2023 Midseason MLB Rookie Rankings: Corbin Carroll Remains Cream Of The Crop

Image credit: Corbin Carroll (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

As we reach the midpoint of the season, the 2023 rookie class is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory.

D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll has set the league ablaze and is a serious contender for the National League Most Valuable Player award. Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Marlins righthander Eury Perez have helped fuel their teams’ surprising starts and elevated them into playoff position. Astros righthander Hunter Brown and Mets righthander Kodai Senga have quickly established themselves as mid-rotation starters with bat-missing stuff. A’s center fielder Esteury Ruiz is on pace for MLB’s first 80-steal season since 1988. The quartet of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steerand Andrew Abbott has reinvigorated the Reds franchise and carried them to first place in the NL Central.

And that’s just the start. Overall, rookie hitters this season have combined for 30.9 wins above replacement (WAR) as measured by FanGraphs, on pace to be the second-highest total this century behind only the 2015 rookie class that included Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. The rookie pitching class hasn’t been as strong, but that should change as Perez, Abbott, Mariners righthander Bryce Miller and other midseason callups continue to get more starts as the year progresses.

Here is how the 2023 rookie class stacks up at the midpoint of the season. All statistics are through June 27.

1. Corbin Carroll, OF, D-backs

The question is not whether Carroll will win the National League Rookie of the Year award, but how high he’ll finish in NL MVP voting. The 22-year-old dynamo is hitting .293/.370/.568 with 17 home runs, 44 RBIs and 23 stolen bases to power the D-backs to the top of the NL West. Already, he’s performing on par with the game’s best players. Carroll is one of only two players with at least 15 home runs and 20 steals along with Ronald Acuña Jr. His .938 OPS is fifth in MLB behind only Shohei Ohtani, Acuña, Luis Arraez and Freddie Freeman.

2. Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers

Jung has been integral in the Rangers’ rise to the top of the American League West this season. The 25-year-old slugger is batting .272/.325/.480 and is tied for ninth in the AL with 15 home runs while batting in the middle of the Rangers’ order. He ranks second among all rookies in hits, runs, home runs and runs scored and has done it while playing above-average defense at third base, helping cement the Rangers infield as arguably the best in baseball.

3. Hunter Brown, RHP, Astros

Brown has stepped up in a big way to keep the injury-riddled Astros staff afloat behind Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier. The 24-year-old flamethrower is 6-4, 3.62 through 15 starts with 97 strikeouts and 30 walks in 87 innings. Most importantly, he has given the Astros critical length in the middle of their rotation. Brown has pitched at least seven innings five times this season, more than AL Cy Young Award contenders Shane McClanahan, Sonny Gray or Gerrit Cole. He leads all rookies in innings and strikeouts and is tied for the lead in wins.

4. Elly De La Cruz, SS/3B, Reds

De La Cruz has only played 19 games, but what a 19 games they’ve been. The 21-year-old Dominican has electrified baseball and propelled the Reds to the top of the NL Central with his jaw-dropping abilities, including top-of-the-scale power, speed and arm strength. De La Cruz already has five doubles, two triples and three home runs, is 8-for-9 on stolen bases and just won the NL Player of the Week Award after becoming the first Reds player to hit for the cycle since Eric Davis in 1989. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first player since 1900 to have at least 20 hits, five stolen bases and three home runs in his first 15 career games played.

5. Eury Perez, RHP, Marlins

Just as De La Cruz has electrified at the plate since his callup, Perez has electrified on the mound. The 20-year-old is 5-1, 1.34 in his first nine starts with 54 strikeouts and 15 walks in 47 innings for the surging Marlins. Notably, the 6-foot-8 behemoth keeps getting better, not worse, as the league sees him more: he is currently on a 21-inning scoreless streak and has held opponents scoreless in five of his last six starts. Perez’s 1.34 ERA is the lowest by a major leaguer through his first nine starts in the last 50 years, and he is the youngest player since at least 1901 to pitch at least six scoreless innings in three consecutive starts.

6. Matt McLain, SS/2B, Reds

De La Cruz is the headline rookie in Cincinnati, but McLain deserves plenty of credit for the Reds’ surge, too. The 2021 first-round pick is batting .325/.378/.552 with 12 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 24 RBIs and 31 runs scored in 39 games since being called up and has emerged as a catalyst out of the No. 2 spot in the Reds order. He became the fastest Reds player in the modern era to record his first 50 hits—quite the accomplishment given the franchise’s rich history of standout hitters—and has been a standout defensively at both middle infield spots.

