SnakeBytes 6/30: Hey now, you’re an all-star

Diamondbacks News

(Arizona Sports) D-backs OF Corbin Carroll’s roller coaster day ends with All-Star nod

It was a wild ride of emotions for Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll on Thursday.

Carroll’s afternoon began with a ballgame, included an injury scare and ended with a 2023 MLB All-Star Game starting nod in his hometown.

Talk about a roller coaster of a day.

(SI.com) Third Inning Avalanche Buries Pfaadt, D-backs

In [Pfaddt’s] first six career starts, he has allowed five runs in four of them, which has put Arizona out of the game in all but one of them. Pfaadt, who MLB Pipeline ranked as the 25th best prospect in baseball, has struggled to adjust to big league hitters with an ERA of 9.82 and nine home runs allowed in his first 25 2/3 innings.

(AZ Central) Diamondbacks rookie Brandon Pfaadt hammered by Rays in loss

Pfaadt averaged 0.7 mph more with the pitch than he had in May and threw it with similar movement. More importantly, he was able to locate it at the top of the strike zone and to both sides of the plate. That helped him avoid loud contact against the pitch and get five whiffs on 29 swings.

Pfaadt said he was buoyed by minor mechanical adjustments and “certain cues” that he worked on in Triple-A. But the overarching results were, once again, not good enough.

MLB News

(MLB.com) Ohtani makes Halos history with 14th HR in June

Shohei Ohtani continued his record-setting June when he crushed his Major League-leading 29th home run of the season in the ninth inning of the Angels’ 9-7 loss to the White Sox on Thursday afternoon. The two-way superstar’s 438-foot home run was his 14th in June, the most by a Halos player in a single month in franchise history. It broke the record of 13 previously held by Ohtani (June 2021), Albert Pujols (June 2015) and Tim Salmon (June 1996).

(Yahoo! Sports) 2023 MLB All-Star Game starters: Rangers dominate AL lineup, rookies get starts on both teams

Rookies also made both teams for the first time since 2008, with the Rangers’ Josh Jung and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll getting nods. Carroll in particular has started to get MVP buzz, thanks to an impressive start that currently has Arizona in first place in the NL West.

(Camden Chat) Adley Rutschman screwed out of All-Star starting spot by MLB’s new voting gimmick

Orioles fans are big mad. They aren’t wrong, but also... maybe stop taking it so personally and play the game next time?

(ESPN UK) Barry Bonds receives blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jutsu

Barry Bonds, who holds Major League Baseball records for the most home runs all time (762) and in a single season (73), recently earned his blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from black belt John “J” Janero at Evolve Training Center in South San Francisco, California.

(Personally, I would not want to be one of the voters who kept him out of the HOF right about now, just sayin...)