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In all honesty, I was hot on Carp when he was still in the Mets system, so I'm not the most unbiased analyst for the fish.
But, given that I do my paint by numbers, while you guys get to see these guys on a daily basis, my opinion all along has been that Carp has been underestimated and Smoak overestimated for some time.
For me ... I think while they won't run the same line, I think they could both land in that "solid" MLB class of 110-120 OPS+ hitter that any winning team MUST have a bunch of.
Remember the hype of the Adam Jones upside?  Where has he landed (so far)?  He's a solid .800 hitter with a decent glove. 
Mind you ... a year ago I would've expected Carp's line to have more walks and fewer dingers.  But, Carp did what I suggested he could from day one ... he changed his profile to match what the club wanted. 
While I think Z has helped the organization ... if I had to judge what is right now ... I'd say there remain too many guys throughout the organization that have 1940s views of the value of a walk.  While they may "say" the right things publically about "smart" at bats and swinging at "good" pitches ... I continue to get the feeling that the org still has a personality that doesn't appreciate the walk.  They're moving away from the "Ichiro" ideal toward the "Soriano" ideal rather than the "Abreu" ideal.
I think "Z" understands and appreciates the full package.  I think he has made a concerted effort to find guys with 'full range' capability.  And I know he brought in guys from Milwaukee who likely share his views.  But, too many decisions seem to be influenced negatively by high walk rates. 
Don't get me wrong.  Going from wanting 9 Ichiros (which is modeling your ideal to a freakish impossibility) to 9 Soriano's is (IMO) a step in the right direction.  But the patience with Saunders and Peguero and ease with which they reduced Cust's PT (even while he continued to lead the club in OBP) still gives me a 'sense' that when a kid walks, they don't think "good job" ... they think "you could've crushed that 2nd pitch".
That leaves me concerned that if Z continues to bring in patient hitters and the club continues to pound home the "aggressiveness" mantra, that the friction will be nominally detrimental to the club getting "lucky" with more hitters.