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Tribe's Jamey Carroll can play almost every position on the field
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: How many years in a row have the Indians picked a utility infielder in spring training? How many years did dinosaurs rule the earth?
OK, not that long; it only seems that way. Regardless, Jamey Carroll is following a distinguished group of lodge brothers that includes Mike Rouse, Ramon Vazquez, Jose Hernandez and Lou Merloni.
For a change, not all eyes in the Tribe executive corps are following the progress of the backup infielders in camp. Carroll came to spring training with a secure roster spot after being traded from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named.
The Indians organization is Carroll's fourth, and he has played in the big leagues for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals and Rockies. At 34, he has been around the block more than once, so he was not surprised when the Rockies sent him packing.
''I knew the situation there,'' Carroll said. ''There were guys who were out of options and other situations. I knew there was a possibility of a trade.''
Not until last year had Carroll played for any team resembling a contender. The Rockies were the Cinderella team of the National League, getting all the way to the World Series before falling to the Boston Red Sox. He has a chance to be with a playoff contender again.
''It is fortunate for me that I've gotten to go from one good team to another,'' Carroll said.
Maybe until the past two years, his luckiest break (literally) was sustaining two fractures in his forearm as a high school junior in Newburgh, Ind. Carroll even remembers the date.
''It was March 9,'' he said. ''I broke it in two places, snapped two bones. I didn't play baseball my junior year. It took me six months to recover. But I was more worried about my parents being mad at me (for blowing a scholarship).''
Carroll had been hoping to snag a baseball scholarship. It is critical that high school juniors not only play but also perform well, because that's the year when most university coaches determine who will be offered aid.
By the time Carroll returned to the field as a senior, virtually all the scholarships were gone.
''I was going to go to Indiana as a (paying) student,'' he said. ''But in August, I got an offer to play at a junior college.''
Carroll didn't take long to accept. And this is where his broken arm led to good fortune. After a year, he was plucked from the community college and offered a scholarship by the University of Evansville, where he played for three years and earned a degree in exercise science.
That led to him being taken by the Expos in the 14th round of the 1996 draft. Not that all memories of the fractured forearm had disappeared.
''There used to be a plate and seven screws in each bone,'' Carroll said. ''I could tell if it was going to rain. Even now, when I first start throwing in the offseason, it kind of tingles.''
Utility infielders come in two varieties: those who play either second and short or first and third, plus guys like Carroll, who can play virtually every position on the diamond except pitcher.
Asked which is his best position, Carroll said, ''I take pride in all of them. If I had to narrow it down, I'd say second base because I've played there more. But in my first couple of years, I played third a lot.''
Carroll also can play all three outfield positions, but that doesn't make him really special. What separates him from even versatile utility players is that he has a nodding familiarity with catcher.
''I've dabbled at catcher but not in an official game,'' Carroll said. ''I was the bullpen guy in the minors, so I used to have a catcher's mitt. I think a catcher's mitt is on the way, so I can brag about having one.''
Carroll also has distinct gloves to play third base, second and short, first and the outfield.
''You have to, just in case,'' he said.
Just in case what? That he might play every position in the same game?
''I'd love to have that opportunity; it would be fun,'' Carroll said. ''But guys who get behind the plate are a different breed of people.''
Carroll will not be the Indians' emergency No. 3 catcher. First baseman Ryan Garko was a catcher until little more than a year ago.
Nobody in the big leagues began his career as a utility player. Every position player who is drafted aspires to play every day. So how difficult is it to put that dream aside?
''It wasn't hard because I just want to be part of it,'' Carroll said. ''I want to win. To me, it's all about the opportunity to get a ring. Everybody in the clubhouse wants to play every day, but you have to understand the concept of team.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: How many years in a row have the Indians picked a utility infielder in spring training? How many years did dinosaurs rule the earth?
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