The Arizona Diamondbacks are a Corbin Team

Very few players in MLB history have ever had the name, "Corbin" and two-thirds of them have played for the D-backs

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the Arizona Diamondbacks having made their unexpected but massive signing of ace starting pitcher Corbin Burnes official earlier this week, that created two players with the same first name on the D-backs.

Corbin Carroll is the other Corbin on the roster which gives the D-backs two truly impact players with the same name, but not only that, the name "Corbin" is exceedingly rare in MLB history.

As pointed out by stat guru Sarah Langs on X, there have only been THREE players in MLB history dating back to the 1800s with the first name of Corbin.

Burnes, Carroll, and Corbin Martin, whom might sound familiar as he pitched for the D-backs in 2021-22.

Martin was acquired in the Zack Greinke trade when he was a top prospect and appeared in 12 games over two seasons with a 7.28 ERA over 38.1 innings. Coincidentally, he's now with the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, the franchise that Burnes just left.

The odds for all three players with the first name of "Corbin" to play for the same franchise, all of which happened since 2021, despite MLB history dating back to the 1800s are infinitesimally small.

But, that is not all. If expanded to just include the name "Corbin" as either the first or last name, the number of players with that name doubles to six players in MLB history.

The three players are Patrick Corbin, Ray Corbin, and Archie Corbin. There's another name there that D-backs fans likely recognize.

That name is Patrick Corbin who pitched from 2012 to 2018 for Arizona, earning two All-Star nods before winning the World Series in 2019 with the Nationals.

Corbin started 154 games here and had a 3.91 ERA in 172 games and 945.2 innings. He was reliable mid-rotation starter for Arizona that helped them get to the 2017 playoffs.

Archie Corbin pitched in MLB from 1991 to 1999 but only appeared in MLB games in three years, 91', 96', and 99'. There was a chance he could've appeared with the D-backs since they began play in 1998, but it did come to pass, perhaps due to his 4.44 ERA in 50 games over those three seasons.

Ray Corbin played before the Diamondbacks were even a thought of happening as he pitched from 1971 to '75 with the Minnesota Twins. He had a 3.84 ERA over 652.1 innings.

That makes four of the six players to play for Arizona that have some part of their name including "Corbin", and all four players since 2000 have played for the D-backs.

The name "Corbin" stems from Old Norse language in which it was similar to the word for crow. It was a prominent name in medieval England when the name stood or meant for a raven. It was also associated with the trade of fixing or making corsets.

In recent times, say the last 100 years, the name didn't start to grow in popularity until 1987 and it continued to grow rapidly until 2014 where it has since started to decline. This fits with the timeline of Corbin being born in 1989, Burnes in 1994, and Carroll in 2000.

Oddly enough, the only "Corbin" to not be a pitcher in MLB history is Carroll who just happens to be one of the best hitters in MLB.

Regardless, it is clear that the Arizona Diamondbacks a team that favors players named Corbin whether it's accidentally or just fate, it's a unique coincidence that will make history in 2024 once Burnes makes his first start with Arizona.

With plenty of kids named Corbin currently, perhaps in the coming years, a player with the name of "Corbin" will find his way on the D-backs roster some way, somehow.