With the official signing of Mike Napoli last Monday, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington’s off-season task list is almost finished, but there is another glaring need that must be filled before opening day. The 25-man roster lacks a left-handed hitter who can play first base and a corner outfield spot, and the Seattle Mariners could offer a solution.
Napoli, who will likely see most of his time at first base, and Jonny Gomes, who was brought aboard to play left field, are right-handed sluggers who mash lefties but tend to scuffle against righties. Also, switch-hitting right fielder Shane Victorino hits better from the right side.
With the acquisition of Kendrys Morales and Mike Morse, the Mariners have a surplus of corner outfielders and first basemen. Mike Carp, a 26-year-old left-handed hitting first baseman/left fielder, is an ideal fit for Boston. The Red Sox have catching depth with Napoli (who is expected to see some games behind the plate), David Ross and Ryan Lavarnway, so Jarrod Saltalamacchia is expendable.
After clubbing 27 home runs at Triple-A Tacoma in 2010, Carp was summoned to the Mariners in 2011 on the heels of belting 21 more homers for the Rainiers that season. He continued his power streak in the majors with a .276 average, 12 home runs and 46 RBI in 290 at-bats.
Carp opened the 2012 campaign in left field for Seattle but suffered a shoulder injury that landed him on the disabled list on opening day. The shoulder ailment lingered and limited him to a .213 average with five home runs and 20 RBI in 164 at-bats.
Though his shoulder is healthy again, Carp is a man without a position since the Mariners signed Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay, who project to get playing time in left field and DH, and traded for Morse, who can play left field and first base. Justin Smoak and Morales are also expected to share time at first base and DH.
Since Carp was sidelined by the shoulder injury for parts of last season, his 2011 numbers offer a more accurate depiction of his splits. In 72 at-bats against left-handers, he batted .306/.342/.542.884 with four home runs and 17 RBI. Versus right-handers, he hit .266/.321/.440/.761 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in 218 at-bats.
On the surface, those slash lines indicate reverse splits – giving the impression that the left-handed hitting Carp is more productive against lefties, but just 72 at-bats against lefties and 218 at-bats versus righties is too small of a sample size to make a concrete conclusion.
The Red Sox will likely not be swayed by Carp’s reverse splits in 2011. The club needs a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder, and Carp has a chance to mimic Morse and tap into his upside in another uniform, especially since Fenway Park is a significantly friendlier hitting environment that Safeco Field.
Saltalamacchia would give the Mariners another offensive threat behind the plate. The right-handed hitting Montero is substantially better against lefties than righties, and the switch-hitting Saltalamacchia is more productive from the left side, making the two a complementary backstop tandem.