7. Masataka Yoshida, OF, Red Sox

Yoshida has slumped recently (.228, .653 OPS in his last 15 games) but he’s still been one of the best rookies in the American League. The Japanese import is batting .299/.372/.466 and leads all AL rookies with an .838 OPS. His defense has been well below-average and his power has tailed off with only one home run in June, but his elite plate discipline and ability to make contact have still made him one of the Red Sox’s best hitters and an AL Rookie of the Year contender.

8. Kodai Senga, RHP, Mets

Senga has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal stretch for the Mets. The Japanese import has a 2.83 ERA over his last five starts and has emerged as a healthy, reliable starter for the club over the last month. He is 6-5, 3.52 in 14 starts overall with 93 strikeouts and 44 walks in 76.2 innings. Senga leads the Mets in innings, ERA and strikeouts—ahead of both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander—and has been difficult to hit even with shoddy control. He has limited opposing hitters to a .206 batting average, second-lowest among rookie starters behind only Eury Perez.

9. Spencer Steer, 1B, Reds

Steer gets lost in the Reds rookie discussion playing alongside De La Cruz, McLain and lefthander Andrew Abbott, but he’s had an excellent season in his own right. The 25-year-old first baseman has hit .279/.367/.478 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs while emerging as a middle-of-the-order threat for the NL Central leaders. His .855 OPS is third among all rookies behind only Carroll and McLain, and he ranks in the top five among all rookies in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks.

10. Jordan Walker, OF, Cardinals

The Cardinals have had a nightmare season, but Walker’s emergence at the plate has been a bright spot. The 21-year-old has overcome his early-season demotion to hit .303/.369/.472 through 40 games and ranks fourth among all qualified rookies with an .841 OPS. He’s been especially red-hot since his return to the majors, batting .333/.418/.551 since he was called back up on June 2. His defense in the outfield remains a work in progress, to put it lightly, but he’s delivering as the impact hitter he was projected to be.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Yennier Cano, RHP, Orioles – 32 G, 1-0, 0.95, 0.84 WHIP, .197 opp. AVG

Bryce Miller, RHP, Mariners – 10 GS, 5-3, 3.88, 55.2 IP, 43 H, 11 BB, 49 K, 0.97 WHIP

Esteury Ruiz, OF, Athletics – .263, tied for AL rookie lead in hits, ML-high 40 SB

Logan Allen, LHP, Guardians – 11 GS, 3-2, 3.68, 58.2 IP, 63 H, 22 BB, 58 K

Tanner Bibee, RHP, Guardians – 11 GS, 4-2, 3.79, 59.1 IP, 56 H, 21 BB, 58 K

COMING ON STRONG

Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles – .333/.367/.640 with 6 HR, 16 RBIs in last 20 games; increased OPS from .702 to .805.

Andrew Abbott, LHP, Reds – 5 GS, 4-0, 1.21, 29.2 IP, 12 BB, 30 K, .157 opp. AVG

Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Rockies – .323/.333/.545 in last 25 games, seventh among shortstops in outs above-average

Zach Neto, SS, Angels – .278/.347/.464, 6 HR, 22 RBI in last 48 games before oblique injury

Triston Casas, 1B, Red Sox – .307/.402/.520 in last 22 games; increased OPS from .648 to .741

WORTH NOTING

Ryan Noda, 1B, Athletics – .236/.387/.413, 8 HR, 31 RBIs; 11th in majors in OBP.

Edouard Julien, 2B, Twins – .265/.351/.442, 7 HR in 40 games

Bobby Miller, RHP, Dodgers – 6 GS, 3-1. 4.13, 32.2 IP, 29 H, 13 BB, 31 K; held opponents to one run or fewer in four of six starts.

Scott McGough, RHP, D-backs – 36 app, 2.41 ERA, 49 K in 41 IP, 0.88 WHIP, .155 opp. AVG

Yainer Diaz, C, Astros – .275, 7 HR, 16 RBIs, .792 OPS in 40 games; 0 PB, 39% CS rate.

HOT STARTS

Emmet Sheehan, RHP, Dodgers – 2 GS, 12 IP, 3 H, 2 ER

Royce Lewis, OF, Twins – .333/.364/.500, 4 HR, 14 RBIs in 23 G

Patrick Bailey, C, Giants – .320/.349/.534, 4 HR, 23 RBIs in 30 G

Nolan Jones, 1B/OF, Rockies – .316/.396/.551, 5 HR, 14 RBIs in 29 G

Austin Cox, LHP, Royals – 12.1 scoreless innings, 2 H, 13 K.