Texas Rangers Spring Training Notebook: Astros Ace Impressed Evan Carter

Not much intimidated Evan Carter during his brief time with the Texas Rangers at the end of the 2023 season. A few pitchers, including the Houston Astros' Justin Verlander, however, impressed him.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers rookie Evan Carter didn't appear overmatched by much during his amazing run to postseason stardom last October.

His steady composure while producing on the biggest stage at 21 was one of MLB's best stories of 2023. So what, if anything, threw him the biggest eye-opener during his first two months in the majors?

"Probably [Justin] Verlander's fastball or maybe [Tyler] Glasnow's fastball or slider," Carter said.

Carter was 2 for 5 with a double against Verlander in the ALCS, and 1 for 2 with two walks and a double against the Rays' Glasnow in the AL Wild Card round.

"There were definitely several; some guys had some pitches, where it was, like 'Holy smokes, what was that?' You swing through a Verlander fastball and are, like, how did I not hit that,'" Carter said.

At that moment, Carter remembered Verlander was a future Hall of Famer.

"You know he's throwing gas with a ton of rise on the ball, and you just swing right through it," he said. "There were definitely a lot of guys where we kind of have to take a step back ... alright, I need to calm down a little bit with a Hall of Famer on the mound, but it doesn't change the fact that you have to try and get something done right here."

PFP Fest

The Rangers workout on Sunday morning will feature pitching field practice stations on all six fields, the half field, and the bunting cage.

Quotables

"As soon as practice starts [Monday], it's officially a new year. So [2023] is over with. It's cool to see all the [World Series] decorations and graphics all over the place, and not from years and years previous. It's a lot of fun, but it's time to turn the page."

— Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe 

"Evan is a good on-base guy and speed; he's your prototypical type, leadoff hitter. Right now, we have a really good leadoff hitter." 

— Rangers manager Bruce Bochy on Evan Carter and Marcus Semien

Nathaniel Lowe has arrived.
He joined the club when they were losing 100 games a year...#TexasRangers pic.twitter.com/z6TVF6CAKT

— Stefan Stevenson (@StefanVersusTex) February 18, 2024

Crowding The Plate

Stefan Stevenson/FanNation, Inside the Rangers

Crowding the Plate is off today because my stomach was in need of a much-appreciated break. So I had a boring salad and fell asleep.

Salads rarely deserve reviews, much less pictures.

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

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