Major League Baseball

CarGo in midst of breakout year, lifting Rockies

Published Jul. 6, 2010 4:45 a.m. ET

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Carlos Gonzalez dribbled a soccer ball around the Colorado Rockies clubhouse, passing it periodically to random teammates.

``Try a bicycle kick,'' slugger Jason Giambi egged him on before a recent game.

So Gonzalez obliged, kicking the ball into the air, contorting his body and unleashing a twisting shot right into the lap of Ian Stewart who was sitting in a chair next to Giambi.

Gooaallll!!!

These days, everything seems to be going Gonzalez's way.

He's hitting .295 with a team-leading 14 homers and playing impeccable defense at all three outfield spots. And while he wasn't picked for the All-Star squad Sunday, he is one of five NL players in contention for the last roster spot through online fan voting.

The emergence of the player teammates affectionately call ``CarGo'' is a big reason why the Rockies have kept it together over a trying first half in which their starting rotation has been dinged up and leader Troy Tulowitzki broke his left wrist in the midst of an All-Star season.

``You're going to see more,'' Rockies manager Jim Tracy pledged. ``(Gonzalez) is going to get even better.''

Hard to believe around this time last season Tracy was being grilled about when he might bench Gonzalez - or ship him back to the minors.

Gonzalez was all over the place at the plate, swinging at everything, making contact with virtually nothing.

After the All-Star break, though, Gonzalez finally figured things out. He's been on a roll ever since.

That's largely because he discovered peace of mind. Tracy showed confidence in him last season and that took root. No longer was he glancing over his shoulder at someone possibly swiping his spot.

Gonzalez's angst and anxiety may have stemmed from being involved in two major trades in his burgeoning career. First, he was part of the deal in December 2007 that landed Dan Haren in Arizona and sent him to Oakland.

A year later, just as he was settling in with the Athletics, Gonzalez was traded to Colorado, along with closer Huston Street and lefty Greg Smith, for All-Star Matt Holliday.

The business side of baseball can be cold-hearted for a youngster trying to gain traction.

But it led him to a good spot.

``Sleeping better, especially now that we're winning,'' the 24-year-old Venezuelan said. ``To be honest, I've never felt this comfortable before.''

Making fans forget about Holliday hasn't been easy.

But he embraced the challenge, even donning Holliday's jersey number (5), making it all the easier for some creative fans to stick duct tape over Holliday's name and simply write ``CarGo'' in black marker.

``When I first got here, everybody was asking me if I was going to replace Matt Holliday,'' Gonzalez said. ``No one is going to forget what he did. I'm here to be myself.''

That's worked out pretty well.

Gonzalez is in the middle of a breakout season. His 52 RBIs so far are three shy of his total from the last two seasons combined.

Yet he's at a loss to completely explain his success this season, insisting he's really not doing anything radically different.

Even his hairstyle has remained the same - cut short on the sides with a tiny faux Mohawk across the top.

When he's going good, he leaves his locks alone. That's why this look has been around since the All-Star break last season, when he began to really take off.

Around that time, his swing fell into a groove. Gonzalez hit .320 in the second half of the season as the Rockies rallied to win the NL wild-card race.

The hot streak even spilled over into the playoffs, when he collected a team-best 10 hits against Philadelphia in the NL division series.

``The hair is working,'' he said, laughing. ``I'm going to stay with it.''

His hair isn't the only thing that looks sharp.

``My numbers are pretty,'' Gonzalez said. ``At the same time, I never want to be satisfied. I never want to be like, 'OK, this is good enough.' I always want to get to the next level and help the team improve.''

Gonzalez is a well-liked figure in the clubhouse, always dancing and clowning around.

But does his emerging popularity resonate across the country?

``Him?'' catcher Miguel Olivo playfully interrupts. ``No one recognizes him.''

The stack of mail suggests otherwise.

Gonzalez has been a popular pen pal this season, cards, pictures and baseballs to be signed piling up.

``There are a few people who are beginning to recognize me,'' Gonzalez said.

His manager has long recognized he had a talented player in the making. Yet, even Tracy didn't think it would happen this fast.

``He's beyond where you thought he would be,'' Tracy said. ``Watching Carlos grow up to become the baseball player he's become, that's what's been very, very impressive to me.''

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