Who is Evan Carter? Stats, age and more to know about Rangers rookie becoming MLB playoffs
The MLB postseason is time for the most unlikely of heroes. Evan Carter is not exactly an unlikely hero, rather just an early hero.
When the season began, the idea of Carter playing meaningful baseball late in the playoffs might have seemed like a bit of a stretch. He had appeared in just six Double-A games in 2022 as a 19-year-old, which gave him still plenty of time left until he would seem like a viable player for a promotion.
But all Carter did in 2023 was hit. And hit. And hit. And hit. And with each of those hits, he drew a step closer to the majors, eventually earning the promotion to the big leagues on Aug. 29. Since then, all he’s done is post an eye-popping 1.236 OPS, with more walks than strikeouts. Oh yeah, and he made this pivotal play in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Carter has long been heralded as one of baseball’s top prospects, with some seeing a future star in the making. But his arrival on the big-league stage has been very sudden, which means he’s likely still much of an unknown to many.
This postseason, he’s continued his high level of play. He has posted a 1.236 OPS (.536 OBP and .700 SLG) with a home runs, one stolen base and seven walks to just four strikeouts through the first two games of the ALCS.
If there has been any blemish to Carter’s career beginning, it has been his struggles against left-handed pitching. In the regular season, he was hitless against southpaws with just a walk and six strikeouts in 11 plate-appearances. He has one playoff hit against lefties in five at-bats, and has added another walk but with three strikeouts.
Carter’s plate discipline has always been his most impressive trait. When he was in high school, he had the nickname, “Full Count Carter,” according to MLB Pipeline, because of his patience, though that patience was the biggest question mark on him.
“Literally the only question we had was does he really see the ball that well or is he passive?” Tucker said. “He either had one of the best eyes and approaches I had ever scouted or he was passive. That was a debate we had internally.
“I saw him strike out three times looking in one game and they weren’t strikes. I asked him about it and he said he would get himself out if he didn’t swing at strikes. He just really knows the strike zone that well.”
YearLevelAgeGPAHRSBBB%K%AVG/OBP/SLG2021A183214621223.3%19.2%.236/.438/.3872022A+19100447112613.2%16.8%.287/.388/.4762022AA196281217.9%21.4%.429/.536/.7142023CPX203121125.0%16.7%.222/.417/.6672023AA2097462122216.0%22.3%.284/.411/.4512023AAA208390310.3%15.4%.353/.436/.3822023MLB2023755316.0%32.0%.306/.413/.645
Evan Carter contract, salary
When Carter was signed by the Rangers, he agreed to a $1.25 million signing bonus, a large deal in an effort to keep him from signing with Duke, per MLB Pipeline.
The minimum MLB salary is $720,000 per year. However, since he was not promoted until August, he did not earn all of that paycheck, and instead would have had his earnings split between the minors and his brief time in the majors. His exact earnings are not public information.
