Prospect of the day(11/6/06) -Mike Carp-

Mike Carp 1B L R 6′ 2″ 205 06-30-1986

He earned ABCA All-American Honors for Region 8 coming out of high school. Carp was picked by the Mets in the 9th round in the 2004 draft. He received a $60,000 bonus upon signing with the Mets. In 2004, Carp was assigned to the GCL Mets, where he had 4 HRs in 57 at bats. Scout.com ranked him as the 33rd top Mets prospect. In 2005, playing for H-Town, Carp posted 19 HRs and 63 RBIs in 313 at bats. He led the league in hit by pitches (21) and was named to the Sally league all-star game. In 2006, Carp finished 2nd in the FSL in RBIs (88), was tied for 3rd in total bases (221), and tied for 9th in homers (17). He also hit a very solid .287. Carp showed an advanced approach for a young hitter, with excellent pitch recognition and the ability to work counts. Once he got ahead in the count, he showed the ability to drive the ball. Unlike most young power hitters, Carp looked first to use the opposite field rather than try to pull everything InsidePitch ranked him as the #7 prospect that year. Many Mets officials label him as the top 1B prospect in the system. OnDeck currently has him ranked as the 13th Met’s prospect and considers him ‘very underated’. Sickles also has him 13th, with a C rating. The Mets named Carp as the winner of the 2006 Sterling Minor League Organizational Player of the Year. Carp batted .287 with 17 home runs and 88 RBIs in 137 games this season with Class A St. Lucie. Baseball America named him the 6th top prospect in the 2006 Florida State League.

He is also currently playing in the Hawaiian Winter League, and holding his own for the North Shore Honus.
In 18 games he is hitting .268 (15 for 56), 2 2b, 2 3b, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BBs, 16 Ks, .354 OBP, .375 SLG, .729 OPS

MPH Analysis:
Carp is an interesting prospect, hes not necesarily a top 100 guy right now(probably top 120-140), but he definitely has the potential to BREAK OUT into a top 100, if not top 50 type prospect. He has the tools, average, eye, power, defense, and knowledge of the game, its just a matter of time until he puts all of that into a huge season and solidifies himself as a top prospect. Look for him to be at AA next year, with a possibility of a callup to AAA at the end of the year(especially in Micheal Abreu or Tagg Bozied are called up for September). He should be MLB ready by late-2008, and could replace Delgado in 2009. Keep an eye on this kid.

~David