Indiana's Carroll a hot-bat hit with the Rockies

DENVER -- Colorado second baseman Jamey Carroll has always wanted to do everything a little better than everyone else. At Castle High School in southern Indiana, after breaking two bones in his right arm, he took ground balls one-handed and hit off a tee.\nAnd when he fretted about his height, he's listed generously at 5-foot-9 by the Rockies, his mom had a saying.\n"She used to tell him, 'You're short so you're closer to the ground to field ground balls better,'" recalled his father, Larry Carroll.\nCarroll is doing everything better these days. He's hitting .337, has hits in 16 of his last 19 games and is on the verge of joining the NL batting leaders at No. 6.\nManager Clint Hurdle planned to platoon Carroll, but he's been solid all year. His average hasn't dipped below .290 since May 17.\n"He's been a catalyst for us," Hurdle said. "He has the ability to get on, work counts, give us good at bats, drive in a run on occasion, steal a base. Yeah, he's been very good all across the board."\nAll-Star good?\n"Sure," Hurdle said.\nCarroll would have the vote of Texas manager Buck Showalter, who watched him go 5-for-13 with five runs in three games against the Rangers.\n"Jamey Carroll is the perfect fit here," Showalter said. "He hustles on every ball and does not make many mistakes."\nFor his part, Carroll downplays his hot streak.\n"I don't even think about it," he said. "I'm just trying to get on base. I've been in this game long enough to know crazy things happen."\nWhen the lights of the television cameras go out and he's alone at his locker, he'll open up. He'll tell you how much he's enjoying the moment.\n"I don't take anything for granted anymore," Carroll said.\nHis mom's death taught him that. Last December, Patty Carroll went into the hospital with what the family thought was pneumonia. She died three days later at the age of 54.\n"My mom passed away out of nowhere," Carroll said. "We still don't really know what happened. In three days she went from sick to not with us. It goes to show that you never know what could happen. Things could end like that. You have to be grateful for what you have."\nCarroll has reminders of his mom everywhere. He writes her initials on his glove, shoes, hat and has pictures hanging up in his locker.\n"I think of her every day," he said. "She's in my heart no matter what."\nOn Feb. 11, the Washington Nationals looked at their bounty of middle infielders and sent Carroll to the Rockies for cash. He and shortstop Clint Barmes had instant chemistry up the middle. Then again, they are both southern Indiana boys.\nThe 32-year-old Carroll grew up in Evansville, and the 27-year-old Barmes is from Vincennes High School and Indiana State. Barmes played with Carroll's little brother, Wes, who advanced as high as Triple-A New Orleans before recently calling it a career.\n"Jamey goes out and leaves it all on the field," Barmes said. "He's a big key to all the success we've had so far."\nNone of this surprises Carroll's father, who coached him as a youth.\n"All he needed was a chance to play every day," Larry Carroll said.\nAfter Patty's death, Jamey came home for a month and the father and son had numerous heart-to-heart chats.\n"I told him this was going to give him an edge," Larry said. "I told him he was going to have his best year. Did I see him hitting .340? Maybe not that, but he can hit .320 any day."\nNot bad for someone who was told he might never throw a baseball again. He broke his arm in an awkward fall as he was trying to dunk a basketball on a lowered rim. The accident came after Carroll's sophomore year in high school and a season in which he hit .460.\nBecause of the injury, Division I colleges shied away from him. He went to a junior college to prove himself before earning a shot at the University of Evansville.\nCarroll doesn't know what's gotten into him this season. He was a lifetime .269 hitter in four seasons with the Expos and Nationals. Last season, he hit .251 in 303 plate appearances.\nThrough 76 games with Colorado, he already has 202 at-bats.\n"I'm not really doing anything different," Carroll said. "I'm just trying to keep the game slow and easy."\nHe's discovered a little power, hitting three home runs this season. Coming into the year, Carroll had just two in 819 plate appearances.\nAll those extra groundballs he's taken throughout his career are paying dividends as well. He has no errors at second base this year (he has one at shortstop) and he leads the majors in fielding percentage among second basemen with 13 or more games.\nCarroll's best attribute may be the fact that he is never satisfied. Against Texas last week, he had two singles to start a game, but all he remembers is striking out, popping out and grounding out in his next three at-bats.\n"I had a two-hit night and felt like I was still fighting with my swing," Carroll said. "When things are going good, it still takes work to keep everything going."\nHe's trying to appreciate the moment, though.\n"I've learned first hand that you never know what can happen at any time," Carroll said. "You have to enjoy what's going on now"