Carlos Gonzalez. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
It never looks exactly like Carlos Gonzalez is sprinting. He drives his legs in the dirt and strides, like he’s breaking into a long a triple-jump run more than a 100-yard dash. And he gets around the bases in a hurry.
Playing Wednesday in just his sixth Cactus League game since returning from Gonzalez looked even quicker than he did early last season. He ran with even stronger strides.
“I felt like I was flying,” Gonzalez said. “I thought I was going to catch Tulo at third base. He took a triple away from me.”
Gonzalez pulled a hard line drive to the right field corner in the fourth inning against Arizona’s Jeremy Hellickson, then tore around first base for a standup double. Troy Tulowitzki, who singled ahead of Gonzalez on the first pitch, coasted into third as the relay throw was made.
“To get it out of the way the first time was good for me,” Tulowitzki said. “It was my first time going first to third this season on the ball. Hopefully I’ll score on that.”
Gonzalez was joking with Tulowitzki, who was standing near by, about stealing a triple.
“I felt really good coming out of the box,” Gonzalez said. “I would have gone to third base on that play. It was a hard line drive. And when you’re running from first base like Tulo did, you have to make sure that ball is past you first and then start running. Especially with no outs, you don’t want a double play right away. It was a good read for me. It was nice to see him run too, from first base.”
But Gonzalez was serious about his confidence. Two of his four hits are doubles in 13 at-bats this spring.
“I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m not thinking about my legs anymore. Just go out there and compete and concentrate on putting good swings to the ball and in the outfield, trying to get a good jump. It’s getting better. Mentally, I feel really good to go. Physically, things are going well.
“The last couple games, I feel like I can take extra bases. That’s a really good sign. It’s only been four or five games. Feeling like that is a huge thing for me. I put a lot of work in this offseason to get to this point.”
Tags: Carlos Gonzalez, Spring Training, Troy Tulowitzki
