September 10, 2002

Two Falcons Cross Paths
(BUMSTEAD AND CARBAJAL TAKE DIFFERENT ROAD TO THE SAME DESTINATION)

For Mike Bumstead and Alex Carbajal, their paths to professional baseball have taken very different turns. While on the Cerritos College baseball team from 1997-98, Bumstead was the team’s starting center fielder, while Carbajal was a seldom-used left-handed pitcher. Today, Bumstead is a starting pitcher for the Lake Elsinore Storm, the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, while Carbajal is a set-up man for the Bakersfield Blaze, who are the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

While at Cerritos, Bumstead was considered a prospect, thanks in part to his 6-3, 200-pound frame. He swung a big bat, ran well and was a very reliable player with the glove. As for Carbajal, he was also 6-3, but carried about 180 pounds and used his pitching placement to get hitters out. Bumstead was a two-year starter, and even after red-shirting his first season, Carbajal still did not see very much action on the mound the following two years.

In both of his seasons, Bumstead was a 1^st Team All-South Coast Conference selection, before earning a scholarship to play at Cal State Northridge. Carbajal wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him until Falcon head coach Ken Gaylord put in a good word for him with Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs.

Mike Bumstead

Despite their different roads, both stated that their time at Cerritos helped prepare them for all of their future endeavors.

“Coming to Cerritos was a huge learning process for me,” said Bumstead, who is the Storm’s #2 starter and now checks in at 220 pounds. “Coming from a small high school (Big Bear High), this was a huge adjustment for me. This was the first time I played baseball year-round and had to compete against 65-70 guys that tried out. The experience I gained from working with Coach Gaylord and Coach (Gerardo) Perez was a very valuable learning process. Also, having (former coach) Rey Sanchez take me under his wing and teach me the proper way to play the outfield helped me learn so much.”

Carbajal felt the same way, but added, “I had to make a decision as to whether I was going to commit to baseball or not. When I found out I was going to red-shirt, Coach Gaylord told me to take a week off and decide if I really wanted to commit to baseball or not. I talked with my family and I decided I would to whatever it took to play baseball. Once I decided I wanted to make it my career, I stayed as focused as I could.”

Despite his natural abilities, Bumstead had some difficulties at the plate. Although he batted .339 his freshman year, he struck out 33 times in 121 at-bats. His productivity dropped a little his sophomore year, as he batted .301, but struck out 49 times. For Carbajal, he appeared in only seven games (12 1/3 innings) as a freshman and went 1-1 with one save. He only threw eight innings (six games) as a sophomore and was 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

“Both of those guys had very different athletic skills,” recalled Gaylord. “Mike Bumstead was a great person that had a lot of ability. He struggled at the plate a little, but made up for it with his running ability, arm strength and defensive abilities. Alex came here with a lot of other things going on in his life. I think he had two jobs and needed to decide if he was going to take the game seriously. They have both worked very hard and it’s now paying off for them.”

Bumstead went to Cal State Northridge as an outfield, but that would soon change. When he was at Cerritos, Bumstead joked with football coach Frank Mazzotta that he could punt better than the guys he had out there at the time. After a tryout, Bumstead was added to the team, and was the team’s punter the final four games of his sophomore year. While with the Matadors, Bumstead mentioned to the coaching staff during his junior year that he could do a better job than the guys that were currently pitching. He threw a couple of bullpens, but the staff did not use him.

During the summer after his junior year, Bumstead played for Athletes In Action as both an outfield and was a starting pitcher. During that time, a scout from the Kansas City Royals liked what he saw and wanted him to sign as a pitcher. Bumstead called his coach at Northridge and told him about the offer by the Royals. The coach told him to come back for his senior year and they would give him a chance to pitch more

That chance never transpired, as Bumstead pitched just three innings for the Matadors that season. In fact, he ended up being the team’s fourth outfielder and was used primarily as a defensive replacement. He went back to play for AIA that summer and devoted his time and effort to pitching with hopes of signing after the summer.

“That was a very hard time for me,” said Bumstead. “At one point, I said to God, ‘OK, if you want me to play baseball, then take control.’ I went to Mac&Seitz Baseball Academy in Kansas City, which is run by former Kansas City Royals Mike MacFarlane and Kevin Seitzer, and the coaches there taught me more about pitching. I had a tryout with the Royals and White Sox before I tried out for the Padres one day before training camp opened. They liked me and signed me right away. I was one of three out of 85 that got signed that day.”

