Fantasy baseball weekend review: Carroll continues commanding campaign

Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. boasts a strong lead on ESPN's Player Rater, buoyed by his .325 batting average, 15 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 63 runs scored through 72 games. If one were to draft a roto team today, Acuna would be the obvious top pick, although you have to check your league rules for how to dually utilize Los Angeles Angels SP/DH/unicorn Shohei Ohtani.

Meanwhile, several of the preseason's first-round picks have hardly returned strong value, led by Philadelphia Phillies SS Trea Turner, Cleveland Guardians 3B Jose Ramirez and San Diego Padres OF Juan Soto, each warranting some re-evaluation. Fantasy baseball managers looking for new first-round names should start with Arizona Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll. After all, Carroll leads the Player Rater over the past 30 days, and his 2023 numbers look much like those of Acuna, with a .305 batting average, 15 home runs, 19 stolen bases and 53 runs.

Carroll is running away with the National League Rookie of the Year award -- though Cincinnati Reds SS Elly De La Cruz seems intent on statistically pushing him -- and warrants attention for league MVP honors as well. The Diamondbacks have the second-best record in the NL, even ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and are a far bigger surprise than Acuna's Braves. In many ways, Carroll is "Acuna-lite." Should we be surprised?

Carroll was supposed to be a valuable fantasy option, but we all know stories about prospects struggling to keep a place in fantasy leagues, yet alone turning into fantasy baseball superstars. Hitters are safer to invest in, and Carroll, who showed power, plate discipline and speed throughout the minor leagues, was a strong investment this season. Still, there were some concerns about his 32-game debut last season. With a smallish 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame, would he hit for power in the big leagues? Would he draw walks? What about the lefty's ability to hit left-handed pitching?

Well, Carroll launched a 426-foot home run to right-center field off Guardians RHP Shane Bieber late in Saturday's win, a reminder that the power is real. He's also hitting .290 against lefties, alleviating any worry there. There's nothing wrong with a 9.6% walk rate, especially when it comes with a sub-20% strikeout mark, which is far lower than what Carroll showed in his minor league stops. Carroll bats third in the lineup versus right-handed pitching, and lower against lefties, so he may never keep pace with Acuna in terms of runs scored, but this is a clear superstar -- and one that came with a far bigger draft-day discount.

Acuna is awesome and perhaps on his way to numbers we have never seen before when considering the potential runs and stolen base totals, but he was supposed to be great when healthy. He just missed out on a 40/40 season in 2019, and he was a top-five pick in 2023 drafts, regardless of format -- if not the top pick. Carroll wasn't. He was just OK in his debut. Still rookie-eligible, Carroll is more than OK now, and he went outside the top-50 in most roto leagues. He is clearly a top-10 option today.

Context matters. Acuna may well end up at No. 1 on the Rater, but Carroll is close behind at No. 3, with the amazing Ohtani nestled in between. Considering the massive difference in draft-day investment and expectations, and a 30-HR/30-SB season well within reach, Carroll is the pick here, at this mid-June juncture, for fantasy MVP honors. Perhaps the best is yet to come.