To Arizona Diamondbacks fans, Corbin Carroll is one of the top rookies in MLB and a hoped-for future face of the franchise. But to Brant and Pey-Lin Carroll, he’s just their little boy.
Cameras outside Chase Field before the Diamondbacks’ Thursday night home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers caught the Arizona rookie phenom getting dropped off for his first home game of the season by his parents, just like he was being dropped off at a Little League ballpark or the first day of school.
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Carroll credits mom and dad for his success in baseball and life in general. He told MLB.com:
“They mean so much to me, and the support they’ve given me – I feel like I owe them so much.”
To their credit, Arizona Diamondbacks fans, as well as baseball enthusiasts in general, mostly saw the occasion as something to celebrate rather than mock.
In an age of online angst and derision, the baseball Twitterverse united in joy at the simple scene of a son being dropped off at the ballpark by his folks. Would the online discourse been as schmoopy if Carroll was playing for the New York Mets or Philadelphia Phillies? Probably not, but as it is, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the epitome of everything great about the game — if only for a few moments.
Just a simple couple of photos featuring a pair of loving parents wishing their sweet boy a good day at work as they drop him off at the front door certainly gave MLB fans a break from their online hysterics.
Of course, there’s still a game to be played … and Dodgers fans will be Dodgers fans.
Corbin Carroll holding his own with Arizona Diamondbacks in rookie season
Corbin Carroll is faring well in his first full season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Through six games heading into Thursday, he is hitting .261 with one solo home run, three runs and a National League-leading three stolen bases.
Carroll got a taste of the majors, and whetted the appetite of Diamondbacks fans, in a 32-game big league debut last season. In 104 at-bats, he hit .260 with four home runs, three triples, nine doubles, 14 RBIs and two stolen bases.
The one concerning stat? He did strike out 31 times to just 27 hits. Through six games this year, he has six whiffs to go with his half-dozen hits.