October 4, 2011
Inquisitive Sox prospect is looking up
by David Laurila/
Mike McCarthy pitched for the Lowell Spinners after being drafted in the 14th round by the Red Sox in June. (photo: John Corriveau)
Mike McCarthy is more than just a 23-year-old right-hander pitching for the Lowell Spinners. The 2011 draft pick also is a positive role model.
A native of Walnut Creek, Calif., McCarthy has overcome adversity, and exceeded expectations, on his journey from humble beginnings to pro ball.
New England Baseball Journal: What is your baseball background?
Mike McCarthy: “Coming out of high school, I wasn’t recruited by any Division 1 schools, so I went to the University of Redlands (a Div. 3 school in California) on an academic scholarship and played two years there. Then I ended up transferring to Cal State-Bakersfield, where I sat out the first year (because of NCAA transfer rules). I wasn’t drafted after my junior year, but then I came into my own a bit, both mentally and physically, and had a good senior year. I was drafted in the 14th round by the Red Sox and feel very fortunate for this opportunity.”
NEBJ: Why did you transfer to Cal-Bakersfield?
McCarthy: “I transferred when I lost one of the scholarships I was on at Redlands. Tuition was also going to go up, so it was going to be an increase of about $5,000 for me to stay in school there. We were already pretty stretched as a family, so I started exploring other options. I did end up getting an opportunity to go back to Redlands — there were a couple of scholarships that the coach and financial-aid department helped me apply for — but getting a chance to go to Bakersfield and play Division 1 ball was something I couldn’t pass up.”
NEBJ: You had a memorable game there, outpitching UCLA’s Gerrit Cole (the first overall pick in the June draft).
McCarthy: “That was obviously a pretty special day. Cal State-Bakersfield had never beaten UCLA in any sport, so we knew it would be something special for the university and would help put the baseball team on the national map. The team came up huge, putting up five runs, and I threw a two-hit game.
“Coach Kernen had said to me the day before, ‘I know you like pressure, but if you pitch well tomorrow, you’re going to get drafted.’ That had always been a question mark, because the year before, I wasn’t drafted.”
NEBJ: Would you have been drafted without that performance?
McCarthy: “I think so, because there was a lot of interest from scouts prior to that. I had thrown some really good games already that season and had started to establish myself, but I definitely wouldn’t have been drafted in the top 20 rounds. It was a pretty special opportunity to push myself into a higher round.”
NEBJ: In 2009 you played in the Alaska Summer League. What was that experience like?
McCarthy: “It was an absolute blast. The Alaska League is an opportunity to play in a different region, an area considered to be The Last Frontier. You’re playing in front of people who are mainly fishing and hunting most of the year. They get to experience baseball, which is something that’s not a part of their normal lifestyle, in part because their summers are so short.
“A highlight was playing in a Midnight Sun game, where you start at 10:30 and play past midnight, all the way to 1:30 in the morning, under completely natural light. I’m also a huge nature guy — I enjoy hiking and backpacking — and got to see all the bear, moose, eagles, caribou and reindeer.”
NEBJ: Did you research Alaska before going up there to play?
McCarthy: “I did. My nickname at the University of Redlands was actually ‘Google.’ That’s because I’m always looking things up. I really enjoy knowledge and learning. It’s a huge part of who I am as a person. When I went to Cal-Bakersfield, they gave me the name ‘Mike-opedia,’ and when I came here, to Lowell, the name ‘Google’ came up again.”
NEBJ: What are you learning about people in the Northeast?
McCarthy: “People here are amazing. At first they come off as a little aggressive, but after the first few days you realize that they’re just straightforward. They’re straight shooters that are going to say what they mean, and mean what they say. There’s not a lot of focus on having to be something you’re not. People let you be who you are.
“I went down to Boston last week, on a day off, and got to walk around. You can see that every person is an individual and knows exactly who they are; they carry themselves with confidence. They aren’t rude or stuck up, it’s just that there isn’t a lot of fluff.”
NEBJ: You have a lot of confidence, and some of it came from learning to deal with adversity growing up.
McCarthy: “Yes. I’ve faced adversity, not just in baseball, but in my entire life. My parents were divorced, so I lived in single-parent households. There’s a lot of strain put on a child, going back and forth between parents. There are communication difficulties, and your parents don’t always get along. It’s not always smooth.
“There were other issues throughout my family. My relationship with my grandparents wasn’t really strong, nor was it with a lot of my aunts and uncles. That had me really appreciating my parents, and my sisters and brothers, and it made me who I am today. Even without baseball, I know who I am. I know that I’m a man who cares about the people around him. I wouldn’t be the baseball player, or the person that I am, had I not faced that adversity early on in my life.
“Athletics, and especially baseball — because it’s so mental — help you learn to deal with adversity. There is so much mental preparation and processes that go on throughout the game. There are all the practices, and the daily grind, and if you use baseball as a tool to improve who you are as a person, you’ll have a lot of success in life.”
This article originally appeared in the September 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
David Laurila can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
