Three weeks into his major league career, Evan Carter, somehow, is exceeding any lofty expectations.
DALLAS — Evan Carter made his debut for the Texas Rangers on Sept. 8, just 10 days after his 21st birthday. And he arrived with plenty of hype: A toolsy centerfielder who excelled at every level of the minors and who became the top prospect in the organization.The rookie is hitting .320 with five homers, 12 RBIs and a .426 on-base percentage across 50 at-bats in 19 games.
But Carter's unexpected value to the Rangers might be his power. His five homers are joined by three doubles and a triple, giving him a .720 slugging percentage. The extra-base hits have always been part of Carter's game; he doubled 17 times and triple six times in 108 games in the minors this year. The surge of homers seems to be more unexpected for a 21-year-old who's still developing his power, and his frame.
His first homer, against the Blue Jays, and his fourth, against the Mariners, were more of the towering variety. But you don't need to be a scout to see why Carter's power is somewhat sneaky. He doesn't have a majestic home run swing. He doesn't mash a ball and stop and stare at it. In fact, he appears to be halfway out of the batter's box when he makes contact.
So 1.3 WAR might not sound like much, but in just three weeks of action, it puts Carter in the same neighborhood as heralded Red Sox rookie Masataka Yoshida, high-paid shortstop Carlos Correa and Phillies star Nick Castellanos.
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