Josh Jung and Corbin Carroll to make unique All-Star history
Major League Baseball revealed the 2023 All-Star Game starters on Thursday, and the group featured two rookies, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll.
Jung and Carroll will be only the second pair of rookies to start in the mid-summer classic, joining Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto in 2008. However, this is the first time a rookie from both the American and National League earned starting spots.
Jung is the first rookie to start the All-Star Game for the AL since Aaron Judge in 2017 and only the second third baseman, joining Eddie Kazak (1949). Conversely, Carroll is the first rookie outfielder to start for the NL since Joc Pederson in 2015.
Unsurprisingly, Carroll and Jung are overwhelming favorites to win Rookie of the Year.
Through 79 games with the Diamondbacks, Carroll leads all NL rookies in hits (83), home runs (17), OPS (.925) and slugging percentage (.559). Meanwhile, Jung is atop the AL rookie leaderboard in hits (84), home runs (16) and RBI (48).
A nonchalant Jung told reporters Thursday that making the All-Star Game was "great." However, he quickly shifted his focus to the second half of the season with the Rangers, who lead the AL West standings at 49-32.
Carroll is considered day-to-day after leaving Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with right shoulder soreness, but it didn't stop him from celebrating with his teammates after hearing the news of his All-Star selection.
A Seattle native, Carroll admitted to only being a spectator at T-Mobile Park, so returning home for his first All-Star Game will be a special moment. Like the Rangers, Carroll and the Diamondbacks are division leaders, nursing a two-game lead at 48-34 in the NL West.
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