"He was an easy bet": Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll proves worthy of record contract in manager Torey Lovullo's eyes [Exclusive]

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a surprise trip to the World Series last season, and Corbin Carroll was a large part of it. The outfielder captured the National League Rookie of the Year award. He was a unanimous selection, getting first-place votes from all 30 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America panel.

Carroll hit 25 home runs and stole 54 bases while posting a .285/.362/.505 slash line in 155 games. He also led the NL with 10 triples and belted 30 doubles.

After the Diamondbacks squeezed into the postseason with an 84-78 record, Carroll again shined in the playoffs by hitting .273/.364/.409 with two homers and five steals in 17 games. The Diamondbacks upset the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL playoffs before losing to the Texas Rangers in the World Series in five games.

The Diamondbacks raised some eyebrows in spring training when they signed Corbin Carroll to an eight-year, $111-million contract, even though he had appeared in just 33 major league games. By the end of the season, it looked like a wise investment.

Corbin Carrol x Arizona Diamondbacks: A record-setting contract

Corbin Carroll’s contract is the largest ever given to a Major League Baseball player with less than 100 days of major league service time. It surpassed the eight-year, $72-million deal that center fielder Michael Harris II signed with the Atlanta Braves during the 2022 season.

Despite his limited time in the big leagues, Carroll also took a risk by signing the contract and giving up all three arbitration-eligible years along with his first two years of free agency. He certainly could have made more than $111 million if he decided to go year by year with his contracts and kept producing at his 2023 level.

However, Carroll does not regret committing to the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2019 amateur draft following his graduation from Lakeside School in Seattle.

“I viewed it as a little bit of a tradeoff,” Corbin Carroll told Sportskeeda. “You’re giving up some of that upside (in terms of potential salary), but you’re getting some of that stability. That trust was just as important of a piece for me. This front office has been there since I was drafted.

“They were the ones who drafted me. They’ve kind of seen it all, from the rookie league all the way up. Just for them to have that faith in me means a lot to me.”

The timing of Carroll’s rookie season couldn’t have come at a better time. MLB instituted a series of rules at the beginning of 2023 that, in part, helped encourage base stealing and made the overall athleticism of players more important.

Corbin Carroll had played under some of those rules when MLB used them in the minor leagues on an experimental basis.

“My perspective, having played with them, was just let people see,” Carroll said. “I think people are going to enjoy it. I think this athletic brand of baseball is going to be good for the game, and it is.”

D-backs manager has high praise for Corbin Carroll

Carroll has no bigger fan than Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who believes the 23-year-old’s preparation and work ethic are unrivaled.

“I think the best part of Corbin are the things I get to see that nobody else does,” Lovullo said. “We all see the same thing, and that’s he’s an unbelievable talent with the ability to drive baseball, steal a base, make a great play.

“It’s the preparation, the belief, the effort before he gets on to the field that I get to watch. The connections to his teammates, the connections to his coaches. Just a very open, honest dialogue. I think the best thing about him is he looks at his limitations and asks questions about how to get better every single day.”

Corbin Carroll made a big impression on the organization in 2021. He injured his shoulder in the seventh game of the season while hitting a home run for High-A Hillsboro and underwent season-ending surgery.

During the day, Carroll would do his rehab work at the Diamondbacks’ spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. He would then spend the evenings watching the major league team play at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

Corbin Carroll impressed the Diamondbacks’ front office and Lovullo with his willingness to learn and ask questions. That is why Lovullo knew that owner Ken Kendrick and general manager Mike Hazen made the right call two years later by signing Carroll to a long-term contract.

“It was a huge commitment, and it’s a little bit of blind faith, but he was an easy bet,” Lovullo said. “To say he is going to have many good years -- you can do that with a lot of confidence. He worked hard to show us that. It wasn’t just we flipped a coin and said it’s going to land on you. We have a lot of belief in Corbin.”

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Corbin Carroll's career trajectory is pointing up

Carroll had a rookie season for the ages.

He became the first player in MLB history with 25 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. So Corbin Carroll has already reached uncharted territory.

However, the Diamondbacks truly believe the best is yet to come.

“He can do everything,” D-backs outfielder/first baseman Pavin Smith said. “He’s just a super tough out, plays great defense, can run the bases. The word I think of when I think of Corbin is pressure.

“He always puts pressure on the other team, and for being a guy that weighs 180 pounds, he has as much power as anyone on the team. He’s just super athletic and gifted.”