COLORADO SPRINGS — There are moments when Carlos Gonzalez makes baseball look effortless. The glossy statistics he has posted for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox this spring suggest a player banging on the big-league door.
So how come the 23-year-old outfielder, the centerpiece of the Rockies’ trade that sent Matt Holliday to Oakland, is still tracking down windblown flyballs at Security Service Field while Colorado is buried in the National League West basement?
The answer appears twofold. First, the Rockies say there isn’t room right now for another left- handed-hitting outfielder, not one who needs to play every day. Right fielder Brad Hawpe has been among the team’s best offensive players. Switch-hitting rookie Dexter Fowler is holding his own in center, and Seth Smith is sharing duties in left.
Second, even though Gonzalez has terrific numbers, hitting .344 with 45 RBIs, general manager Dan O’Dowd wants to see more consistency and maturity.
“Carlos is pushing the envelope, for sure,” O’Dowd said. “We’re trying to get his game where it needs to be. But if he comes up, he needs to play (every day).”
Sky Sox manager Tom Runnels said the ease with which Gonzalez plays can raise questions.
“There is no question Carlos has a lot of talent,” Tom Runnels said. “There are times when he makes it look easy. He’s not hot-dogging it, but he has this ability to put it into another gear. He doesn’t always use it. We would like to see him play with that energy, that kind of focus, all the time.”
For example, Runnels said there have been times when Gonzalez has put himself in cruise control chasing a drive to center, only to discover, too late, that he can’t get to the ball.
Whereas Fowler excelled during the second half of spring training to win a big-league job, Gon- zalez faded. An injury to his rib cage was a major factor, he said.
“It affected me a lot,” Gonzalez said. “I had a really slow start and then, when I was getting better and getting more playing time, that’s when I hurt my back. It was like starting from zero. Then I started out slow in the minor-league camp.”
It wasn’t until Gonzalez hit for the cycle in a minor-league game in Tucson that Runnels got a glimpse of Gonzalez’s potential.
“He had a bad spring training, there is no other way to put it,” Runnels said. “But the day he went for the cycle was the day I thought, ‘So, this is the guy everybody’s been talking about.’ ”
Gonzalez got an extended big-league stay with Oakland a year ago but hit just .242 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 85 games. He made 66 starts in center field and 10 starts in right field, but after striking out 81 times in 302 at-bats, he was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento.
The Rockies want Gonzalez to make more contact, and he’s shown improvement, striking out 26 times through his first 154 at-bats.
“I’m just trying to get a good pitch and put a good swing on it every time,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been working very hard on.”
His six triples lead the Pacific Coast League and are a barometer of the type of player the Rockies envision, a multi-purpose offensive threat who can run and hit for power.
“Those triples are about hustle,” Gonzalez said. “I’d say I have two easy triples. The rest were more about just hustle.”
Gonzalez, an outwardly confident player, said he’s not discouraged waiting for a call-up to Coors Field.
“I tell myself not to rush because I know that right time is going to come,” he said. “I am taking this time in the minor leagues to try and get better. When I get my next chance to go up to the big leagues, I want to be really good.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Holliday exchange
How the players involved in the Rockies-A’s trade in November have fared so far this season:
To Oakland
OF Matt Holliday .264, 6 HRs, 27 RBIs
Heating up in May after a horrendous start. If the A’s continue to struggle, Holliday could be traded in July or perhaps sooner.
To Colorado
RHP Huston Street 0-1, 7 saves, 3.44 ERA
After a bumpy start, he has allowed no runs and has six saves in his last 12 appearances (11 innings).
OF Carlos Gonzalez .344, 6 HRs, 45 RBIs (at Colorado Springs)
Failed to make Rockies’ 25-man roster, but thriving in Triple-A.
LHP Greg Smith 2-0, 2.70 ERA, 16 2/3 IP (combined at Single-A Modesto and Colorado Springs)
Shoulder soreness and weakness derailed his chance to make the rotation. Made his first start for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Sunday, throwing five shutout innings, striking out three.
Triple-A rating
Carlos Gonzalez is tearing up the Pacific Coast League for the Sky Sox. A look:
• 39 games
• .344 average
• .424 on-base percentage
• .610 slugging percentage
• 11 doubles
• 6 triples
• 6 home runs
• 45 RBIs
Note: Statistics through Monday
