Corbin Carroll’s pivotal grab against the Marlins came about as a result of diligent practice to enhance his leap.
The key moment in the Diamondbacks’ 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins came in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two runners in scoring position, Jesús Sánchez smoked a Ryan Thompson fastball at the top of the zone. The ball had an exit velocity of 109.5 MPH and was heading to the right-center gap.
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Corbin Carroll only had 3.1 seconds to cover 43 feet, which Statcast estimates to be a 20% catch probability, so the game was going to come down to a great jump off the bat. Carroll was able to get that jump, closing off the right-center gap with a sliding catch to rob the Marlins of their best scoring chance of the night. It ended up being huge as the bullpen was able to hold onto that lead the rest of the night.
After every game, McKay spends time with the outfielders to show them the type of jumps they get on balls hit in their direction. Early in the year, Carroll was getting below-average to average jumps. Now he isn’t getting many jumps that are below-average. Looking at the season leaderboard for outfield jump on Baseball Savant, the D-backs primary four outfielders have solid jump times, with Carroll’s +0.8 feet vs. average second best on the team (Lourdes Gurriel Jr., +1.4) and 44th best in baseball among qualified players.
“We’ve been watching the breaks internally improve in right field since he’s been getting that time there every day,” said manager Torey Lovullo after the game on Dbacks TV. “It’s been elite, the way he’s chasing down balls and making plays. It was a great play, he got a great break on it, and saved the game.”
Not only was Carroll the difference for the Diamondbacks with the glove, he was also the key bat that paced their lineup for the game. He recorded two hits, scored two runs, and crushed his 14th home run of the season with an opposite-field blast. He’s clicking in every facet of his well-rounded game on the field and has been a big reason why the Diamondbacks keep winning despite losing many of their key players to injuries throughout the season.
