Next Potential AL West Superstar from Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers employ plenty of star power. Clubs don’t win a World Series without some series talent.
The Rangers sent six All-Stars to Seattle last season – Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis García, Josh Jung, Jonah Heim and Nathan Eovaldi. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom are among the most-decorated pitchers in baseball.
(Never mind that several of those stars are on the mend. Corey, the World Series MVP, will miss most of spring training recovering from hernia surgery. Scherzer and deGrom hope to be back for the second half of the season.)
The Rangers certainly aren’t lacking the big-name category as they begin their title defense. And they could be adding another star who wasn’t even on a big league roster to start 2023.
MLB.com recently put together a list of potential breakout superstars for all six divisions and the pick for the American League West is technically still a prospect. Yes, Evan Carter is officially the top prospect in the Texas system, and he’s also the likely starting left fielder come Opening Day.
Per MLB.com:
If you watched Carter on the Rangers’ World Series run last October, you saw a star in the making. The 21-year-old was one of the reigning champs' best players on the game's biggest stage despite entering the postseason with just 23 big league games under his belt. Carter can do it all – hit for average, slug home runs, draw walks, steal bases and make highlight-reel catches in the outfield. In 40 games across the regular season and postseason, Carter posted a .303/.415/.574 slash line and .989 OPS with six home runs and six stolen bases. That puts a 20-20 season … maybe even a 30-30 season … in reach in 2024. Throw in Carter's .300 bat, elite plate discipline and Gold Glove potential in left field (+3 Outs Above Average in 2023), and he could certainly join the likes of J-Rod, Mike Trout and his teammate Corey Seager as one of the best players in the AL West.
The praise for Carter is hardly surprising. He’s considered one of the favorites for AL Rookie of the Year, and an option to bat at or near the top of the order.
Carter is also part of an up-and-coming infusion of young talent which includes Wyatt Langford, who’s the No. 2 prospect in the system and a candidate to also make the club out of spring training.
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