by Vanessa Strobbe
Daily Lobo
UNM's Chris Carlson watched the Major League Baseball draft with a chip on his shoulder.
In 2004, Carlson was cut from the Kansas State University baseball team. That summer, the Lobos signed him.
"After being released, New Mexico gave me a chance," Carlson said. "But I thought about being cut every day, and that motivated me to prove other people wrong - to show them that I could play."
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And he did.
On June 7, the Detroit Tigers drafted Carlson in the 29th round, No. 862 overall.
"It's wild that I'm finally going to live my dream now," he said. "I've been through a lot, like being released - that has made me question if there was going to be another day of baseball. But now I see that it taught me adversity and to reap what I sow."
Carlson sees similarities in the battles he fought in the past and the hard times he plans to go through in the majors.
"Being a 29th-rounder, statistically, there is not much hope for me to succeed," he said. "But one thing I have learned is that if I have a chance, I'm going to make the most of it."
At UNM, Carlson made the most of his chance. He has accumulated several awards in his two years on the team, including All-Mountain West Conference first team and ESPN The Magazine All-Academic first team as a junior.
Nationally, he ranked third in RBIs per game with 1.43, sixth in home runs with .38 per game, 12th in slugging percentage with .743 and finished the season with a .366 batting average.
At UNM, Carlson set a new career slugging percentage with .736, tied for the fifth-best career batting average at .380 and finished with 36 home runs, fifth in UNM history.
Only a junior, Carlson said he doesn't mind passing up another year's chance to break more records.
"I loved playing for the Lobos," Carlson said. "I had a really fun year, and I've played with a great group of guys that I will miss, but it's time for me to move on. I have to try and play at the next level."
For now, Carlson resides in Lakeland, Fla., at the Tigers' spring training facility. For the summer, he will play in either the rookie-level Gulf Coast League or the New York Pin League. From there on, he will await the chance to move up to Detroit's roster.
"I have confidence now to where I think I can succeed, and I feel like I'm prepared to play at this level," Carlson said. "I'm living the dream, and everything that comes after this is just icing on the cake."
