Sleeper of the Week

Just ask any Expos or Nationals fan, and they’ll tell you that Jamey Carroll is a player that gets everything out of his limited ability, much like a David Eckstein; who we’ve all enjoyed watching play. And I strongly feel that, if given the playing time, Carroll can be an average to above average second baseman. Well, the time is now. Luis A. Gonzalez is just coming back from an injury, currently rehabbing with the Colorado Spring Rox. He’s not doing extremely well there, but that’s not surprising considering the fact that he was batting only .240 in the majors this year before the injury, and also must deal with the nagging aftereffects of the injury. The Rockies’ only other option now is Omar Quintanilla, a rookie that the Colorado got in a trade last year with the Oakland A’s. Carroll was somewhat highly touted at the beginning of 2005, but that has since faded. He wasn’t all that impressive in the minors before getting the callup this year, however he posted the average line below.

G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	OPS
51	189	36	54	12	2	9	17	37	1	.286	.346	.727

So the job is Carroll’s to lose at the moment. He has started in seven straight games before today, and is 15 for 34 with three doubles, two triples and a home run (hit another one as I’m writing this, in RFK!) in those contests. Carroll has raised his season batting average to .325 to go along with a .406 OBP and a .442 SLG for a .847 OPS. We all know that Coors Field gives up a lot of home runs, but Carroll isn’t a home run hitter. What he’ll be taking advantage of is Coors’ huge outfield by spraying hits between the outfielders into the gaps. With the Rockies being a very productive team offensively, especially at home, and him leading off consistently, we can expect some nice run totals from him at least for the short future. I’m not sure with the way he’s playing, you can bench him when Gonzalez comes back.

Oh, and did I mention he’s also third base and short stop eligible?

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