Rising Stars of the NL West

Written By Patrick McKernan

Other than the superhuman two-way talent of Shohei Ohtani, or the hitting milestones of veteran players, this season has been driven by the explosiveness of rookies across the league. In the NL West alone, there are plenty of young bats and arms proving they can be the future of professional baseball. 


Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs have taken the West by storm and have looked good in almost every one of their series. This is largely thanks to their extremely bright rising stars.

Corbin Carroll has all but sealed the NL Rookie of the Year award early on, and there is now even low-level discussion of him being the NL MVP. He leads the Diamondbacks in games played, runs, home runs, and stolen bases, and he is second in hits and RBIs. Back in March, Carroll signed an eight-year contract with the D-Backs after only playing 32 games, and there is a great possibility that he leads this team to be a threat in the West for seasons to come.

Photo by Carlos Osorio (Getty Images)

If Carroll’s star power is not enough out in the desert, the Diamondbacks have a lineup full of young players within their first couple of seasons in the show. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo are batting right at or above .300 on the year, and they are balancing out effective infielder production at the plate with the power of Carroll and Jake McCarthy from the outfield. 

San Diego Padres

The Padres’ 2023 roster currently has three active rookies, and they are all in the bullpen. Relief pitchers Brent Honeywell, Drew Carlton, and Raymond Kerr are the freshest faces on this team full of big names. 

Brent Honeywell - 3.20 ERA

Drew Carlton - 3.60 ERA

Raymond Kerr - 5.14 ERA

Photo by K.C. Alfred (Getty Images)

Although these rookie arms will not get the same spotlight that shines on players like Fernando Tatis Jr. or Juan Soto, the Padres are looking for any help at all experience levels to get back into NL West title contention.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants are battling toward the top of the NL West standings, and despite a rather letdown of an offseason where shortstop Carlos Correa was for a moment the team’s newest star, they should be pleased with the young talent they have chosen to rely on. 

Photo via Sports Illustrated (Getty Images)

One of the most exciting factors of this team is the rookie catcher duo of Patrick Bailey and Blake Sabol. These two are doing their best to be productive both behind the plate when helping frame the strike zone, and at the plate when it comes to driving in runs. Bailey is batting at an average of .318 and has 23 RBIs while Sabol is putting up a .246 with 25 RBIs.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are right up there with San Francisco constantly fighting over the two-spot with the ultimate goal of jumping ahead of Arizona. However, the path to another NL West title is not going to be as easy for the Blue Crew as it has been in years past. Although the Dodgers may have enough star power in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman leading off, the rest of the lineup is full of young bats determined to keep their spots on the team.

James Outman has made a lot of noise in the National League this season, and if not for the elite season Corbin Carroll is having in Arizona, Outman could have had a case for NL Rookie of the Year. Back in April, Outman was NL Rookie of the Month, and the Dodgers’ new rookie second baseman Miguel Vargas is tied with Outman for most triples on the team (3).

Photo by Dale Zanine (Getty Images)

Bobby Miller has also been on the rookie radar out of Los Angeles with a current record of 3-1. His one loss has tossed his ERA down to 4.13, but Miller still poses a threat with 31 strikeouts over 32.7 innings pitched. 

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies, despite being 16.5 games back in the NL West, do have some young players that make this team occasionally worth watching. 

Photo by Bill Streicher (Getty Images)

In the bullpen, the Rockies hold a couple of promising arms in rookie relief pitchers Jacob Bird and Justin Lawrence. Bird holds an ERA of 3.16 through 52 innings and Lawrence holds an ERA of 2.93 through 43 innings. Fending off opposing bats through the thick of games is what opens the window for these Rockies hitters.

Rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is having a solid year at the plate. The 21-year-old from Venezuela is batting a .266 average and has 72 hits, 20 doubles, and 36 RBIs. Important to note he is currently on an 11-game hitting streak as well.

However, even with glimpses of light, every fan attending Coors Field is wondering when one of their team’s ‘rebuilds’ will produce anything close to at least a .500 season.

Patrick McKernan
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