Orioles’ Henderson, D-backs’ Carroll among top MLB rookies

A year after two outstanding performances by Julio Rodríguez and Michael Harris II, another group of potential players are aiming for league success.

Here’s a closer look at some of the most intriguing major rookies this year:

—INF Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles: Henderson, 21, made his major league debut last summer, batting at .259 in 34 games with four home runs and 18 RBIs. The Alabama-born second-round pick is expected to feature prominently in the 2019 amateur draft this year as the Orioles look to repeat their surprise finish last season.

-OF Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks: With the speedy Carroll at their back, Arizona could have one of baseball’s most athletic lineups. Carroll, 22, hit 24 homers and swiped 31 bases in the minors last year and then was promoted from Arizona in August and hit .260 in 32 games in the majors. The former Lakeside High School star was selected by the Diamondbacks with the #16 pick in the 2019 draft.

— C Francisco Álvarez and RHP Kodai Senga, New York Mets: There are questions about Álvarez’s ability to defend and New York has Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido behind the plate. But Álvarez can swing the bat. He hit .260 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in 112 games over two minor league stops last year.

The 30-year-old Senga was 11-6 with a 1.94 ERA in 22 starts for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Pacific League last season. In December, he inked a five-year, $75 million deal with New York.

-BY Oscar Colás, Chicago White Sox: The peppy Colás could be in the right field for Chicago on opening day and make his big league debut. He hit .314 with 23 homers and 79 RBIs in 2022 in his freshman year in the minors.

– RHP Hunter Brown, Houston Astros: A fifth-round pick in Wayne State University’s 2019 draft, Brown made an impressive big-league debut last year. In seven appearances for the AL West champion, including two starts, he went 2-0 with a .89 ERA. Then he threw 3 2/3 innings scoreless over three postseason games.

– INF/OF Miguel Vargas, Los Angeles Dodgers: The reigning NL West champion plans to start Vargas on second base and form a promising double-play duo with shortstop Gavin Lux. Vargas, 23, made his major league debut away from Los Angeles in August. Last year he hit .304 with 17 homers, 82 RBIs and 16 steals for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

-SS Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees: A first-rounder in 2019, Volpe has had an impressive season, hitting a .249 with 21 homers, 65 RBIs and 50 steals in 132 games, combining Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton /Wilkes-Barre. He’ll likely be in the mix with New York at shortstop and second base.

– C Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians: Naylor made it to the majors in October and appeared in five games with the AL Central Champions. This year, he will likely partner with Mike Zunino as Cleveland’s main options behind the plate. The younger brother of Guardians slugger Josh Naylor, Naylor hit .263 in the minors in 2022 with 21 homers and 68 RBIs.

-BY Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox: It’s been a bumpy offseason for Boston, but the Red Sox managed to sign Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal in December. Yoshida, 29, batted for Orix in Japan’s Pacific League last year with 21 home runs and 88 RBIs in 119 games to .335. He also helped Japan win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

– OF Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals: St. Louis has a deep lineup anchored by Nolan Arenado and NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, and help is on the way with the dynamic Walker. The 20-year-old Georgia native hit .306 with 19 home runs, 68 RBIs and 22 steals for Double-A Springfield last year. Walker was selected by the Cardinals with the #21 pick in the 2020 draft.

— INF Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies: Tovar was sidelined for more than two months last year with a groin injury but was promoted to the majors in September and collected two hits on his big league debut. The 21-year-old Tovar hit .319 with 14 homers, 49 RBIs and 17 steals in last season’s minors.