He hit 18 homers in a first half that earned him starting honors in the All-Star Game — a game played in his hometown of Seattle. He keyed a Diamondbacks team that operated in his image, pushing its way to the top of the NL West early before convincing the rest of the sport it could stay there all year.
“It wasn’t an easy season for us. We had plenty of tough moments. To be able to fight through those and come out the other side, I think that just made us a more connected and dangerous team,” Carroll said. “I think that’s what you saw in the playoffs.”
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Eventually, Arizona emerged as one of the most statistically improbable NL pennant winners of the modern era, and Carroll was central in its surprising win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.
The rookie honors also mean the Orioles and Diamondbacks are awarded picks late in the first round of next year’s draft as part of a provision added to the collective bargaining agreement to incentivize teams to call up elite prospects sooner than later.
“That’s probably what brought the most weight to chasing something like this,” Carroll said. “… Not for the personal fame or attention but that ability to benefit my team.”
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