Henderson, Carroll win RoY

PHOENIX — Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Arizona’s Corbin Carroll were the types of exciting players Major League Baseball hoped for when it tweaked its rules to encourage athleticism.

The young stars were rewarded Monday by being voted unanimous winners of the sport’s Rookie of the Year awards.

Henderson won the American League honor and Carroll the National League award after they both used used power, speed and defense to help their teams reach the playoffs just two years after 110-loss seasons.

MLB made a series of rules changes during the offseason, including a pitch clock, bans on extreme infield defensive shifts and limits on the number of times a pitcher can disengage from the rubber. Henderson and Carroll were among several young players who took advantage of the emphasis on athleticism, providing value all over the field.

Some big-league players were skeptical of the rules changes before the season. Carroll and Henderson — who had played with them in the minors — embraced them.

“My perspective, having played with them, was just let people see,” Carroll said. “I think people are going to enjoy it. I think this athletic brand of baseball is going to be good for the game. And it was.”

It was just the fifth time both the AL and NL selections were unanimous, the first since the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger in 2017.

The 22-year-old Henderson split time between third base and shortstop, providing above-average defense at both spots, while batting .255 with 28 homers, 82 RBIs, 100 runs, 29 doubles and 10 stolen bases. The numbers were strikingly similar to Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.’s first full season — another shortstop who won the award in 1982.