The only thing hotter than a sun-splashed Coors Field on Sunday was the Colorado Rockies bats.
After a five home run barrage, the Rockies finished off their series with the Cincinnati Reds with a 17-7 victory. Carlos Gonzalez hit two home runs for the second time in the series, and Ben Paulsen added two home runs of his own. Nolan Arenado also added his own home run, fittingly as fans were handed his bobblehead on their way into the park.
The two home run attack from Gonzalez has capped off a phenomenal July for the slugger, who struggled his way through the majority of the first half of the season. However, the CarGo signature bat drop that happened four times in the three-game series against the Reds tells Rockies fans everything that they need to know. The slugger is finally healthy.
The problem for the Rockies is that they have used the injury excuse so much in the past four seasons that when they have a legitimate reason to use it, fans immediately dismiss it.
For CarGo, the excuse might be legitimate. Sidelined by nearly every injury imaginable in 2014, including a tumor in his finger, the numbers dropped significantly. The major injury, however, was a knee ailment that required surgery in the offseason. What may have been forgotten about as CarGo struggled with timing, and frankly looked awful through the first two months, is that his body may not have been quite right.
The “If” game is one that Rockies fans like to play often, but isn’t really helpful. There are plenty of “if’s” that could or couldn’t happen every single year. Assuming one of those scenarios would have actually happened is wishful thinking and doesn’t tell the whole story. That was the biggest problem with the previous regime headed up by Dan O’Dowd. They played the “if” game and wound up justifying clear issues with the club.
However, the reason that Carlos Gonzalez was signed to the deal that he currently is playing under is because he exemplified talent that suggested he could be a candidate for National League MVP every single season. Obviously injuries have sapped that idea and made people forget just how talented he actually is.
With a healthy Gonzalez, the Rockies are an entirely different team. It changes the dynamic of the lineup, forcing the opposing pitcher to throw different pitches to the rest of the lineup. The protection that CarGo can bring to both Troy Tulowitzki and Arenado is something that is hard to measure, but will undoubtedly help them see more fastballs.
The Rockies are already looking forward to the 2016 season. The remainder of the 2015 campaign is all about what the team needs to address in the offseason and building towards being a competitive team in one year. With a healthy Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies are a different team.
Make no mistake, even if Gonzalez becomes a legitimate MVP candidate, it doesn’t change the fact that beyond Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies rotation consists of crossing fingers and saying prayers for mercy. The Rockies will need to address their huge holes in the rotation before they can even pretend to be contenders, let alone respectable.
One huge step forward the Rockies can make, however, doesn’t require a free agent signing, or a trade. It comes from someone within their own organization playing to his capabilities. The Rockies have a superstar in their clubhouse in Carlos Gonzalez, he simply hasn’t been able to hit those expectations because of injury. A healthy CarGo can become a huge benefit to the Rockies, but he has to play to his potential.