After his sophomore year, Carbajal wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen to him. He came on in the Southern California Regionals and pitched very well against Saddleback. Meggs, who was scouting the game, liked what he saw in Carbajal and asked Gaylord about his availability. Carbajal signed with Chico State, one of the top Division II schools in the country. After pitching very well in middle relief his junior year, Carbajal was looked upon to provide a more expanded role on the team. As a relief pitcher his senior year, he posted a 0.00 ERA in relief before the coach inserted him as a starter. He threw five innings of shutout ball, but he had already opened the eyes of his teammates and some scouts. At some outings, Carbajal had 10-15 scouts out to watch him pitch

“I told Lindsey that Alex had worked hard the three years he was here and had grown up quite a bit,” said Gaylord. “I thought he could get the job done for them and he did just that.”

Alex Carbajal

“You know, going to Chico State was another great step for me,” said Carbajal. “It allowed me to move away from home and take care of what needed to be taken care of. And that was school and baseball. It was a great opportunity for me to grow up and apply myself.”

In his senior year, Carbajal’s team went on to win the National Championship, but he was unable to participate in any of the games due to tendonitis in his elbow. However, he did feel that being on a winning team where all the players got along and worked together for a common goal was very rewarding. Carbajal did earn the win the in the game that propelled his team to the National Championship World Series. He stated that the camaraderie also held true at Cerritos, but it was different at Chico State because of all the travel that was involved.

When it came time for Carbajal to move on after his senior year, he found out that he was immediately a free agent. Due to his red-shirt season at Cerritos, he was a fifth-year senior and did not fall under the same guidelines that four-year seniors did. So, in affect, it became a bidding war for his services and he could sign a contract with any team before the draft. After being courted by numerous teams, Carbajal decided to sign with Devil Rays scout Charles Scott, whom he felt showed the most interest.

Bumstead started his professional career in Ft. Wayne, where he was a closer, but was promoted to Lake Elsinore midway through the season. Upon the start of this season, Bumstead was switched to a starting role, and has relished the opportunity. He stated that he enjoyed coming in to close a game, but likes to have the opportunity to pitch as much as he can. Bumstead (10-10, 4.82 ERA, 108 K’s) is now completing his second full season as a pitcher and has already enjoyed some team success. Last season, the Storm won the California League championship and were named the Minor League Team of the Year. They are currently looking to repeat their championship season, with Bumstead serving as one of the team’s top pitchers.

“Basically, I am still learning how to pitch and read hitters,” said Bumstead. “It’s been a bit of an adjustment not playing every day and sitting on the bench. There is talk of moving me up to Double-A (MobileBay) next season, which means I will get to hit when we play National League teams. I still go in the outfield and take fly balls in practice to stay sharp. I look forward to getting a chance to swing the bat again.”

Carbajal (5-4, 3.20 ERA, 75 IP, 92 K’s) has also heard talk of being moved up to either Double-A (Orlando) or Triple-A (Durham) and looks forward to getting a chance to prove himself to another group of coaches and players. He started his professional career with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York/Penn League, a short season league. At the conclusion of the league, he was held back in extended spring training after the big league team signed two left-handed pitchers. As a result, they held two players back at each level, and Carbajal was one of the two.

He showed the coaches that he had progressed enough that they bypassed him going to Low-A Charleston and was sent directly to Bakersfield, where he has spent the last 1½ seasons. One of the biggest adjustments he felt he had to make when playing professionally was not the travel or competition.

Bumstead & Carbajal

“It was amazing to have people recognize you and ask for your autograph,” remembered Carbajal. “At Hudson Valley, their stadium held 4,000 and they would have about 3,500 each game. It was a great atmosphere. Everyone knew your name. They even knew your nickname! There were baseball cards with my face on it and the fans wanted autographs. That was such a great feeling to have people recognize you and come to you and talk to you like you were their friend. It was amazing and I really love it.”

Mike Bumstead and Alex Carbajal have shown that it doesn’t matter where you start in your career, but to fight for what you want and to follow the path that life takes you.