Jake McCarthy spent the first half of the 2022 season heading back-and-forth between the Arizona Diamondbacks and their top farm team, the Reno Aces.
During that time, McCarthy proved to be too strong for Triple-A baseball.
In the second half of the season, the 25-year-old Scranton High School graduate established himself as one of the best rookies in Major League Baseball.
That was evident Monday when voting for the National League Rookie of the Year was announced and McCarthy came in fourth.
Seven players received votes with Michael Harris II receiving the award and Atlanta Braves teammate Spencer Strider joining him in separating from the pack. They accounted for 59 of the 60 first- and second-place votes.
A total of seven players were mentioned by voters as one of the top three rookies. McCarthy received the second-most, third-place votes to finish fourth overall, behind Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals.
McCarthy batted above .300 for the Diamondbacks in June, July and August, then hit .299 in September as he overcame a sluggish start as a part-timer in the first half of the season. His season batting average climbed all the way to .295 before an 0-for-13 finish over the final three games in October settled his final number at .283.
By the time the season ended, McCarthy was holding down the important third spot in the Arizona batting order and playing regularly in the outfield.
In 99 games with Arizona, McCarthy hit 8 home runs, drove in 43 runs, scored 53 times, had 16 doubles and hit 3 triples. He ranked fifth in the NL in stolen bases with 23 while compiling an on-base percentage of .342 and slugging percentage of .427.
McCarthy, the 39th pick overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia, made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2021 and batted .220 in 24 games with 2 homers, 4 RBI, 3 stolen bases and 11 runs scored.
This season, McCarthy played 47 games in right field, 32 in left field, 12 in center field and also served as a designated hitter.
During his time in Reno this season, McCarthy batting .369 in 36 games with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 33 runs, 27 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He built an OPS of 1.053 by combining a .457 on-base percentage with a .596 slugging percentage.
