The Carrasco everybody wants to see

Can Carlos Carrasco continue pitching like
one of the best in the AL? Or was his
start agains the Royals a mirage?
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps this is too obvious a statement to begin this post, but Carlos Carrasco is somewhat of an enigma.

Any time a starting pitcher can consistently throw his fastball at 95-97, scouts, managers, and GMs are going to think he's got a ton of potential. But of course, a pitcher must be able to locate that fastball, and have at least one or two off-speed pitches to keep hitters at bay.

Organizations covet those type of arms and are loathe to give them up. And if a pitcher like that is let go, some pitching coach somewhere is always going to believe he can fix whatever the problem is.

Perhaps just as important as the pitches is the mentality of the man on the hill. And we all know Carrasco has had plenty of problems with his temperament—especially after giving up home runs.

But for whatever reason, something Manny Acta said in spring training of 2011 has really stuck with me about the now 26-year-old starting pitcher.

"He has the stuff to be one of the best guys in the American League, period."

First of all, I can barely believe I found where I read that quote (sometimes it's a great thing nothing ever truly leaves the internet). Second of all, it's taken a couple years, but after last night it's starting to look like Carrasco could prove Acta right.

It's worth nothing, though, that last night's game, which ended in a 2-1 Indians loss, wasn't actually Carrasco's first dominant start. If you recall, he went 4-2 with a 1.90 ERA in six starts in June 2011, striking out 28 while walking just seven. One of those wins came against the Twins, where Carrasco went 8.1 innings, surrendered three hits, and walked one in the 1-0 victory.

Then in July...well, he blew out his arm, had to have Tommy John surgery, and hasn't won a game since.

But I'll say this—I don't know what manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Calloway told Carrasco after his disastrous previous start against the Tigers, but whatever it was it worked. Carrasco was absolutely electric agains the Royals, moving his fastball in and out to hitters with a devastating slider as an out pitch. He only threw 90 pitches in 7.1 innings—58 of which were strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of the 27 batters he faced, not including those who made contact. And he left a game with a man on second and a one-run lead for what has been a shaky—at best—bullpen.

He also had a no-hitter going through the first 4.1 innings of the game. Maybe it's an odd thing to think, but during that fifth inning I started to worry that Carrasco would unravel once he gave up a hit, mainly because it's the type of thing he's done in the past.

But then he gave up a hit, and worked out of it. Then he worked out of another jam in the sixth, and shook off a two-out double in the seventh. This was a pitcher that looked fine, polished, but most of all mature. And make no mistake, maturity has been Carrasco's main problem when he's pitched before at the highest level.

Should the Indians have won that game? Absolutely, especially when you consider how many men were left on base. And as I've said before, the bullpen is just a hot mess right now. But if you aren't encouraged by the way Carrasco pitched, then you should probably have your head examined.

Does this mean Carrasco has turn the proverbial corner? No, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for a team that is only going to go as far as its starting pitching will take it. If Carrasco can keep the proper mentality out on the mound as he did last night, I think he'll be in great shape to put a string of good starts together.

When the Indians traded Cliff Lee in 2009, the man that pitched last night is the one the organization expected to get out of the deal. Who knows if he'll ever be that dominant of a pitcher on a consistent basis, but at least for one night, Carrasco certainly pitched like he was one of the best pitchers in the AL, period.