Carter entered Sunday with a .194 batting average having registered more strikeouts than hits at the plate. That prompted Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to issue his thoughts on the rookie’s struggles before Texas’ series finale against the Atlanta Braves.
“I don’t think he’s hit his stride,” Bochy said, per Kennedi Landry. “We saw how good he is but he’s not quite there yet with his swing. Still, you look at getting on base doing things. He just needs to keep doing his thing and find that consistent swing that works for him.”
After going hitless in four straight games, Carter followed a 1-for-3 day on Saturday with his first multi-hit game since April 12 on Sunday, clubbing a home run and scoring twice in a 6-4 Rangers win.
He also helped defensively, making two diving catches in left field in the second and seventh innings. It may have been just one great game, but perhaps the start of something for Carter, whom the Rangers have high expectations for.
Carter recorded a 1.058 OPS in 23 games last September to earn himself a spot on the Rangers’ playoff roster. He justified it with a spectacular postseason, hitting for a .300 average with 18 combined runs scored and RBIs during Texas’ championship run, playing in all 17 playoff games.
Evan Carter taking it one game at a time
Although Carter made it look easy, there are several obstacles a player faces throughout his first taste in the MLB. Despite being a rookie, Carter has played meaningful baseball games for years and knows that one good or bad game does not define an entire season.
“That’s what the big leagues is all about,” Carter said. “It’s just surviving the season and who can survive the longest. Who can come out in the end?
“I think tonight was a great team win, that’s how I’m going to look at it. My goal is to come out and do whatever I can do that night, big or small, to help the team win. Every game that you can have that you can put a good one together is definitely a good thing. But it’s over with and I gotta do it again, not tomorrow, but the next day.”
The Rangers finally have an off day on Monday after playing for 17 consecutive days. They went 8-9 in that stretch and are 12-11 overall this season. It’s not the start to its title defense that Texas envisioned, but it sits in first place in the AL West with the rest of the division stumbling out of the gate as well.
Maybe Evan Carter’s big game on Sunday can send a spark throughout the Rangers clubhouse and start a stretch of consistent winning for the champions. Texas returns to action on Tuesday with the opening game of a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners, an early-season series that could pay dividends for either team at the end of the year.
