CarGon brought up by the Rockies

by adragon on Jun 5, 2009 4:12 PM PDT

I just heard on MLB TV that the Rockies have brought up Carlos Gonzalez from the minors today. He is going to play tonight at St. Louis and will bat seventh in the line up. To make room for CarGon they sent down Matt Murton to the Sky Sox. Here is a what The Denver Post had to say today.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Rockies top prospect Carlos Gonzalez has been promoted to the big-league club from the Triple-A Sky Sox.

Gonzalez, a centerpiece of the Matt Holliday trade, will join the Rockies in St. Louis. Matt Murton was optioned to the minor leagues.

Gonzalez, 23, was leading the minor-leagues with 59 RBIs. The outfielder was also leading the Sky Sox in homers (10), triples (7), extra base hits (29) and slugging percentage (.630).

I hope all of the AN nation joins me in wishing CarGon all the sucess in the world.

Update: CarGon is not in the line up today as Seth Smith is hitting seventh in left field.

Tweet Comment 33 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

yeah

that 59 ribbies is pretty impressive

Coming here and venting is being a fan; it shows you care - Nico

by closetasfan on Jun 5, 2009 4:16 PM PDT reply actions

Do the Sky Sox

actually wear socks that are sky-blue colored? That would be pretty cool. And high socks with proper stirrups would be very cool.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jun 5, 2009 4:26 PM PDT reply actions

Sky (High) Sox

"If Bowden was a general contractor, he'd build houses with nine bedrooms, six garages, no bathrooms, and half a roof."

by DyeLongJustice on Jun 5, 2009 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions

That would be awesome. And I love high socks.

In this pic, the sox are black.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jun 5, 2009 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Hmph

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jun 5, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions

Well this sucks

he looks to be every bit the superstar he’s been tabbed to be so far this year.

"If Bowden was a general contractor, he'd build houses with nine bedrooms, six garages, no bathrooms, and half a roof."

by DyeLongJustice on Jun 5, 2009 4:26 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, that's the sad part.

He’s a stud.

Hopefully Holliday brings us something awesome.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jun 5, 2009 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Best of luck, CarGo!

His minor league numbers are sick.

And, it looks like he had corrected his MAJOR flaw, which was plate discipline (he’s had the best discipline at any level he’s had >100 PAs so far, seriously dropping his K rates and increasing his BB rates)

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jun 5, 2009 4:27 PM PDT reply actions

i'm not a saber dude, but his numbers are super weird

his LD% is 13%, but his babip is 0.372. that seems very odd.

vs LH pitching, his LD% is 8% but his babip is 0.381. his GB% is 56% vs LH, so he must be getting a lot of groundballs through.

and his OPS is nearly the same vs LH (1.035) as RH (1.046)

at AAA last year, he had 35 Ks and 16 BBs in 172 PA. this year at AAA, he has 32Ks and 20 BBs in 190 PA. i don’t see huge improvement in K rate or BB rate.

one conclusion might be that the altitude is straightening out pitches and his contact rate is higher, but that’s false because his K rate is higher at home vs on the road.

i wish him luck, but these #s are bizarre

by stm72 on Jun 6, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions

I didnt like the Trade at the time..

and I still don’t like it now. I really liked Gonzalez as out CFer. He was very very good.

"Their Triple-A rotation, led by Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson, could be better than some big-league rotations; Michael Ynoa is the best Latin American prospect of the decade; 2008 draftees Jemile Weeks and Rashun Dixon bring much-needed tools to an advanced group of hitters." - BaseballProspectus.com

by Syphon on Jun 5, 2009 4:47 PM PDT reply actions

too late now for all this crying....

all aboard the Holliday train folks…..we’re gonna ride it all the way till there ain’t no moe smoke in the engine!

I wish Jaguar Paw the best…. Go A’s!

Zeigler to Geren…."A-Rod? He’s my bitch." -alox

by mrod on Jun 5, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

I was crying?

by Syphon on Jun 5, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

In general......I was saying, "Just enjoy the ride friends...."

not specifically at you Syphon.

