Mike Carp: A Man on a Mission
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| Photo Courtesy of NESN |
Mike Carp has told NESN that he tries to model himself after David Ortiz. And who wouldn't? I doubt anyone, even the most diehard Yankee fan, would dispute he's one of the great hitters to play the game. He won't pass Hank Aaron's 755 home runs (Bonds used steroids, so Aaron is still the record holder for home run in my books), but he'll be great in his own right, especially because of what Ortiz did in 2004. And lest we forget that Big Papi holds the record for most single season homers for the Sox with 54.
According to NESN, Carp has repeatedly gone up to Ortiz for advice about how he's using his hands and body. So far, it's been paying off. Carp has 5 home runs and 11 RBI's in his last 10 games and he's hitting .400 for the month of June, according to NESN. That's pretty good, if I do say so myself. He's been exceeding everyone's expectations so far, but that probably wasn't hard because there wasn't much in the way of expectations for him to begin with and anyone who is telling you they predicted this is kidding themselves. A lot of people hoped he'd be good, I'm sure, but realistically I think expectations for Carp were probably relatively low. A lot of Sox fans, me included, have jumped on his bandwagon since he's been putting on a clinic. And I think his bandwagon will continue to grow as long as he stays consistent. He'll have slumps, I'm sure, but baseball is a game where you're successeful if you can get a hit 3 out of 10 times at the dish, so as long as he does that, he'll be fine.
David Ortiz said he reportedly sees a little of him in Carp according to NESN, because they both came over from different clubs, and both have had success. It might be too early to make a judgement on Carp, but I don't think so. My verdict is that he'll be great at the club for years, provided he stays healthy and provided he doesn't switch clubs a couple of years down the road.
Twitter - @ConorJF1016
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer
According to NESN, Carp has repeatedly gone up to Ortiz for advice about how he's using his hands and body. So far, it's been paying off. Carp has 5 home runs and 11 RBI's in his last 10 games and he's hitting .400 for the month of June, according to NESN. That's pretty good, if I do say so myself. He's been exceeding everyone's expectations so far, but that probably wasn't hard because there wasn't much in the way of expectations for him to begin with and anyone who is telling you they predicted this is kidding themselves. A lot of people hoped he'd be good, I'm sure, but realistically I think expectations for Carp were probably relatively low. A lot of Sox fans, me included, have jumped on his bandwagon since he's been putting on a clinic. And I think his bandwagon will continue to grow as long as he stays consistent. He'll have slumps, I'm sure, but baseball is a game where you're successeful if you can get a hit 3 out of 10 times at the dish, so as long as he does that, he'll be fine.
David Ortiz said he reportedly sees a little of him in Carp according to NESN, because they both came over from different clubs, and both have had success. It might be too early to make a judgement on Carp, but I don't think so. My verdict is that he'll be great at the club for years, provided he stays healthy and provided he doesn't switch clubs a couple of years down the road.
Twitter - @ConorJF1016
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer
