"When Corbin gets on base, good things happen"- Carroll's importance to the Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks young star is becoming a leader without having to say a word.

Jun 18, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) singles against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

A sickeningly hot day in America's capital city was highlighted by a home run from Ketel Marte. The Arizona Diamondbacks would go on to win that game 5-0. During a post-game interview, Marte felt inclined to focus on another star player other than himself. That player was Corbin Carroll.

"When Corbin (Carroll) gets on base, good things happen," Marte said following a 5-0 win against the Nationals in a series opener. Corbin Carroll had struggled mightily to begin the 2024 season, part of a Diamondbacks team that seemed lost, and somewhat identityless to begin the year.

While still recovering from a stretch that saw him fall far below the Mendoza line, Carroll's production has skyrocketed in recent weeks. He is enjoying an 18-game on-base streak, during which he has raised his batting average by nearly 20 points. His slugging has also picked up, jumping from .291 to a much better .310 entering today's game.

Production from Carroll was lacking earlier in the year, as he was being beaten up and in the strike zone, and his swings were self-admittedly "flat". So flat in fact that it ranked as the single flattest swing in baseball, making it even harder to reach pitches up and in on his hands.

When the young outfielder was producing though, the team was winning. That trend has continued. The Diamondbacks are 11-5 in games where Corbin Carroll has tallied an extra base hit, this comes with him having only hit 2 home runs on the season. Even when Carroll isn't driving in the runs himself, the team rallies around him and more often than not get the win.

On a team with veteran players and many vocal figures who are there to help young players grow, it seems that one of those young players is a figurehead in the locker room. Carroll is a player that others, including those same veterans, turn to for motivation. Ketel Marte, who could easily be the MVP favorite for the National League, looks to Carroll for "good things to happen".

This status in the eyes of his peers is a sign of a special player and a special person. It is important to keep things in perspective, even with such talented players. Sometimes people go through slumps, whether it is in baseball, life, relationships, etc. It can be easy to judge or look at it from a distance without sympathy or understanding, but in the case of a special young player like Corbin Carroll, he was bound to come out of the other side stronger.

The journey of a young ballplayer progressing through the league and turning himself into a leader, and a voice others look towards inside of a clubhouse is something special. A progression like this isn't something that comes along often for a club, but when it does, it can drive a team to victory.

The Diamondbacks took a series opener in Washington, vaulting them into the third Wild Card spot and placing them in 2nd place in the NL West. That game may have been won by 5 runs, including 3 RBIs from Ketel Marte, but don't forget the leadoff walk from Corbin Carroll. Don't let slip the 4 total times he reached base.

The Arizona Diamondbacks young superstar is thriving, and the rest of the team is following suit.