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Year		Comment
2015		After the Red Sox acquired Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig, Carp became unnecessary, so they cut him on August 1st. The Rangers swooped in because they had already tried J.P. Arencibia and Carlos Pena at first base. In other words: Why not? Incredibly, Carp ended up being the worst of that trio, with a .342 OPS and zero extra-base hits. Keep an eye out, though: He's been above replacement level, with at least a .279 TAv, in every odd-numbered year of his career.
2014		Carp was a late-spring addition to the roster for first base and left field insurance purposes, courtesy of a Mariners team that decided Jason Bay was a better use of a roster spot. Free from Safeco and an organization that has ruined more hitters than it has developed over the last few years, Carp resurrected his career by splitting time between a bench role and pinch-hitting duty. The .385 BABIP is the obvious concern, especially with strikeouts in 28 percent of his plate appearances, but as far as a bench piece with some pop goes, the Sox could be in a worse situation than hoping Carp doesn't completely regress.
2013		In 2011, Carp hit well enough against lefties, and overall, that he seemed poised to break out of platoon prison. In 2012, he hit so poorly against righties that the Mariners might exile him to a distant island instead. As it was, they batted him eighth in baseball’s worst lineup. Carp injured his shoulder in the team’s opener in Japan, the first of three stints on the disabled list. That gave him plenty of time to rehab in Tacoma, where, surprisingly, he was even worse than in Seattle. The best news is that his walk rate returned. The worst is that he has turned into a groundball machine, a losing strategy for a player whose only tool is second-deck power.
2012		Ladies and gentleman, the best hitter on the 2011 Seattle Mariners, Doug Fister (.333/.333/.500 in seven plate appearances) excluded. Carp was called up in early June and put into the eighth spot; by the end of July, he was the Mariners' cleanup hitter. His success in that role masks some moderately troubling trends. He is drawing fewer walks and hitting more grounders than he ever has. It's a waste of resources from a slugger who can hit the ball forever—all 12 of his homers went at least 385 feet, and nine cleared 400—but who offers nothing but a bat. A strong season against left-handed pitching, in Tacoma and Seattle, gives hope that he won't need to be platooned.
2011		Several varieties of Carp have been classified as invasive species, but despite the Department of Agriculture’s best efforts, one of them periodically manages to wrangle a few starts at first base for Seattle. The lefty traded patience for power at Tacoma last season, but while he nearly doubled his 2009 homer total in fewer at-bats, he still ended up looking like something considerably less than a major-league first baseman. Against lefties, Carp is Casey Kotchman without the glove; the rest of the time, he’s the equivalent of a defense-deprived Lyle Overbay.
2010		While Carp acquitted himself quite nicely in his big-league debut, he's more of a .270-.280 type who can draw a decent number of walks and smack some doubles. While that's nice, it's not quite up to the standard one expects from a major-league first baseman, and Carp's limited athleticism restricts him to that position. He hits righties much better than lefties, so there could be some platoon possibilities in his future, but that's about it, and the Mariners will need more than that in a lineup looking for some power.
2009		Carp supplied the thunder to accompany April's showers, batting .356 with six homers in 101 at-bats to open his second season in Binghamton, and was thus one of the names mentioned as a potential replacement for Delgado during the latter's struggles. Those calls ceased as Carp floundered and Delgado flourished, but the youngster still ended up with a good season in a tough hitters' park after flopping in '07. Shipped to Seattle as part of the Putz deal, Carp could be a passable option for the Mariners in time; he doesn't possess classic first-base power, so he'll need to continue to stay afloat against lefties (792 OPS last year).
2008		In an organization light on prospects, Carp was seen as one of the golden boys coming off of an impressive showing in the Florida State League. Splat! A big, unathletic first baseman, Carp needs his bat to carry him to the big leagues, but his swing is what scouts call "slider speed," and he can't do anything against lefties. The jump to Double-A can make or break a prospect, and it might just have broken Mike Carp.
2007		Carp was the Mets` ninth-round pick two years ago. He failed to live up to that high honor in his first two professional seasons, but last year he started hitting the ball to all fields, boosting his average. He also goosed his OBP by getting in front of 25 pitches, giving him a total of 46 HBPs over the last two years. Carp still has some work to do against his fellow lefties. He has time. Though his 2006 was a good season in the context of his league, it represents the beginning of prospectdom, not the end.

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