Mike Carp could be Mariners' first baseman of future

PEORIA, Ariz. — This wasn't exactly the dramatic entrance Mike Carp had in mind when it came to getting noticed by his new team.

As a key component of the J.J. Putz deal, the Class AA first baseman had hoped to sneak up on folks this spring. Instead, the first word Mariners officials got of him was that he had been involved in a serious car crash on Tuesday morning while driving here from Los Angeles.

Already delayed two days by heavy rain, Carp was driving his 2003 Mustang Cobra near Anaheim, Calif., about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday when another downpour erupted. The car spun around twice, struck a concrete barrier and was heading backward when it finally came to a stop.

"I was going backward the wrong way," Carp, 22, said Friday, after his first full workout with the Mariners. "It's a good thing there was nobody else on the road at that hour."

The lone casualty might be his car, which Carp bought with a chunk of his signing bonus after the New York Mets drafted him in 2004. Carp is waiting to see if the car is salvageable, but realizes he's fortunate to be all right — especially since he was going about 55 mph and no air bag deployed.

Family members gave him a ride home, and the Mariners allowed him to stay in California another day. Carp eventually arrived here about 3:30 a.m. Thursday in a pickup he used to drive in high school.

"I got about two hours' sleep and then had to go take my physical," he said, smiling sheepishly.

The player team officials think could be Seattle's starting first baseman in 2010 sure has a knack for grabbing attention.

Professional scouts spotted him setting a school record for home runs at Lakewood High School in California. Carp's 11 home runs his senior year — breaking the previous mark by current major-league veteran Damion Easley — may not sound like much. But many were clubbed at a home park where the outfield fence was 36 feet high and 440 feet from home plate in straightaway center.

Now Carp is known more for hitting doubles. He notched 29 in Class AA last season, with 79 walks and a stellar .403 on-base percentage. The Mets were so high on the left-handed hitter that when first baseman Carlos Delgado had his option picked up, they began grooming Carp for an outfield spot.

Carp was playing in the outfield at winter-league ball in Venezuela when he was pulled from a game and told he had been traded to Seattle.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said coaches were buzzing about Carp's first day of batting practice.

"Some of the hitting coaches came up to me and said, 'That's a good swing,' " he said. "It's short and compact."

The Mariners are loaded with first basemen, like Russell Branyan, Mike Sweeney, Chris Shelton and Bryan LaHair. Carp has also yet to play Class AAA ball, so it's unlikely he'll make the major-league team this year.

But the countdown toward his arrival in Seattle has already begun. He hopes it won't be nearly as frightening as getting to his first M's training camp.

"I'm glad that part's over," he said. "Now, I'm just going to try to turn some heads."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com