Daniel Carte in the 2004 Cape Cod League
Daniel Carte, OF, Colorado Rockies
The Rockies drafted Daniel Carte in the second round this year, out of Winthrop University. He's a toolsy type, owning both power and speed, and he made a name for himself among scouts by dominating the Cape Cod College Summer League in 2004. This led scouts to believe that he would adjust quickly to pro ball and wooden bats. Alas, the actual results were very disappointing. In 62 games, 218 at-bats for the Tri-City Dust Devils in the Northwest League, Carte hit just .225/.302/.376. He did knock six homers and 11 doubles, but his strike zone judgment was shaky: 19 walks, 66 strikeouts in 218 at-bats. Way too many strikeouts given his below average production numbers. Carte's spring performance at Winthrop warned of these problems. He hit .318/.381/.577 with 14 homers, but posted a 20/55/239 BB/K/AB ratio. The strikeout rate was higher than average, and the walk rate was below average, so it is not a surprise that contact became an issue for him in the pros. It's too early and the sample is too small to declare him a failure, but '06 will be very critical for him to maintain his status as a prospect.