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It's unanimous: Orioles' Gunnar Henderson named AL Rookie of the Year; Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll wins in NL

Chris Cwik
Staff writer
·4 min read
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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll were named Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year in their respective leagues, MLB announced Monday.

They both won unanimously, the fifth time in the history of the awards both winners earned all of the first-place votes.

Gunnar Henderson is the AL Rookie of the Year. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Gunnar Henderson is the AL Rookie of the Year. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Orioles' Gunnar Henderson wins AL Rookie of the Year

The Baltimore Orioles pulled off a stunning turnaround in 2023. After finishing fourth in the AL East in 2022, they surged to a 101-win, division-winning season. Henderson was at the center of it all.

He beat out Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas for the honor. Henderson secured all 30 first-place votes to tally 150 points. Bibee finished second with 20 second-place votes and 67 points. Casas finished third with 25 points.

Henderson is the 13th player to win the AL honor by a unanimous vote. He earned the award after hitting .255/.325/.489 with 28 home runs as a rookie. Those numbers give fans a glimpse of his potential but don't tell the full story of his rookie season.

Henderson opened the season in a massive slump. The 22-year-old hit just .201/.332/.370 the first two months of the season. After beginning the year in the middle of the Orioles' batting order, Henderson was dropped to the bottom amid his struggles.

He found his stride in June. Henderson made an adjustment and hit .320 with six home runs that month. From June 2 through the rest of the season, he hit .276/.322/.535 with 23 home runs.

The Orioles showed full confidence in Henderson after his June surge. He moved to the first or second spot in the batting order as the Orioles battled the Tampa Bay Rays for the division title down the stretch. He kept up his strong offensive performance while giving the Orioles excellent defense at third base and shortstop.

Henderson finished the year with 4.6 fWAR, leading all American League rookies.

With the Orioles now on the map, Henderson will face even bigger expectations heading into his second season in the big leagues. If he can build on his rookie-season success, it won't be long before he is contending for MVP awards.

Corbin Carroll is the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Corbin Carroll is the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll wins NL Rookie of the Year

The Diamondbacks took the baseball world by storm in 2023. After a 74-win finish in 2022, the Diamondbacks went all-in on youth and were rewarded with an 84-win season, a playoff appearance and a shocking run to the World Series. All season, Carroll led the way for the team.

Carroll entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-five prospect in baseball and never backed down from those expectations. After a stellar rookie season, he beat out New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

He's the 14th winner to secure the NL honor unanimously with all 30 first-place votes and 150 points. Senga finished second with 22 second-place votes and 71 points. Outman finished third with 20 points while securing five second- and five third-place votes.

Carroll proved himself almost immediately, hitting .309 in the season's first month. He rode that momentum all the way to a .285/.362/.506 slash line and added 25 home runs and 54 stolen bases while contributing excellent outfield defense. He finished the season with 6.0 fWAR, the top mark among all rookies, and was named an All-Star in his first big-league season.

After hitting lower in the lineup to start the season, Carroll was quickly elevated to the top, and he served as the Diamondbacks' spark plug as the team fought for a playoff spot down the stretch. He appeared most often as the team's No. 3 hitter, but he assumed the leadoff role in September and batted at or near the top of the lineup during Arizona's surprising run to the World Series.

Carroll also performed well in the postseason, though that did not factor into Monday's award, as votes for regular-season awards are collected prior to the start of the MLB postseason.

After last season's unexpected success, the Diamondbacks will be out to prove they weren't a one-year wonder. If Carroll progresses like everyone expects, he'll be a big reason the Diamondbacks remain contenders in the NL West for years to come.