Looks like Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is finally getting back to playing form. In the Rockies 1-0 preseason win over the Cincinnati Reds, CarGo hit an opposite-field, ground-rule double in the first inning and finished the game 2-for-3 from the plate.
“I feel good, better than I expected after I didn’t play for, what, six months?” said Gonzalez. The former National League batting Champion seems to have almost fully recovered from having surgery on his left knee this past August.
“You always have your doubts when coming off a long break, but I’m seeing the ball really, really well. And I’m making good contact, which is important for spring training.”
The Rockies shutout the Reds Saturday, with six Colorado pitchers holding Cincinnati to only three hits. Colorado had seven hits in the game, Gonzalez had two of them. He was especially pleased with his double to the left.
“That was a big at-bat for me,” he said. “That was one of the things that I set on my mind before the game. Just try to hit the ball the other way and get some bat speed and hit the ball in the air. All of the contact that I made before was groundballs. The timing is going to come back the more I play, and I feel good.”
If CarGo and the Rockies can continue to improve and stay healthy, the team may have a chance on making a making noise this season.