Can Cole Carrigg Become the Rockies’ Long-Awaited Clutch Difference Maker?

Considering that a baseball season is comparable to a marathon, a successful baseball career would consist of at least three ultramarathons.

When this is taken into consideration, attempting to evaluate Cole Carrigg’s career in the Major Leagues, which consists of 48 at-bats in 14 games, is comparable to rating a race that is 300 miles long based on the first two miles.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Carrigg is off to an outstanding beginning.

Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) brings a batting line of.271/.379/.542 and an on-base percentage of.921 into the series opener against the Twins, which will take place on Friday in Minnesota. He has a total of thirteen hits, which include three home runs, two doubles, and a triple. Additionally, he has eleven runs batted in, nine runs scored, and one stolen base. Additionally, he has eight walks and twelve strikeouts.

Zachary Goodman, the color commentator for KOA Radio, made a very insightful observation on the No. 65 overall choice in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft while he was listening to the Rockies come-from-behind victory on Wednesday. According to Goodman, Carrigg possesses the “clutch gene” since he is able to produce significant hits when there are runners on base. For example, he produced a single with two outs in the seventh inning to trim Boston’s lead to 6-4, and he hit a double with RBI to give the Rockies an insurance run that put Colorado ahead 8-6 in the eighth inning.

It is a wonderful expression, and it is accurate.

At this point in time, it appears that Carrigg is the player you want at the plate when you are in need of something to take place. He was the one who drove in three of the eight runs that the Rockies scored in the game that took place on Wednesday. A run was driven in by his RBI single in the seventh inning, which not only contributed to the comeback but also made it possible for Jake McCarthy to come to the plate and drive in a run of his own, bringing the Red Sox’s final score to 6-5.

Following the victory that the Rockies achieved on Wednesday, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer confirmed that Carrigg is capable of coming through in the clutch.

“That is such a laborious task. That is off [Tyron] Guerrero, and it is really difficult to accomplish. With two outs and two strikes, it is challenging to generate a knock like that with the adjustability in his swing, Schaeffer said. “It is difficult.” “It is something that you see regularly with TJ Rumfield, and Cole also has it,” she said. After that, in the eighth inning, he hit a huge double that drove in two runs. You are aware that Cole is not afraid of anything, and it is evident that he is not going to be afraid of anything. It’s all about the mentality. Both mentality and the ability to compete are essential, and he possesses both of them.

The rookie gave additional information in an interview with Goodman that took place after the game. He was asked if he always has a stable heartbeat even when he is under pressure.

Carrigg stated, “I don’t know if it’s ever slow in those situations, but I feel confident in myself and in my teammates when it comes to those situations.” To put it simply, I want to do everything in my power to assist the team.

The adaptability of Carrigg is also a significant benefit, especially considering the new front office and coaching staff that places a high importance on versatility. Carrigg, who is a switch-hitter and has the ability to play practically every position on the field (when he was a student at San Diego State University, he played everything but first base, including bullpen pitcher), has spent the majority of his time playing center field for Colorado. However, in addition to his line-up boosting bat, he has also played three innings at shortstop and has the ability to give a quality glove wherever on the field. He has also played three innings at shortstop.

Despite the fact that the Rockies have witnessed breakthrough performances from young players in recent years, such as Hunter Goodman in the previous season, Brenton Doyle in the year 2024, and Nolan Jones in the year 2023, they have not truly had a clutch, go-to hitter since Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story were run-scoring machines in the years 2015-2019.

Arenado had his breakout year with 130 RBI in his third season in the Major League Baseball at the age of 24, which is the same age that Carrigg is at today. This was partly owing to the fact that he hit 42 home runs. Carrigg, who is still in his rookie season, is showing fans of the Rockies what it might be like to have a reliable bat that flourishes when there are runners on base. Since making his debut on June 9, Carrigg has a 0.3 runs batted in per game, which places him tied for sixth place among position players on the Rockies roster.

For more than a hundred runs, the Rockies have not had a rookie drive since Story, who was 25 years old at the time, did it in 2018.

The fact that Carrigg did not make his debut until well after two months into the season makes it very clear that he will not be able to break that trend. On the other hand, he might be in the Arenado camp and trying to develop toward it.

Carrigg will be put to the test by the grind of the Major League Baseball and the fact that he will be facing really good pitching on a daily basis. His rookie season is only 17 days old. On the other hand, it is still entertaining to fantasize about the possibility that the Rockies could actually make a big bat from a potential prospect a reality.