Taiwanese American MLB star Corbin Carroll named NL Rookie of the Year

Uncontested victory: Carroll, 23, won the voting competition unanimously with 30 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The votes came from two writers representing each of the 15 cities in the National League.

Carroll beat New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, 30, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman, 26, who placed second and third, respectively.

Inspiring the next generation: Speaking to reporters on Monday, Carroll said he hopes that his latest achievement will help inspire the next generation of baseball stars as well as other Asian Americans. Carroll is born to a Taiwanese American mother and an Irish American father. His win reportedly made him the first Asian American to win the distinction.

“Definitely not the biggest guy out there on the field, but my ability to not be that guy and still be able to impact the game, that’s one piece of it,” Carroll said. “Not too many Asian Americans in this circumstance – I think that’s another piece of it that I hope to inspire.”

Joining the ranks: With his unanimous win, the rising MLB star now joins a shortlist of other players who received all votes for the title, including Frank Robinson, who broke the achievement in 1956, and Cody Bellinger (2017).

Paying tribute: Carroll told reporters that being listed along with former Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki on the list “means a lot to me.” Suzuki, whom Carroll looked up in his youth, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2001 when he received 27 of 28 votes.

“Having my name next to his [Ichiro] in some way, he inspired a young Seattle kid and hopefully I can do that for the next generation,” he said.

His stats: During the season, Carroll reportedly had a batting average of .285, an on-base percentage of .362 and an .868 on-base plus slugging. He also made 25 homers and stole 54 bases, a feat that Fox Sports noted as no rookie before him has ever achieved.