It's not everyday that the two rookies you could have predicted in April would take the Rookie of the Year actually do it. Y'know, the trades used to guess randomly, 'ahhh idk, Dalton Pompey takes it', and the season would happen and it wouldn't correspond to that. And you also have to think that they could have guessed Jordan Walker or Anthony Volpe might have epic full-season campaigns.
But...no, pretty cut-and-dry Rookies of the Year. Not that this is a problem. Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll had the two best rookie performances of the year. I'm glad we can all agree on that.
Corbin Carroll, I think, was a lock for this around April, he was already making waves for the D-Backs and making them an early story. By October he was still one of the most powerful forces in the game, had some amazing game-saving moments, and got his team to the World Series. Carroll was the exclamation point on this D-Backs team, and the poster boy for this new, young team. If he has more seasons like 2023, he could have an iconic career and launch the D-Backs back into legitimacy.
Gunnar Henderson slumped for a couple months, which I don't think people were expecting, but he kicked into high gear around June and started hitting up a storm. We all knew that Henderson was this complex, multi-faceted player, but this season confirmed it, and we got to see him crack 82 RBIs and 28 homers, and take home a silver slugger to boot. Henderson was a key piece in an Orioles team that won 100 games, and it's a great sign for the future, especially with Jackson Holliday possibly up in the next year or so.
No issues whatsoever with these picks. It's the Cy Youngs that may get a little hairy.
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