Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll opens up on All-Star Game experience, ‘special’ rookie season

Ben Verlander

FOX Sports MLB Analyst

When I first had star Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll on “Flippin’ Bats” a couple of months ago, we talked about the nice start to the 2023 season for both him and the D-Backs.

Well, it’s no longer just a hot start. 

The Diamondbacks are legitimately a very good team that has been playing great baseball all year long, and Carroll is a big reason why. He’s the runaway favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year — no small feat given how great Elly De La Cruz has been since his Cincinnati Reds debut — and will probably get some MVP votes, validating my beloved #MVPCC hashtag (though Ronald Acuña Jr. is running away with that award, and deservedly so).

Carroll also got to start for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game — in his hometown of Seattle, no less. Last time he was on the show, we spoke about how cool it was going to be when he did eventually play in Seattle, but we figured it would not be any time soon since the Mariners-Diamondbacks series is in Arizona this season. 

Instead, here we are at the end of July and the first time Carroll got to play in the stadium he grew up going to was as an MLB All-Star. Talking to him about his experience there, from all the festivities to meeting baseball legends and his fellow All-Stars, was a blast of a conversation. Check it out below!

Editor’s note: This transcription has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Corbin, we had you on a couple of months ago, but now, I mean, this season has gone awesome for you. You’ve now played in your hometown MLB stadium as an All-Star in your rookie year. Did you ever imagine that being how you played in Seattle for the first time?

Corbin Carroll: “No, but it definitely was a little cooler that way, right? 

“That was everything you could ask for. I think that’s gonna be one of the things, looking back on my career that is going to mean the most to me.”

How did you find out that you were going to be a starter in the All-Star Game?

Carroll: “We played a game and we were about to get on the road, and we stuck around for the selection show. It was really, really cool that everyone hung around and congratulated me. That was pretty special.”

When you went back for the All-Star Game, did you stay at home with your parents or did you stay in the hotel? How did that work?

Carroll: “I was in the hotel. It was a pretty tight schedule for that whole two-and-a-half days, so it just made more sense to stay at the hotel. But I got to go home and spend one night at home after that.”

I like to consider myself a Seattle expert now — I visited the Space Needle, I’m rocking the souvenir shirt, and went to the fish market with Joel McHale, who said that locals do not go to the fish market and it’s a very touristy thing to do. Growing up around the area, have you ever been to the Space Needle or the fish market?

Carroll: “I’ve been to the Space Needle once or twice, not too often. I have not caught fish at the fish market. But for the Space Needle, I heard there’s a whole new glass floor. I don’t think I’ve seen that yet, so I want to check that out.”

I saw a video of you doing an autograph signing at the Seattle-area little league where you played. Did you do anything else outside of the All-Star norm because you were in Seattle?

Carroll: “Yeah, I did a little something with T-Mobile where I got to go out and meet some fans, and I really enjoyed that as well. For the little league signing, I just thought that if I was in little league, I would think that this would be cool, so I wanted to go out there and do that. Other than that, I had a nice little dinner the night after the All-Star game with friends and family, and we just tried to relax a little bit.” 

The day of the All-Star Game, when Joe Davis is announcing the starting lineups and he’s going through everybody’s name, outside of the Mariners players themselves and maybe Shohei Ohtani, the loudest ovation was for you. I just remember sitting there and hearing your name and thinking of how cool it must have been for you if you heard it. Do you remember hearing the crowd or did you kind of just black out in that moment?

Carroll: “I heard it. That meant a lot to me. When he announced my name, he said, ‘Welcome Home, Corbin,’ and that was pretty special.” 

How would you just sum up that whole experience of being an All-Star and being back in Seattle, those few days?

Carroll: “It was very busy but all just extremely worthwhile things. I think my favorite part of it was probably meeting some other players, mostly in the NL that I hadn’t met before — Mookie Betts was one for me. He was someone I really admired in high school, just the way he plays the game, so being able to meet and chat with him and some of those guys was awesome.”

Coming in as a rookie to a locker room that’s full of a bunch of future Hall of Famers, do you go around and pick some guys’ brains on how they play?

Carroll: “Obviously, it’s their break and they’re trying to enjoy it. I would love to do that, but it just didn’t feel like the time or the place. Hopefully, I’ll get some opportunities in the future to do that, but I more just tried to watch a little bit. It’s hard because everything’s so busy and you’re always moving around, and there’s not a lot of time to sit there and just watch the guy take his routine in the cage or stuff like that. But I definitely hope to pick some of these guys’ brains in the future.”

Early in his career, when my brother Justin would play in Baltimore and our whole family was still in Virginia, getting tickets for a regular-season game could be a ridiculous and tedious process. But you go back home for the All-Star Game. How many family and friends tickets were you trying to scrounge up for everybody?

