The Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, giving his team a 4-0 lead over the New York Mets. By the time he stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning, however, Carroll's team trailed 5-4.Carroll took strike one, then crushed a low slider off of Mets closer Edwin Díaz. He sent the ball 396 feet to right-center field, clearing the fence for a go-ahead grand slam.Carroll finished the night 2-for-5 with five RBI.
Since making his MLB debut on Aug. 29, 2022, Carroll has racked up 46 home runs, 55 doubles, 24 triples, 150 RBI, 77 stolen bases and an 8.4 WAR., Carroll is now one of seven National League players to record at least 45 home runs and 75 stolen bases in the first three seasons of their career. Of course, Carroll has only played two seasons' worth of games to this point, making the achievement all the more impressive.
Drew Stubbs was the last player to join the club, doing so with the Cincinnati Reds in 2011. Andrew McCutchen, Hanley Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Eric Davis and Bobby Bonds are the only other players to produce that level of power and speed this early in their National League careers.Carroll was named an All-Star in 2023, placing fifth in the NL MVP race while winning NL Rookie of the Year and an NL pennant.
Arizona is now just 3.0 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, all while boasting a 7.0-game cushion over the Mets in the NL Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks have a chance to sweep the Mets on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET.Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks.