Where Have You Gone, Jeff Carroll?
It was less than three short years ago, the same Jeff Carroll displayed the same reliability and workmanlike precision as a key piece with the 2007 Princeton Rays. This is usually the contribution that is expected in the Appalachian League of an older college player. Carroll delivered with a steady performance that proved to be a big part of the glue that held a group of players mostly younger than him together to deliver Princeton's third consecutive Mercer Cup title in Jamie Nelson's final of five seasons as the P-Rays' manager.
His first of a two-season professional career was Carroll's best as his constant presence in the Princeton lineup enabled him to finish second on the 2007 P-Rays in games played (59), doubles (13), and RBIs (27). His steady .251 batting average that summer, while not spectacular, did contain a lot of electricity in the fact that he always seemed to save his best for the crucial contests versus Princeton's cross-county rivals, the Bluefield Orioles.
"I did seem to play especially well against the Orioles that year. I can't quite pinpoint why that was but it could have been the stadium or the lighting," said Carroll during a recent March 16 telephone interview. He added that it was certainly a plus to play his debut season as a professional in Princeton, WV.
"I had never previously visited or played in West Virginia. Everyone in Princeton was so nice and showed us some great hospitality. I was the adopted player of Mark and Jaimie Morehead that year and they were awesome, always bringing me snacks and having cookouts at their house on our off days."
The road that led him to Princeton opened just a few weeks prior to his arrival when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent that had just completed his college career at Cal State University of Los Angeles. Carroll said six teams had been talking to him but that he knew the Rays was the clear choice he intended to make. Push the time slightly forward and before he knew it, he was learning about professional baseball and the Appalachian League in particular. And, as he shares here, the transition bore quite a bit of difference.
"It (the first year of pro baseball) was different than college ball in the fact that it was a daily grind of fundamentals and playing every day. The biggest difference was pitching. Even though some of the pitchers were younger and still working on their stuff, most number five guys in an Appalachian League pitching rotation would be a number one man in college baseball," revealed Carroll.
He added that the transition was a little easier when a rookie had the good fortune to play for a manager the caliber of Jamie Nelson, who remains the winningest manager in Princeton's franchise history. Carroll cited Nelson as one of the best coaches he ever played for and pointed out the great patience that "Nelly" exhibited with the young players which resulted in better productivity.
When asked which of his 2007 P-Rays' teammates stood out to him as having the best chance to play later on in the big leagues, Carroll was quick with his answer.
Kyeong Kang. He stood out to me the most. He is very driven and works very hard," shared Carroll, who added that he was Kang's roommate the following season (2008) in Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay's New York-Penn League affiliate).
Yes, then there was Jeff Carroll's 2008. He will admittedly tell you that he did not prepare as thoroughly for spring training as he should have. The sluggish spring training led to a 2008 season that saw him spiral downward to a .197 batting average in 54 games for the Renegades. The combination of his advanced age for that level of pro baseball with a low batting average added up to him being released by the Tampa Bay Rays in November, 2008. This of course led him to the most important question of all: "Do I keep playing?" His answer was no.
"To decide to give up baseball was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. After all, I had been playing this sport since tee ball," explained Carroll.
But, the hardest decisions often lead to the best decisions. One of those was marrying his wife, Tracie, this past November 7. They had known each other for six years. They have settled into, what else for Carroll, a solid steady life. He is content but says that he follows the P-Rays even today on the team's website at www.princetonrays.net. And, there is still one teammate off the '07 P-Ray crew that he stays in touch with.
"I do stay in contact with (outfielder) Dustin Biell and talk to him on the phone every now and then. I want to give him as much encouragement as I can," said Carroll, who is still a Rays fan and goes to watch Tampa Bay, and his favorite current big league Ray, Ben Zobrist, play anytime they are in Los Angeles.
Carroll was pleased to learn that two members of his team's 2007 P-Rays staff, pitching coach Marty DeMerritt and athletic trainer Nick Medina, would be on the field with the P-Rays in 2010. He termed DeMerritt as someone who could keep the players on their toes. Of Medina, he said that he was a great trainer that knew what he was doing and someone that really connects with the players.
Once again, steady statements from steady Jeff Carroll, the dependable patient player, who now keeps his cool as he does battle in the sometimes complex temperamental world of computers. Computers, like baseball, can sometimes present problems. He has faced both before and always emerges with the upper hand. Sounds like someone we should always consistently want in our corner, right?
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