Warning, the following content may not be suitable for unrealistically optimistic Rockies Fans.
Carlos Gonzalez has been one of the most productive, offensive outfielders in the last decade. Coming into his age 31 season, he was one of 5 outfielders to have more than 175 HR and more than 75 steals, in the last 5 years combined. His OPS has never dipped below .850 in a season in which he received more than 350 at bats. He has been a machine, however this season Colorado may need to check their warranty paperwork. After 250 Plate Appearances, Gonzalez has a disappointing .215/.292/.336 triple slash line to go along with his career low .629 OPS. His .336 Slugging Percentage is .175 points lower than his career average and 7th worst in all of baseball. Cargo appears to be struggling to make contact on a regular basis, placing himself in tough hitters counts, where he is getting taken advantage of. His 14.4% swinging strike rate ranks 10th worst in the league. In fact, Byron Buxton is the only other qualified hitter to have a swinging strike rate above 14% and a slugging percentage below .330. In addition to his swing and miss problems, the balls Cargo is putting in play are not doing much damage. His hard hit rate is dangerously low compared to his career norm and his 87 MPH AEV (Average Exit Velocity) is nothing to get excited about. Despite Gonzalez’s early season issues, the Rockies have continued to run him out there, batting in the cleanup spot on most nights. It remains to be seen if Cargo is battling some sort of injury that may be the root cause of his struggles. Even if healthy, I would be shocked if he doesn’t end up on the DL at some point in the next 30 days. Mental or Physical, he could use the reset.
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