Carroll: “I think I had the third-most. You can’t be the rookie and have the most tickets, that’s ridiculous. Just some old friends, some family, some old coaches. I had some other people reach out to me as well, but they got their own tickets. It was cool to see everyone.”

In terms of the events and the experiences, from the Home Run Derby and batting practice to the red carpet and the All-Star Game, what was your favorite part of all of that?

Carroll: “The red carpet was interesting. I’ve never really done anything like that before and so I thought it was kind of fun to just be pushed a little bit outside of my comfort zone. And then that moment of being introduced and running down that red carpet they had at the ballpark, that’s probably the one that I’ll remember the most.”

One of the moments I loved from this All-Star Game was when your dad came up to me and said, “I really like your trademark nickname that you came up with, #MVPCC.” That just made me so happy, it made my day.

Carroll: “That is awesome. I actually didn’t know he said that. They’re obviously very supportive of me and some of my biggest fans. I think they just appreciate people like you.”

Growing up in the Seattle area, I can only imagine you were a huge Ken Griffey Jr. fan. Did you get to meet Griffey that week or have you ever met him before?

Carroll: “No, I have not. In the Futures Game, he was in the dugout, like, maybe five feet away from me and I just couldn’t say anything. I didn’t really get to see him play much, but whenever I would go to the stadium growing up there would still be a ton of Griffey jerseys, and it just seems like the impact he left on the city has continued to this day. Obviously, he’s still around a good bit, and I watched his highlights on YouTube growing up, the whole deal. But I have not actually talked to him.”

I actually got to meet him during All-Star Week. I wasn’t going to say anything, but my co-host Alex Curry was like, “I’ll do it!” And he was so pumped. We talked to him for like 20 minutes. Hopefully next time you can just go up to him, because I didn’t want to do it but it turned into a great conversation.

Carroll: “All right, all right, you convinced me.”

When I’ve had Hall of Famers like John Smoltz and Cal Ripken Jr. on this show, a lot of them go back to their first All-Star Game and say that they remember certain conversations they had, or something that they’ll remember forever. Was there a  conversation you had with any players or any Hall of Famers or Legends up there where you were like, “That was really cool and I’ll remember that forever”?

Carroll: “There’s one that comes to mind, but it’s not really like a piece of advice or anything. I was at my locker, next to my teammate Geraldo Perdomo, and then Luis Arráez was like two lockers down from us and he had some ice cream. And he was like, ‘Why don’t you get some ice cream?’ And Perdomo was like, ‘No, he doesn’t do that.’ And Arráez’s response was so funny to me: ‘What’s the point of working hard if you don’t enjoy yourself?’ I loved that. I think I’ll remember that one.”

Is Arráez one of your favorite hitters?

Carroll: “Yeah. We played them earlier in the year and I just think it’s so fun to watch what he’s doing.”

I try not to get super into hitting with a ton of guys because then the conversation will last hours because it’s so interesting to me. But with him, I felt like I had to because the way he goes about his hitting is so different than everybody else. There’s not a ton of power and if you look at the advanced analytics, it obviously doesn’t jump off the page at you. But then you see the guy hitting nearly .400 and it’s like, well, this guy clearly is doing something that most people aren’t doing. So to hear him talk about hitting and to just say, like, “Guys will be playing me here, so I just hit it there, or if guys are playing me there I just hit it right there.” It’s just so interesting to hear somebody talk baseball like that because I just feel like that doesn’t happen anymore. To hear Luis Arráez say “I try to do this, this and this” and then to watch him play and he actually does it, it’s incredible to watch.

Carroll: “Yeah, I completely agree with that. Obviously, he’s not the guy hitting the ball the hardest out of everyone, but you look at the expected numbers, the expected batting average, the line drive percentage, the swing-and-miss, it all lines up. He’s just an incredible, incredible contact hitter. I think I saw a stat the other day that he’s hitting over .300 on balls outside the strike zone, so even when he does chase, it’s still a line drive. It’s so different from a lot of what you see today and what a lot of players choose to prioritize. But to see him go in the opposite direction and choose to just work to his strengths and not get caught up in what everyone else is doing, that’s special.”

He’s like the nicest guy in the world. He’s awesome.

Carroll: “I was looking at my phone after All-Star Week and was looking through my pictures, and he snuck a selfie on my phone. Laughs He is a really nice guy. I’ve enjoyed the few interactions I’ve had with him and I’m sure he’d be a very fun teammate.” 

You were also mic’d up during your first at-bat, which I was watching and listening to, and I can’t imagine walking up to the plate with a direct line into the pitcher’s ear and vice versa. Was that a weird experience?

Carroll: “It’s just a lot going on, right? You’ve got the pitch clock, you’re thinking through your game plan a little bit, and then obviously you’re trying to talk and not just be mute on this mic’d up part of the game. But I really enjoyed it. I’m glad I did it. It was another thing that was a little outside of my comfort zone, but I think that’s kind of a memorable thing to look back on.” 

