Rangers' Evan Carter: Moving up BA's prospect list
Rotowire
Carter jumped 11 spots on Baseball America's prospect list, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Carter, who ranks 35th on MLB's prospect rankings, moved up to 11th on Baseball America's list. That magazine noted the following: "A center fielder with advanced on-base ability, baserunning acumen and bat-to ball skills, Carter has begun to show above-average or better power in games. Carter is looking like one of the best picks of the five-round 2020 draft." He was also named the Rangers' minor-league Player of the Month for April, per SI.com The 20-year-old outfielder batted .343/.500/.543 with four home runs and 20 RBI over 18 games at Double-A Frisco during the month.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Starting year in Double-A
Rotowire
Carter will begin the 2023 season with Double-A Frisco, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
There was some speculation that Carter might begin the year at Triple-A Round Rock, but the Rangers instead will have the young outfielder open in the Texas League. Carter is viewed as one of the best outfield prospects in baseball, and assuming he handles Double-A pitching well, he should be in Triple-A -- and then potentially the majors -- well before the end of the 2023 season.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Will begin season in minors
Rotowire
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed Wednesday that Carter will begin the season in the minors, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Bochy noted that Carter needs time in the minors to get everyday reps, and that it would be "pushing a kid too much" for him to open the season in the majors. The 20-year-old is widely considered one of the best outfield prospects in baseball, and has performed well in the Cactus League with a .600 on-base percentage and a pair of steals over 16 plate appearances in Arizona. Carter may start the season in the minors, but a strong showing at the higher levels this spring could see him helping the Rangers -- and fantasy managers -- at some point this summer.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Promoted to Double-A
Rotowire
Carter was promoted to Double-A Frisco on Monday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Carter was activated from the injured list Sept. 5 following a knee injury and will now move up a level to Frisco. The outfielder posted a .287 average with 39 extra-base hits, 66 RBI, 78 runs scored and 26 stolen bases over 100 games with High-A Hickory this season.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Activated from IL
Rotowire
Carter (knee) was activated from the injured list and started Sunday for High-A Hickory, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. He returned as the designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a run scored for the Crawdads.
Carter, who missed two weeks with a bruised left knee, ranks fourth in the South Atlantic League in OPS (.868), seventh in steals (24) and leads the circuit in triples (10). Rangers assistant general manager for player development Ross Fenstermaker told the assembled Dallas-Fort Worth media that the 20-year-old outfielder is on the cusp of Double-A, citing the need to evaluate his health and performance over the final month.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Suffers knee bruise
Rotowire
Carter was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Hickory with a bruised left knee Sunday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
Carter has an .873 OPS with 11 home runs, 65 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 94 games with Hickory this year, but he'll be sidelined for at least the next week due to the knee issue. He'll turn 20 years old Monday, and he could see a late-season promotion to Double-A Frisco.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Showing well-rounded skill set
Rotowire
Carter is hitting .282/.377/.477 with 10 homers, 23 steals and a 51:69 BB:K through 90 games for High-A Hickory.
He has as many triples as homers, with 18 doubles to boot -- that's 38 extra-base hits so far this season. Not bad. Carter's combination of rock-solid plate discipline, pop and speed makes him an impressive prospect even if he doesn't have that one big carrying tool. It's noteworthy that he's been caught stealing 11 times, but we're also talking about a 19-year-old in his first pro season who's running on significantly more experienced pitchers and catchers. The speed is real (albeit not quite elite), and he'll likely improve his success rate as he refines his technique.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Earns prospect honors
Rotowire
Carter hit safely in all six games for High-A Hickory last week and was named to the Pipeline Prospect of the Week team, Tyler Maun of MLB.com reports.
Carter got the six-game run started in style with a three-hit effort last Tuesday which featured two triples, a home run, six RBI and two additional runs. Prior to his hot week, Carter batted just .143 for the month of June (6-for-42) -- his first taste of adversity this season -- but the 19-year-old outfielder responded well. A surprise second-round selection in 2020, Carter has reaffirmed the organization's decision by showing good plate discipline with extra-base power.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Surging in High-A
Rotowire
Carter has hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games for High-A Hickory and owns a season line of .308/.380/.511 with four homers and seven steals through 32 contests.
He's been racking up the counting stats, too -- Carter has driven in 24 runs and scored another 28. An unknown quantity when the Rangers drafted him in the second round two years ago, Carter's put himself firmly on the prospect map with his combination of plate discipline, pop and speed. While his walk rate this season isn't anywhere near the 24.3 percent mark he put up in Low-A last year, it's still solid at 10.1 percent, and he isn't striking out much (13.9 percent). All in all, the 19-year-old center fielder offers an exciting package for dynasty formats.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Active for spring training
Rotowire
Carter (back) took full batting practice Thursday and appears to have no restrictions during the Rangers' minor-league spring training camp, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Carter didn't see any game action after mid-June of last season while contending with a stress fracture on the right side of his back, but the 19-year-old looks to have received a clean bill of health prior to the spring. Before going down with the injury, Carter had been in the midst of a decent debut season at Low-A Down East, producing a .236/.438/.387 slash line with two home runs and 12 stolen bases over 146 plate appearances. He'll presumably return to the affiliate to begin the 2022 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Rehab stalls
Rotowire
Carter will miss the rest of the season after back soreness cropped up during his rehab, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Carter was shut down in mid-July with back stiffness and was looking to make a return in early September, but he'll instead miss the rest of the campaign due to the renewed soreness. The 18-year-old posted a .236/.438/.387 slash line with 12 stolen bases in 32 games at Low-A Down East this season. He'll attempt to get back onto the field during the fall instructional league.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Likely out until September
Rotowire
Carter isn't expected to make his return to the Low-A Down East lineup until early September while he recovers from a stress fracture on the right side of his back, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Carter, a 2020 second-round pick, slashed .236/.438/.387 with two home runs and 12 stolen bases in 32 games before he was shut down in mid-June with the injury, which the Rangers initially classified as right lower-back stiffness. Follow-up examinations evidently revealed a more serious concern, and the 18-year-old now appears on track to spend most of his first professional season on the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Evan Carter: Dealing with back stiffness
Rotowire
Carter was placed on the 7-day injured list at Low-A Down East with right lower-back stiffness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The 2020 second-round pick has a .236/.438/.387 slash line with two homers, 12 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 22 runs and a 34:28 BB:K through 32 games this season, but he'll now be unavailable due to the injury. It's unclear how long Carter is expected to be sidelined.
