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'It's survival': Big leagues ignore Coolbaugh despite
huge stats,
but he just keeps doing the job
ROUND
ROCK -- The situation was just perfect for Round Rock third baseman
Mike Coolbaugh. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, the
Express put two
runners in scoring position with the cleanup spot -- Coolbaugh's usual
slot in the batting order -- on deck.
Coolbaugh, the Pacific Coast League's runaway leader in runs batted in, had thrived in situations like these all season, and the Astros' scouting coordinator was in attendance at Dell Diamond to watch for players deserving of a call-up to Houston when major-league rosters expand in September. It was the ideal scenario -- had Coolbaugh not suffered a broken bone in his left hand when hit by a pitch five days earlier.
"We could have used him in the middle of that lineup," Express Manager Jackie Moore lamented Tuesday night after his club failed to score. "There's a reason he has 100 RBIs. One swing of his bat, like all year, he turns the game around for us."
Coolbaugh is a real-life Crash Davis, with 250 career homers in baseball's minor leagues. (Davis, the fictional catcher in the film "Bull Durham," set the minor-league record for career homers). He's the MVP of "Quadruple A baseball" (too good for Triple A, can't stick in the majors), with nearly seven successful Triple-A seasons under his belt. He also should be the ideal candidate for a September call-up if his hand heals.
Coolbaugh is a right-handed batter with power, and the Astros lack pop and play in a park with a short left-field porch. He's a 33-year-old with major-league experience (82 at-bats in 44 games with the Brewers and Cardinals, the most recent in 2002), and he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the wild-card race. Coolbaugh, who has 27 home runs and 101 RBIs for the Express this season, even earned defensive player of the month honors for Round Rock in July should the Astros' All-Star third baseman, Morgan Ensberg, ever need a day off.
"He's certainly being considered (for a promotion)," Astros General Manager Tim Purpura said before Coolbaugh's injury.
But when Coolbaugh was hit by Jeff Bennet's pitch last Friday in Nashville, his chances of joining the Astros became far slimmer. Coolbaugh estimates he'll be out a minimum of three to four weeks, and Moore said it would be "a miracle" if Coolbaugh returned during the PCL season.
The slugger's injury couldn't come at a worse time for Coolbaugh and the Express, who are in the thick of a three-team playoff race. It also might affect the Astros, who can add up to 15 players to their active roster after Sept. 1, although major-league teams rarely bring up that many minor-leaguers. Furthermore, Astros pitcher Brandon Backe expects to be back by mid-September after missing most of the past month with a strained abdomen. And if Jeff Bagwell can stabilize his ailing shoulder to fill a pinch hitter's role, one fewer spot will open up in Houston.
Express catcher Raul Chavez is the safest bet to find his way to Houston because the Astros prefer to carry three catchers during the stretch drive and Chavez has seen extensive time in the big leagues before. Round Rock left fielder Luke Scott is gunning for a return to Houston with a blistering second half, earning PCL Player of the Week honors last week by hitting .466 with five home runs. Purpura has said Carlos Hernandez is the leading pitching candidate for a promotion, as the left-hander improves with nearly every start. Speedy Corpus Christi outfielder Charlton Jimerson, a Double-A standout, also will be considered for pinch-running situations.
Coolbaugh also is not on the Astros' current 40-man roster, meaning the club would have to purchase his contract and potentially expose another player. Add it all up, and Coolbaugh most likely becomes the odd man out.
"I had a chance for a call-up, but who knows," Coolbaugh said. "This is just bad timing. You keep wondering, 'What if?' I'm not going to jump off a bridge. You just have to move on."
Moving on may be what Coolbaugh does best. Drafted out of San Antonio Roosevelt by Toronto in 1990, Coolbaugh has worn 17 different professional jerseys over his 16-year career. He's played in Canada and South Korea in search of finding that right place at the right time that shows him the way to the big leagues.
"You just need a backer, someone who thinks you're good enough to make the bigs and stick," Coolbaugh said. "Without that guy, you're not going anywhere. You just end up chasing injuries from team to team."
With Ensberg locked in at third, Houston might not be that place for Coolbaugh, although Round Rock is glad to have him. After hitting .304 with seven RBIs for the Astros in spring training this year, he's been the rock in the middle of the Express lineup.
Coolbaugh's wife, Mandy, and their two young sons, Joe and Jake, have been able to come up from San Antonio and spend homestands with him -- reminding him of why he keeps plugging away.
"It's survival. This is how I feed my family," he said. "I'm not just doing this because I'm a baseball player. There's too much invested here for me just to say, 'They don't like me so I'm done.' "
So Coolbaugh will try to rehab as quickly as possibly with hopes of helping the Express and possibly the Astros in their separate playoff runs. And if he can't make it back, he'll try again next year to stick with a big-league team. If he doesn't, he insists he'll have no regrets.
"I can only be who I am," he said. "If they don't think that's good enough, I'll leave the game with my head up saying I tried my best and there's no looking back. "But hopefully I'll change some opinions."
