From Rookie of the Year to a challenging sophomore slump, Corbin Carroll’s 2024 season has gotten off to a nightmarish start at the plate.
Through the first 32 games, Carroll has managed a .194 batting average, hit only one home run, and scored just 13 runs, despite batting leadoff.
Carroll acknowledged that his previous ‘swing at everything’ tactic, which proved successful last August, has not been effective this season. For context, Carroll’s batting average plummeted to .267 post All-Star break last year, but he managed to boost it to .311 in September and October after expanding his strike zone.
Reflecting on his current struggles after a recent blowout loss to the Padres, Carroll said “I snapped out of that funk last August by swinging at everything. But it doesn’t feel like the answer this time, to be honest. ”
A significant issue has been Carroll’s tendency to chase fastballs at the top of the zone—a weakness pitchers have exploited. According to data from Burn City Sports insider Michael McDermott, Carroll has encountered 129 high-zone fastballs since his major league debut, managing a meager .053 batting average against these pitches.
Recently, Carroll has shifted his focus to mechanical adjustments, addressing problems with his swing’s flatness. “There’ve been some mechanical things that I’ve been trying to address and I feel like are headed in the right direction … I made my swing too flat, and so it’s been a lot of work to try and create better attack angles and a better vertical bat angle,” he explained.
While it is still relatively early in the season, the Diamondbacks, who currently stand at 14-20, will need their Rookie of the Year to find his form at the plate if they hope to turn their fortunes around.
Over their last three games, the D-backs have been outscored 28-1.
More must-reads: