A long awaited homecoming for D-Backs All-Star, Seattle native Corbin Carroll

Representing the Arizona Diamondbacks, rookie phenom Corbin Carroll remembers growing up in Seattle with his parents and sister, watching stars like Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Ichiro Suzuki. Now as an All-Star starter at just 22 years old, he’s on one the biggest stages in all of professional sports in the city he calls home.

Speaking on Monday, he was all business, describing what it was like when he found out that he was going to be an All-Star.

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“I don’t even think that I had a reaction because my head was so not in that space,” he recalled. “It was one of my goals before the season to play in this game.”

That moment had at least a couple hundred people reaching out to congratulate him, from former classmates and teammates to coaches and teachers.

But even if Carroll wasn’t named to the American League squad, he would have been here anyway.

“I already had a flight here because I was planning on coming back regardless,” he said. “If I wasn’t in the game I probably still would have been here as a fan to see baseball like this in Seattle.”

In the meantime, “it’s all about soaking it in, enjoying it.”

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And as for who he’s rooting for in Monday’s Home Run Derby, “I’d love to see Julio do it for the hometown.”