Texas Rangers Rookie Ready to Prove He Belongs in Majors

Texas Rangers rookie Evan Carter singled in his MLB debut, filling in for Adolis Garcia in right field.

Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter found out he was coming to the Majors on Thursday, the same day the club learned that Adolis García was moving to the injured list.

An injury isn’t the way you want to get to the Majors. But for Carter, the team’s No. 1 prospect who turned 21 the day he was called up to Triple-A Round Rock last week, getting to the Majors has always been the point.

“Obviously the goal is not to be a minor leaguer for your whole career,” Carter said with a smile. “You want to make it to the big leagues and help the team win a World Series.”

He didn’t need long to make an impact, ripping a single to right in his first MLB plate appearance Friday night in the 6-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field.

“I couldn’t feel my legs in the first at-bat, but we got it out of the way,” Carter said of a second-inning hit. “I’m beyond blessed. My family’s here; my wife’s family was here. So it was really cool to share that with them.”

Kaylen Carter, Evan's wife, joined the Bally Sports broadcast during the game.

Evan Carter's wife, Kaylen, joins the broadcast to speak on her husband's MLB debut!
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/iwx04LnD1c

— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) September 9, 2023

When Evan Carter learned he was joining the Rangers, he was in El Paso. So he had to hop on a plane to get to Arlington and let his family know he was making his MLB debut.

Carter started in right field Friday — García’s position — and batted ninth. No one is expecting Carter to be García at the plate or in the field. What the Rangers hope is that he can be himself, a player that has excelled at both Double-A Frisco and Round Rock this season.

“This is a guy that’s ready,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

Rangers general manager Chris Young echoed that when spoke to reporters on Thursday.

“Evan has performed at both Double-A and Triple-A this year,” Young said. “He has an elite approach, strike zone awareness and control and really fits the profile of a player that we think can have success at the Major League level. We also recognize that Evan is still developing and there's a learning curve.”

The numbers back it up. A relative unknown when the Rangers spent a second-round pick on him in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Elizabethton, Tenn., product slashed .288/.413/.450/.863 with Double-A Frisco and Round Rock this season, with 17 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs and 67 RBI.

Along with the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect, he’s a Top 10 prospect in all of baseball, he was the Rangers’ 2022 Minor League Player of the Year and won a Minor League Gold Glove for his work in center field last season.

The Rangers drew some side-eye from some baseball experts when they drafted Carter, a player who was relatively unknown as teams were unable to scout normally because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If Carter was aware of it, he took the high road on Friday.

“This is the start of hopefully a long career and that’s what I plan on, just to start with the Rangers here as a winning ballclub so I’m really excited,” Carter said. “That’s about all I have to say I guess.”

Carter’s first swings during batting practice at Globe Life Field on Friday were his first in the ballpark. The pregame work paid off. After the single, he then stole second and was stranded at third.

Carter finished 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk at the plate.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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