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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
From Winslow to Mexico
Western Arkansas, AR
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Former West Fork, Arkansas Razorbacks slugger still calls Washington County home
Bubba Carpenter traveled an unusual path in his baseball career, beginning in Winslow and finishing in Mexico.
Along the way, he became a star for West Fork and the Arkansas Razorbacks before enjoying 12 seasons as a professional, nine in the New York Yankees organization.
Carpenter’s future didn’t look so promising when he was forced to redshirt as an Arkansas freshman in 1987, although those talented Hogs made their second trip in three seasons to the College World Series.
“It was amazing what Bubba was able to do,” said Norm DeBriyn, the Arkansas coach when Carpenter lettered from 1988-91. “He had great determination and work ethic. Bubba could make adjustments. He had very good baseball intelligence.”
DeBriyn termed Carpenter “one of the top five” success stories during his 33 seasons at Arkansas.
“When we redshirted him,” DeBriyn said, “I never would’ve believed he would hit a home run in the big leagues. What he did here and after was a tribute to him.”
While at Arkansas, Carpenter just kept getting better. He nearly won two Southwest Conference batting championships and helped lead the Hogs back to the World Series in 1989.
After signing with the Yankees as a free agent before the 1991 draft, he eventually spent seven seasons in Triple-A before joining the Colorado Rockies organization in 2000. He reached the big leagues with the Rockies but was released in late July and signed with a Korean team.
“We won the Korean World Series that year,” Carpenter said. “It was a lot of fun but I had to have an interpreter with me almost everywhere I went. I had little cards that said, ‘grocery store’ or ‘bank’ but sometimes I still ended up in the wrong place.”
He was back in the United States with the Mets and Rockies minor league teams in 2001. The next year, he played in Mexico but his season – and, effectively, his career – ended with a broken arm.
Carpenter barely dared to dream of such success when he was growing up in Winslow or when he moved to West Fork in ninth grade.
“To me, old George Cole Field was like Yankee Stadium,” Carpenter said. “I thought Jeff King was the best player I’d ever seen.”
Carpenter came from a baseball family, led by his father Bill and mother Daphna. His oldest brother Scott played for Westark Community College and Arkansas Tech. Older brother Jay also went to Tech before transferring to Arkansas, where they played together. The youngest brother, Dean, played for Crowder Junior College and Western Kentucky.
Carpenter’s baseball coach at West Fork was Ron Bradley.
“He was great. He was way ahead of his time,” Carpenter said. “He and my Dad were big on fundamentals. They both said, ‘Play hard and play the game right.’ That’s probably why I was able to go to Arkansas from such a small school.”
Going to West Fork provided a great awareness of community, Carpenter said.
“There’s a sense of pride you have being from a small town,” he said. “I don’t think you get that in big towns.”
Carpenter lives on 26 acres on the eastern edge of Fayetteville near the White River. His brother Dean lives next door and they spend a lot of time fishing.
He also owns “Triple Crown Baseball Academy” in Springdale, where he tutors aspiring young hitters and teams. There are four batting cages but Carpenter said he “likes to keep it one-on-one. I’m really working toward trying to get kids college scholarships.”
Carpenter remembers when he was a good player from a small town with an unknown future.
“Baseball led to a lot of great things for me,” said the 39-year-old Carpenter. “I wouldn’t change a day of it.”
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