Carp is playing with a palpable arrogance!
Dead right. The biggest clue to me, is that he doesn't get cheated. Ever. His first AB (I think) he saw a 1st pitch FB and he was sitting on it.
In the GWHR he anticipated something other than a 1st pitch FB that he could sit on...and he was sitting on that something other.
I think he comes up and feels he's one step ahead of the pitcher already. He knows he'll get a pitch in a zone and he's ready to go all Bubba Watson on it.
When pitchers know you sit dead red on the 1st pitch they try something else. Especially ith the game on the line. For a crafty junk-balling lefty that means a off speed something inside or low and away. Carp, BMOC that he is right now, chose to sit on Door #1 and there you go.
He is quite a joy to watch.
And BTW, the more I satch him pick throws in the dirt the more I'm convinced that HE'S the 1B next year and Smoak the DH.
Swagger, man, is good.
Ackley, Carp, Wells, even Seager (and Smoak certainly did early this year) have that concept down.
...
=== Carp Gettin' Ugly on the AL ===
In the 8th inning of a 3-3 tie with the rodent Angels, Mike Carp rolled out his Home Run Derby swing. In the video, watch Dustin Ackley. He's supposed to either (a) tag up, or (b) go halfway and hold , I think :- ) but he's in HR Derby mode, too.
For those interested in technical-type details, notice
- The Daryl Strawberry-type bat waggle TOWARDS the pitcher
- The malicious coil in the rear leg, with the low waist "spooning" the pitch out as in boxing
- The little head drop at contact, like, UUUGGGGHHHH
- The stiff front side (head "staying back" behind the ball as in golf)
It was launched, baby. Ackley saw the swing, heard the shot, and simply bought a ticket to the game as he stood flat-footed, in his secondary lead, and enjoyed the hang time. Cindy and I were up on the 1B line and that one looked like one of Junior's best shots.
That's two legit tape-measure shots in a week.
***
It is one thing to look up Power (PX). That's two dimensions: height and length.
It is another thing to look up Power (PX) as a trend -- to see the delta across time. That's three dimensions: height and length as a series.
It is yet another thing to do what Ron Shandler does: to track Power (PX) against EYE (K/BB) across time to get a read on a player's evolution. That's four dimensions, a paradigm you don't see much around the 'net.
In the Ichiro thread at fangraphs, one guy brought up the idea of GB rate plotted against BABIP as a way to measure not performance, but player evolution. That was cool.
***
Once in a while you'll find a batter -- or even a pitcher -- who has chosen to start playing hysterically. :- )
IIRC, Jeff Nelson ran 9k and 4bb for a while, and then suddenly started throwing like 11k and 5bb. ... later he evolved and combined that to 11 and 3, I think...
Mike Carp, since called up, has:
- 40 K and only 8 BB in 36 games ... an 0.25 EYE
- 8 homers, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and an insane BABIP over that time
Full season, Carp would hit 37 homers in the majors with nearly 75 extra-base hits. He would rack up 135 RBI per season at this pace. Which is not all that strange, since that is exactly what he did, the last year-and-a-half before he got here.
He has evolved from an 0.7 EYE, 18-homer guy to an 0.25 EYE, 35-40 homer guy. It's not every day you see a Casey Kotchman evolve into a Nelson Cruz.
As mentioned before, if Carp had never shown a good EYE, that would be one thing, but he has. Carp has proven that he can tell a strike from a ball. He's just got the volume up to 11.
***
Carp is playing with a palpable arrogance. He thinks he should go to a higher league. True, weak opposition does have a tendency to make you sloppy.
.
BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
In the great Yonder Alonso / Joe Torre tradition! Plus, you need to make some space for the rooks in left, whichever ones don't get traded. If it's me, I'd spend some time thinking about a Wells-Ackley-Ichiro outfield with Trayvon as the fourth (switch-hitting pinch-hitter, pinch-runner). If you want to maximize Ackley's bat, CF is at least as good an option as 2B with the added thrill that we get to watch him run more often.
Smoak-Seager-Ryan-Carp infield. Use the Guti money to help pay Fielder.
I like the willingness to think about many positional options, but:
Carp hasn't got the infield range of Eva Braun...let alone Ryan Braun (not ecarefully...infield range is different from outfield range)...and Ryan was an unparalleled disaster at third base. There's no way I would ever want to see Carp play third base. Remember how much fun we had watching Russ Davis? :)
I also don't want Ackley moved...his LEAST skillful tool is range (on the infield)...he's technically brilliant, makes good decisions, has good hands (but not a great arm) and isn't very skilled with his first step...he would make for a lousy defensive center fielder IMHO. Despite the good speed and the brains, I just don't think he'd get the first step jumps you'd need...we just saw Gutierrez turn only OK speed into fantastic defense entirely on his first step and instincts. Ackley has neither on his side in a CF tryout.
And I don't think we should limit a guy with Robinson's monstrous tools to fourth outfielder duty either...thoguh I can understand the concerns over his K rates and such and the desire to make him earn the starting CF job.
Ackley isn't moving to the OF. You're two years into a investment that is paying off (Ackley looks more than fine with the glove at 2B) so there he stays.
Guti money gets you about 1/3 of the way to Fielder......or is it less?
Carp at 3B? Worth playing with, perhaps. But I'm not sure you just don't leave him where he is, order and position. He looks WAY at home.
He wants Carp to be ready to play RF a lot, in anticipation of rest and DH days for Ichiro. Wells is a better fit for right, but Wedge obviously expects Carp's bat to be in the lineup every day. Probably DH primary, but 1b-RF-LF too. I don't foresee 3b at this stage.
But, there is a non-glove-first 3b getting pretty close to the majors: our buddy Vinnie C. I expect to see him at third in AAA to start the '12 season (just my view), and he could move quickly if he keeps doing what he's been doing. Majority of his minor-league games have been at 3b, though he's not a gold glover there.