Corbin Carroll Has Yet to Make His Impact in NLCS

Carroll is 2-for-19 with zero stolen bases or extra base hits in the NLCS.
Corbin Carroll Has Yet to Make His Impact in NLCS
Corbin Carroll Has Yet to Make His Impact in NLCS /

The Diamondbacks had a chance to set the tone offensively in the first inning of the NLCS. Corbin Carroll led off the first inning with a single off Zack Wheeler. With 54 stolen bases in the regular season, it seemed like it would be the prime opportunity for the D-backs to test the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff and their Gold Glove catcher J.T. Realmuto. Instead Carroll would never attempt a stolen base, sending a message to the Phillies that the second best base stealing team was afraid to push the envelope. 

Since that hit Carroll has gone 1-for-18 in the National League Championship Series, which came against Wheeler in Game 5. He made a bad baserunning decision in the first inning in that game, failing to take note of where shortstop Trea Turner was positioned. With a ground ball hit one step to his right, Carroll retreated and ultimately was unable to score when the ball got through the infield. It would have cut the Phillies 2-0 lead in half and perhaps changed the momentum of the game. Instead Philadelphia cruised to a 6-1 win in which the D-backs never were really in it. 

Lovullo talked about that play last night:

"I can't fault him in that situation. He ended up getting to third base, which is very critical, but I think when you are talking about elite base running and elite instincts, Corbin is in that category, a guy that can maybe make a better read if he knew where that shortstop was."

This series has not been a case where the D-backs star rookie has been overpowered or outmatched, with just two strikeouts in 20 plate appearances, but the hits haven't fallen in. There have been a couple of well-struck balls, with a 109 MPH gap shot that was impressively hauled in by Johan Rojas in Game 3 and  he narrowly missed a game-changing home run in Game 5.

With their backs against the wall entering Game 6, we'll see if Carroll can rise to the occasion. If that is the case, the D-backs season will live to play another day.


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Michael McDermott
MICHAEL MCDERMOTT

Michael McDermott has lived in Arizona since 2002 and is a credentialed beat writer for Inside the Diamondbacks and host of the Snakes on the Diamond Podcast. He previously wrote about the Diamondbacks for SB Nation's AZ Snake Pit. You can follow him on Twitter @MichaelMcDMLB