EVERETT — Mike Carp is doing everything in his power to be successful.
The Seattle Mariners first baseman/outfielder is continuing a successful offseason training program that he began last year in an effort to improve every aspect of his game and become a daunting force in the Mariners’ lineup.
“I’m just trying to build off last year,” said Carp, who was in Everett on Tuesday with Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs, outfielder Michael Saunders and the Mariner Moose to speak with children at Discovery Elementary School in South Everett.
“I had some success at the big league level for once. Finally got a chance to play and just want to come back and put myself in the best opportunity to have more of a starting job next year and finish the whole season in the big leagues.”
Carp was among the American League rookie leaders in slugging percentage (.466, second) and runs batted in (46, fourth), while batting .276. His 20-game hitting streak was the longest hitting streak by any Major League Baseball rookie in 2011.
He also hit 12 home runs in 79 games last season for the Mariners, third-best on the team. Miguel Olivo, who led the Mariners with 19, had almost 200 more at bats than Carp.
“I put in a lot of work and it was kind of interesting to see how it was going to pay off,” Carp said. “I went into spring training very open-minded. I lost some weight, didn’t know how it was going to affect my play. It definitely turned around for the better which makes me excited for this season.”
An intense workout regimen coupled with a stricter diet has helped lead to Carp’s success, as well as the outfielder dropping 25 pounds. With less weight on his shoulders — and his legs — the Mariner says he feels “stronger, faster (and) quicker” as he heads into his third season in Seattle.
“My whole thing is, the last year and a half, I’ve been trying to cut out body fat and get lighter and faster on my feet. It’s a lot more cardio and diet stuff more than anything,” Carp said.
Every day Carp works on baseball skills at a high school near his home in California. After about 21/2 hours there, he heads home to visit with friends and family before hitting the gym for a two-hour workout at seven.
And while he is a lot more cautious about what he eats, he hasn’t completely abandoned tasty, unhealthy foods.
“It’s good to give yourself little cheat days,” Carp admitted. “But I cut out a lot of the fried foods. The McDonalds. You know, the fast foods. The good stuff.”
While Carp is doing everything within his means to make the Mariners better this offseason, he’s also going with the flow with the things that are out of his hands, including the front office trade that sent pitcher — and Carp’s good friend — Michael Pineda to the New York Yankees and brought Jesus Montero to Seattle.
“We haven’t seen Montero play yet and we know he’s a good hitter,” Carp said. “That’s what we need. We have a surplus of pitching. It’s unfortunate Pineda’s out of here. He’s a good friend of mine and I wish him the best of luck. But we needed offense and that was the move that was made. Hopefully, it helps out and we add another big bat to our lineup.”
Carp, who was the A.L. Rookie of the Month last August, is no stranger to trades. He was drafted by the New York Mets with the No. 3 pick of the ninth round (No. 254 overall) in the 2004 amateur draft. While working his way through the Mets’ minor league system, he was traded to Seattle in a Dec. 2008 trade that sent reliever J.J. Putz to New York and brought Carp and pitcher Jason Vargas out west.
It was a bit of a bombshell to find out he was traded, Carp said, but it also was somewhat flattering to have another team go after you via trade.
“It was definitely a shock,” Carp said. “I was younger and just starting to get to the higher levels so it was different, but the Mariners wanted me more.”
Carp is a great example to everyone about how hard work can equal success, said Saunders, who roomed with him last year. The two have become good friends.
“I know he expects a lot of himself and he works extremely hard,” Saunders said. “He deserves every bit of success that he tasted last year. I’m sure he’s going to have an even better year this year.”
Saunders added that Carp is not only “a great baseball player, but he’s an even better person than he is baseball player.”
With spring training only a few weeks away — pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 11 and position players Feb. 17 — Carp is determined to continue improving in the hopes of spending the entire 2012 season on the Mariners big league roster.
“I’m just looking forward to 2012,” Carp said. “It’s gonna be an exciting year. We’re young and definitely building off of last year and gonna prove to some people that we can play ball down here … and compete against this big (American League) West.”
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