MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — David Carpenter built his game at East Fairmont High School and West Virginia University to ultimately reach the highest level of baseball in 2011. That’s the year when Carpenter broke into big leagues with the Houston Astros. He would go on to pitch in 222 Major League Baseball games over six seasons.
His playing days ended in 2020 but Carpenter is quickly rising in the coaching ranks. In February, Carpenter was named the manager of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the top minor league affiliate (Class AAA) of the Miami Marlins.
Entering a doubleheader Friday at Syracuse, the Jumbo Shrimp (45-26) are enjoying an eight-game winning streak, the longest in the International League.
“It is just a lot of fun to come to the ballpark in general when guys are putting in good at bats, pitchers are doing a really good job when they are getting called out of the bullpen, starters are giving us good innings,” Carpenter said. “It just makes it more enjoyable watching guys go out there and compete on a daily basis.”
Carpenter excelled for WVU at catcher from 2004-2006. In his junior season, Carpenter started 55 of 58 games behind the plate. He hit .316 with 38 runs batted in. Carpenter was selected by the Cardinals in the 12th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. In 2009, he made the transition from catcher to pitcher.
Carpenter played for the Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Yankees, Nationals and Rangers in his MLB career that spanned the 2011-2015 and 2019 seasons. He was out of big league ball from 2016-2018 before finally breaking back in with the Rangers in May of 2019. Carpenter believes his unique experiences in the game help him advising young players grinding their way through minor league ball.
“Not only is this a physical game, it is a mental game. Being able to meet players where they are, whether it is coming back from a really stressful injury or just coming back from a tough couple years where they have struggled, you try to find ways to connect with these guys and get the best out of them on a daily basis. I feel that is something, myself and the staff, here we have done a really good job of.”
In 2020, Carpenter was in spring training with the Cincinnati Reds. However, he never appeared for the big league club in the COVID-shortened season. A year later, Carpenter joined the staff at Fairmont State University. In addition to coaching the Falcons, Carpenter led the West Virginia Black Bears in the 2023 and 2024 MLB Draft League seasons. The Black Bears won the league title in his first season.
“I really did miss it. I missed the competition. I missed being able to impact guys and to help further their careers. Fairmont State was a way to scratch that itch. And getting the opportunity with the Black Bears continued to drive that forward. Getting the opportunity to advance and go to this level was a no-brainer.”
The Marlins had interest in hiring Carpenter early in 2024. However, he wanted to finish out his season at FSU before pursuing any other opportunities.
“I felt it wasn’t the right thing to do to leave those guys high and dry at that moment. I had some guys I was continuing to work with and had been involved in their recruitment to get them there. I was really invested in those guys. I didn’t want to leave them in the middle of the season.”
Carpenter was officially hired to lead Jacksonville on February 11. He was on staff with the Marlins in spring training before the season began for the Jumbo Shrimp in late-March. As with most minor league managers, Carpenter is tasked with the dual responsibilities of fielding a winning team while building prospects to reach the parent club.
“During the interview process, the question was asked to me, ‘What was valued?’ I said, ‘You can place a high value on winning because during that, you can still develop players’. I feel that is something we are doing really, really well here within the Marlins organization with the group of guys that we have remaining focused on their development as players. Ultimately, we want to get them to the big leagues, allow them to have success up there and sustained success, not just one or two seasons.”
At the AAA level, rosters are a hybrid of young and ascending prospects and players that have competed at the top level and are working to get back to MLB.
“It is a delicate balance. Thankfully, we have a really good group here that understands what this is about. This is about a family aspect. Everybody is pulling for each other. You are not just competing against each other in the clubhouse. It is an opportunity to go out there, do the job that you are required to do or that you are requested to do on a daily basis.
“If we focus on what the objectives are, it makes it a lot easier to accept the fact that when you have guys coming up from AA, they are ascending and trying to get to the big leagues. You have guys that were at the big leagues and they are trying to get back there. There is still the common goal of getting to the big leagues. But it is a shared experience of them working and doing this together.”
Carpenter’s college career concluded seven years before West Virginia joined the Big 12 and nine years before Mon County Ballpark opened. As one of WVU’s most accomplished alumni at the MLB level, Carpenter is thrilled to see the decade of success his alma mater has enjoyed with multiple Big 12 titles and NCAA Super Regional appearances.
“I am really, really happy for those guys. Victor Scott, JJ Wetherholt, Alek Manoah, John Means, there have been a ton of guys coming up there are having success. You love to see that, representing the state and representing the school well. Especially being born and raised there, that has special meaning for the guys like me and Jedd [Gyorko].
“To see this continued success, I wish nothing but the best for Steve [Sabins]. He is doing a fantastic job. I think he is going to take the program to a new level. I think he has the personality to continue to bring in really good recruits.”
The regular season concludes for the Jumbo Shrimp on September 21. Jacksonville enters the weekend a half-game behind Lehigh Valley in the International League East Division standings. If the season ended today, Jacksonville would be participating in the IL playoffs.
“The city is fantastic. The fan base is a really, really fun group to be around. They really come out to the ballpark and pack the ballpark. Tuesday-through-Sunday, it is a lot of fun to be here.”