Rockies skipper Black confident Cargo will ‘be there at crunch time’
Jun 20, 2017, 9:11 PM | Updated: 9:41 pm
As the Colorado Rockies head into a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondback riding the high of a signature win Sunday to sweep the San Francisco Giants, one of the club’s signature sluggers continues to ride out slow start at the plate.
Statistically, though 65 games this season ahead of Tuesday night’s game, one-time MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez stands with career-lows in nearly every hitting category from his decade in the major leagues.
Cargo’s batting just .219, 19 points below his next low-water mark of set in 2014. He’s slugging .335, has an OPS of .636, and has an offensive WAR of -1.1.
But despite the three-time All-Star’s struggles at the plate, not only has Gonzalez not taken his slump to the field but the clubhouse neither.
“He hasn’t hung his head one bit through this first couple of month of struggling at the plate. He hasn’t taken that to defense. He’s made some game-saving catches. He has run the bases hard,” Rockies skipper Bud Black told “Schlereth & Evans” on Monday.
“… So, I keep saying it, but I believe it — and the coaches believe it, our front office executives believe it — he’s going to get this thing going.”
And with Colorado comfortably 20-games above .500 heading into Tuesday’s tilt, though with the D-backs and Los Angeles Dodgers not far behind, Black has the luxury of letting Gonzalez work through the slump.
“In the second half, when we probably need him the most, he’s going to be there. So, that’s what I foresee,” Black said.
“He’s a great Rockie. He’s got the most tenure of anybody in that dugout. It’s a long way to go, and he’ll be there at crunch time.”
Historically, Cargo has been slow out of the gates, with his lowest batting average per month in March/April (.271) and the highest in July (.311).
So, ESPN MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian agrees with Black, telling “Stokley & Zach” on Tuesday that he’d keep Gonzalez in the lineup because he’s going to come out of it sooner or later.
“It’s been later than you thought, but the light goes on for certain guys at certain times, and then suddenly he’s got it,” Kurkjian said. “So, I’d just keep throwing him out there because you’re not going to go long-term this year and into the playoffs without that guy being at his best.”
“And the only way to get him at his best is to let him work his way through it.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
