Cole Carrigg has had a chip on his shoulder since draft night exactly a year ago Tuesday. That day, the 2020 Turlock High graduate and former San Diego State star fell to the Colorado Rockies with the 65th overall pick in Round B of the MLB Draft. The next day, Carrigg promised that he would turn out to be the best player in the draft and that he would make the other teams wish they had selected him when they had the chance.
Flash forward to this week, the 22-year-old, currently playing with the High-A Spokane Indians, is again making heads turn on the national scale as he won the Northwest League Player of the Week. It came after an unusual circumstance in which the Rockies sent him down to rookie ball for 15 days.
The speedy switch-hitter was a menace on the basepaths in six games against the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Los Angeles Angels organization, collecting 11 hits (including two home runs) and swiping a trio of bags. In total, he racked up 21 total bases on his way to a .404 batting average and a 1.207 OPS.
Whatever happened in the two weeks in the ACL seemed to motivate the former Bulldog.
On June 19, Carrigg was assigned to the Arizona Complex League in Scottsdale. No reasoning was provided by the Rockies organization, though one source shared with the Turlock Journal that the team wanted him to work on things in “non-game situations.” He still appeared in three games with the ACL roster where he had 5 hits (3 triples, 1 home run).
Following his award-winning week back with the Indians, Carrigg’s season totals have him at or near the top of almost every offensive category on the team. He ranks third in average (.303), second in slugging (.496), third in OPS (.870), first in triples (8) and first in stolen bases (29).
The week before being sent to Scottsdale, Carrigg helped the Indians clinch the first-half NWL title with a 38-26 record. Since there are only six clubs in the NWL, the postseason format will consist of a single, best-of-five championship series. The two playoff participants are decided based on the best winning percentage of each half.
But will Carrigg even be in Spokane come September?
It’s always difficult to predict what an organization does with their top prospects. While some put players on a fast-track to the majors, others keep players at each level longer to help their development.
Whether the Rockies would like Carrigg to remain in High-A or promote him to Double-A Hartford after the major league All-Star break this weekend, there is still a strong chance that the Turlocker plays under the bright lights of the postseason barring any injuries or any additional “non-game” assignments, as the Yard Goats also clinched the best first-half record in the Northeast division of the Eastern League with a 38-30 record.
There is still unfinished business before any decisions are likely to be made on promotions this weekend. Carrigg and the Indians began a six-game series with the Everett Aquasox (Seattle Mariners) on Tuesday. After the series wraps Sunday, teams across baseball will have four days off, including Monday and Tuesday for MLB’s All-Star Game festivities.
