DENVER -- Double-A Hartford center fielder Cole Carrigg (Rockies’ No. 3 prospect) and third baseman Kyle Karros (No. 20) are feeding some winning habits. For Carrigg, it’s grand slams. He has four home runs this year, half of which are slams. The first was last Friday, during his three-hit, five-RBI performance in a 19-5 victory at Somerset: |
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The next came Wednesday night in a 6-3 victory over Chesapeake: |
Karros, meanwhile, has gotten into dazzling catches. Tuesday’s play in a 7-4 victory over Chesapeake had a ring of familiarity to it for Rockies fans. We’ll explain that in a bit, but here’s the grab: |
The Yard Goats are battling Portland (Boston’s Double-A affiliate) for the top spot in the Eastern League Northeast Division. Carrigg and Karros -- the on- and off-field sparkplugs for High-A Spokane’s Northwest League championship club last season -- have kept the party going in Hartford. “We’re having a really good time,” said Carrigg, a second-round Draft choice out of San Diego State in 2023. “The baseball season is so long. To an extent, we don’t get to see our family and friends. Realizing that, we just make sure to have more fun. And wins … I like associating that with having a good time.” Carrigg, who turns 23 on Thursday, and the 22-year-old Karros, a fifth-round pick out of UCLA in 2023, are different personalities. Carrigg is more outgoing (check out the scream as he rounded third during Wednesday’s slam) and Karros is more reserved. Both have a balance of seriousness and what Karros calls “chill.” And some of the other winning personalities from Spokane are helping Hartford succeed. “We have a lot of the same guys who moved up here, and we know how we operate together,” Karros said. |
The pair is producing at levels that keep a smile on everyone’s face. Carrigg, the leadoff hitter, has an .882 OPS. In addition to the four homers, he has 19 RBIs, four doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases in eight attempts. Karros has impressive numbers throughout his slash line -- .329/.446/.513 – to go with two homers, 10 RBIs and 13 walks in 21 games. Carrigg dabbled with catching until the Rockies decided his speed and athletic ability could be better used elsewhere. He is playing regularly in center field but has seen action in the outfield corners, and he practices in the infield, just in case. The Rockies considered inviting Karros to the Arizona Fall League last year to add first base to his potential positions, but mutually agreed that he was better served resting after his first full pro season. But their production and the attention the organization is paying could lead to fast-tracking. The struggles of the big league club are difficult to ignore, but both Carrigg and Karros are busy building their games. Carrigg entered Thursday with 27 strikeouts in 19 games, but he feels he is making the adjustment to pitchers with better “putaway stuff” than he saw in Spokane. Karros has a 6-foot-5 frame that suggests power potential, but he is “trying to be a hitter first.” |
Both felt being invited to Major League camp this spring gave them a taste of the talent level. They realize that whenever the call comes, they’ll concentrate on being contributors, not rescuers. Karros said his father, Eric Karros, who spent most of his 14-season career with the Dodgers and is now a broadcaster for the club, has spoken to him about just that. “I don’t think the big league level will really change just by adding one guy into the mix,” Karros said. “It’s going to be a core of us going up there and taking what we learned in the Minor Leagues to use. “My dad went through it with the Dodgers. His first year, there were a lot of losses, but once you get a group of guys that have played with one another, have real relationships and love one another, that’s when you can start to win ballgames.” |
Karros’ catch brought back memories of the above play that Nolan Arenado made for the Rockies on April 14, 2015. It didn’t take Karros long to learn about it. Rockies player development director Chris Forbes was in Hartford when it occurred. “He said after the game that Arenado did the same thing,” Karros said. “It was a cool play -- a little funny-looking. I didn’t realize how far I was away from the net. I figured if I was right up next to the tarp, I could reach and touch the net. But I was a good five, six feet away from the net, and I had to go into a full dive to catch it.” |
The Rockies have had their eye on rookie Zach Agnos as a potential closer. They didn’t tell him it would be so soon. They called on Agnos to close the 2-1 victory over the Braves on Wednesday afternoon, and he achieved his first Major League save in his fifth career appearance. “Me and ‘T.K.’ [veteran Tyler Kinley] were talking, saying basically we were ready, whether it was the first inning or the ninth,” said Agnos, who earned his second save in a 4-3 victory on Thursday night in San Francisco. “It’s the same game and we try not to make the game bigger than it is -- especially later in the game. It’s the hardest three outs to get. “It was awesome. Obviously, it means they have a lot of trust in me. It frees me up.” |
The easiest way to slip under the radar is perform well as a reliever on a team that is struggling like the Rockies. But on Wednesday, righty Jake Bird replaced injured starter Chase Dollander with two outs in the sixth. Bird struck out Ozzie Albies, then pitched a clean seventh to leave his ERA at 0.95 through 13 appearances. His 26 strikeouts were second among relievers going into Thursday. The bullpen has pitched well overall, despite a heavy innings load due to struggling starters and constant pressure with the offense not producing. Bird’s strength is his pitch mix. “I’m feeling really good and trusting everything I’ve got right now,” Bird said. “I feel good in any count with any pitch -- curveball, slider, sinker and even the four-seamer. That’s where everybody wants to be.” |
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