Big Guy Carlos Gonzalez looks to do well for Colorado Rockies in 2013 - MLB News
Colorado Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez, otherwise known as CarGo, is big and it has been endorsed by the new Colorado Rockies’ manager Walt Weiss. He only realised it after watching him recently in Spring Training.
"It's a big frame," Weiss said. "I didn't realize he was that wide."
The new manager believes that in the way the 27-year-old hits hard. Walt has seen some seriously good hitters over the years and Carlos appears to be an addition to the list.
Gonzalez meanwhile maintains that he has realised that being bigger is not all that matters. He has reduced the size he previously maintained and now realises that power is not the only element needed in going long but timing also plays a pivotal role.
"I tried to be bigger before, and it didn't work," Gonzalez said. "I understand now the kind of player I am is explosive, not big and looking for power. When I hit homers, I'm just quick to the ball. I don't put any extra power [in my swing]. I just have
to hit the ball in the right spot."
His numbers have not been bad throughout his career and he has posted a .299 career average and a .355 on-base percentage. He also is a regular in going long and that is one of the pluses he offers to the Colorado line-up.
In 2012, Carlos did miss 27 games. His overall performance with the bat was quite good. He posted a .303 batting average and a .371 on-base percentage. A total of 157 hits and 22 home-runs obviously did not do him any harm.
The Venezuelan says that he has worked hard on his fitness in the last couple of seasons and will like to remain healthy in the time to come. He wants to have more at bats, something that can be good for the Rockies as he can be an explosive hitter when
he gets going.
"The last two years, with the injuries, it cost me at the end of the year. That's why I work hard every day to try to stay healthy. I want to get to 600 at-bats,” Gonzalez said.
Carlos is on the Venezuelan team in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Last year he was on the All-Star team and he is showing a consistent upward surge. These are a good signs both for him and his team.
The Rockies have to get a lot of things right. Having reliable hitter such as Carlos Gonzalez can certainly help them in their offensive production, particularly in home games where fly balls get more value because of the nature of the high altitude.
One hopes that the big man can continue to deliver and improve upon his performance to get his team out of the rut in which it is currently stuck.
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