You had Nate Eovaldi in your ear, you have Smoltz and Joe Davis in your ear, and you’re trying to hit a high-90s fastball or a banger of a curveball on the outside corner, all happening at once. Hitting’s hard enough! It was really cool to see. Did you try and tell yourself before that week that there’s going to be a lot of unknown and just to immerse yourself in the experiences and step outside of your comfort zone for the few days?

Carroll: “Yes. My No. 1 goal was to have fun, as corny as it sounds. But I think with a game like that, I didn’t want to treat it as a regular game for me, because I knew I would just be disappointed with what I got out of the experience if I did that. I’m a little more reserved and focused, and just a little bit more locked in, so I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t regret it. Everyone talks about the first All-Star game, and how it goes really fast if you let it, and so I just wanted to approach it in a way in which I felt like I got the most out of it, and I definitely feel like I did.”

One of the things I heard you say during the All-Star Game was that, while you can play all three outfield spots, you said your favorite is left field. What makes that your favorite?

Carroll: “I didn’t really play in the corners at all growing up until I got to pro ball. Once I got there, I enjoyed the spin. In center field, it’s more about trying to get a good read and then just trusting your speed to go get the ball. But in the corners, I like the element of having some funny twists and turns that the balls give you.”

You were down on the field this year for the Home Run Derby, and I’ve got to ask, because being up in the stands seeing Adley Rutschman switch-hit, the reaction around me was crazy. What was the reaction down there like from your perspective?

Carroll: “Oh, we were going crazy. He hit, like, seven in a row right-handed. We were like, ‘Why didn’t he just start right-handed?’ There’s a pretty good picture of me and Lourdes Gurriel where we’ve got our hands on our heads, just shocked and amazed. And then one of Gurriel’s little sons is on his lap with a plastic ball in his mouth and has no idea what’s going on. That’s one of my favorite photos from that weekend.”

Hopeful this is the first of many All-Star games for you, and the power for you is clearly there. You’re sitting at 19 home runs right now. So will we ever see Corbin Carroll in a home run derby in his career?

Carroll: “Well, there was some advice from Mookie on that, he was like, ‘I’m never doing that again. Don’t ever do that.’ We’ll leave that one to the big boys.”

This season so far for you has gone awesome. At the break, you and Acuña were the only two players with at least 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases. There’s a potential for you to go 30-30 in your rookie season, which only Mike Trout has ever done. Is that something you’ve thought about, and would it mean a lot to you?

Carroll: “I think it would be cool, but I’ll happily hit no home runs for the rest of the year if it means we get in the playoffs. That’s ultimately our goal, and my goal. Everyone who’s been in the playoffs talks about that atmosphere, and that’s why you play this game. That’s number one on the list right there.”

You guys are having a great season. First place in the NL West is currently within reach. You’re currently sitting in a playoff spot. How have you seen the confidence of this Diamondbacks team change throughout the season as it went from a good start to the year and maybe a surprise to many to this team being the real deal and pushing to get into the playoffs?

Carroll: “I think we’ve got the right pieces in place. I think Evan Longoria has been huge in that regard of reminding us not to forget that, when going through the ebbs and flows of a season, just keeping that confidence. I think that’s the number one thing you can do and I think some of the players like him have really just helped us keep that confidence and realize that we’re a good team and we’re here for the long haul. It’s cool, even when we have guys not clicking, we know the rest of the team will pick those guys up, whether it’s our offense picking up our pitching or vice versa. It’s cool to see.”

It’s interesting to hear you say how much Longoria helps. You hear it all the time about the importance of a veteran presence on a young team, but how does that help when you have a guy who’s been in the playoffs? You really can tell how much he’s helping push this team and keep the confidence going throughout the season?

Carroll: “Yes, 100 percent. I think he’s right up there for me among the most impactful players I’ve ever been around. Just watching the way he goes about his business, the wisdom and knowledge that he shares with us, I feel very lucky to have spent this year with him and hopefully he’s back again next year.”

I know you have no say here and you have no idea what the front office is thinking, but are we looking at the D-Backs being buyers at the trade deadline? Is that what the hope is around the locker room?

Carroll: “Yeah, I mean, I guess we’ll see.”

I know you’re in the middle of a season, but have you yet had a chance to stop back and realize you were in Double-A last year and now you were in a big league All-Star Game? The last 365 days of your life has been truly a whirlwind, I can only imagine. Have you had a chance to really think about that?

Carroll: “Yeah, just approaching that through a lens of gratefulness. This is what I always dreamed of, being a big-league baseball player. To be doing it here and on a team that’s having some success this year, grateful is the only word that I can use.”

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Corbin Carroll

Arizona Diamondbacks

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