Zeigler to Geren…."A-Rod? He’s my bitch." -alox

by mrod on Jun 5, 2009 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Gottcha.

by Syphon on Jun 5, 2009 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm with Syphon here.

The other 2 guys, ok trade them. But I think the A’s pulled the trigger too early on CarGo. I suppose history will tell the rest of the story.

JJ Martin
The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker

by JJ Martin on Jun 5, 2009 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions

cargon wearing holliday's old #5

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jun 5, 2009 6:19 PM PDT reply actions

best of luck.

I hope he tears it up for the Rockies.

by Tambo45 on Jun 5, 2009 6:23 PM PDT reply actions

I still think he's going to be better than Sweeney

Had the trade been Street, Smith, Sweeney I would have been a lot happier.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jun 5, 2009 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree with that

by jeffro on Jun 5, 2009 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions

The A's tried to do that IIRC,

but it was rejected because unfortunately, the Rockies do not employ Brian Sabean.

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Jun 5, 2009 7:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I hope that's true

I hope it’s that the Rockies insisted on Gonzalez, and not that the A’s preferred Sweeney.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jun 5, 2009 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Of course it was

I’m kind of confused that there would even be a doubt.

by SeanR on Jun 6, 2009 8:30 AM PDT up reply actions

There's doubt because all indications are that

1. The A’s love Sweeney and believe he will hit for power

2. The A’s were not enthused about Gonzalez’ plate discipline

3. Gonzalez may have rubbed management the wrong way (not confirmed, but indicated by inside sources at times last year).

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jun 6, 2009 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions

I wouldn't have too big a doubt

Those three factors suggest a possibility that the A’s preferred Sweeney to Gonzalez, but they do not explain why the Rockies would be willing to take a package of Sweeney, Street, and Smith for Holliday. That seems waaaayy to light of a deal from the Rockies perspective, I cant believe the Rockies would even consider this deal especially when you factor in that they wanted to flip Street which suggest he wouldn’t be the centerpiece of any deal.

I think it’s very likely that Gonzalez was big prize from the Rockies’ side and they wouldn’t have done the deal without him.

by OkayJay81 on Jun 6, 2009 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions

Congrats Carlos!

Hopefull, those numbers aren’t just cause you been playing in Colorado Springs and the Pacific Coast League :)

I joke… Good luck in all seriousness.

by jeffro on Jun 5, 2009 6:41 PM PDT reply actions

Everybody hits in Colorado Springs...

Remember Joe Koshansky?

Never, Never, NEVER give up

by hero66 on Jun 5, 2009 10:24 PM PDT reply actions

True, everyone hits in Colorado Springs

But you can’t deny the obvious improvement in his plate discipline, which has little to do with his home ballpark.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jun 6, 2009 7:49 AM PDT up reply actions

Plus he put up solid numbers on the road this AAA season

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jun 6, 2009 8:06 AM PDT up reply actions

the improvement in K rate isn't that large...see my post above

by stm72 on Jun 6, 2009 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions

Your numbers are slightly off, per your post above

2009: 22 BB/32 K in 192 AB = 11% BB rate and 17% K rate

2008: 16 BB/35 K in 173 AB = 9% BB rate and 20% K rate

You’re right, CarGon hasn’t shown huge improvement in these areas but he’s moved in the right direction for both. I think the combination of a higher walk rate and a lower strike out rate represents a general improvement in controlling the strike zone, although the sample size is small enough to be cautious in that assessment. It’s also possible that the thin Colorado air takes just enough edge off of breaking balls to help keep Gonzalez from posting worse numbers but his 2009 splits show he’s done better at avoiding K’s on the road than at home, which certainly doesn’t support the “its all ’cause of his home park” theory.

He’s not even 24 yet, I’m inclined to believe this is actual improvement.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jun 6, 2009 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions

i'm not bad mouthing the guy, i'm a fan...

it’s just that his numbers seem to be a bit frothy given a minor improvement in strike zone control and a low LD%…we’ll see and i hope he makes us regret the trade.

and i pointed in my post above out that his road stats don’t support the thin air theory of his favorable home park.

by stm72 on Jun 6, 2009 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions