Major League Baseball

Rangers' Evan Carter was a rookie sensation. How much higher is his ceiling?

Published Feb. 26, 2024 8:00 a.m. ET

Despite rising higher in two months than many big-leaguers will in a lifetime, one question still follows Evan Carter into his first full season with the Texas Rangers.

The answer could determine just how high the rookie sensation's ceiling is.

The 21-year-old outfielder went from little-known prospect when he was drafted in the second round in 2020 to "little savior" with the Texas Rangers last year, a moniker he earned within the clubhouse for his extraordinary late-season contributions to his team's championship run. More commonly, another nickname, "Full-Count Carter," began to stick due to his uncanny ability to work deep counts in a patient manner that belied his age and experience.

His plate discipline is preternatural; his poise supernatural. Even the Texas coaches and front-office members who watched Carter take the league by storm after his September call-up were surprised by what they saw come October, when the big-league novice set a franchise record — and an MLB record for a player's first career postseason — by reaching base in each of the Rangers' 17 playoff games.

Carter refused to offer on anything outside the zone, consistently delivering with runners in scoring position while becoming the first player in MLB history with an extra-base hit, walk and run scored in each of his first three career playoff games.

"There were a couple times where it was called strike three and he was like, ‘That's a ball,'" third-base coach Tony Beasley recalled to FOX Sports. "You go and watch it, it's a ball. But the next at-bat, he didn't expand. He stayed within his strike zone.

"You just don't see it a lot, especially from young players. They want to do something. They don't want the umpires to make a bad call, so they'll come out the next at-bat and maybe be a little more aggressive and chase or do something outside their norms. He sticks to his norms. To me, it's just so impressive."

And yet, questions about Carter's ability to hit left-handed pitching — the one possible knock on his game — persist. He has heard them often this spring. When he does, he treats them like a pitch off the corner: He calmly does his best to let them go.

"It is what it is," Carter told FOX Sports. "I don't really care. At the end of the day, my small circle and my opinion is all I really care about."

That answer wouldn't surprise Beasley or manager Bruce Bochy. They don't believe the questions about Carter's ability to hit lefties bother him, nor do they think they fuel him coming off his sensational debut.

"I don't think that motivates him; I don't think that discourages him," Beasley said. "I don't think he says, ‘Well, I'll show you, I'll hit lefties.' I think in his mind, it's like, ‘Well, I can hit lefties.'"

Thus far, the sample size is small — too small to make any definitive statements.

After getting called up last September, Carter finished his brief debut season with a .306/.413/.645 slash line and the lowest chase rate in the sport among players with at least 75 plate appearances. His numbers were buoyed by a massive 1.238 OPS against righties. In 10 at-bats against lefties, however, he went hitless with one walk.

He got another 10 in the postseason, recording one hit — a double — and a walk.

"You get 10 at-bats, and then everybody's like, ‘Well, he sucks, he can't do that, there's no chance," Carter said. "Ten at-bats."

He is expected to get considerably more than that in 2024.

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"I don't think he's running from the fact that he needs to prove himself against left-handers, but I also don't think it's a fair narrative for him at this point in his career," Rangers general manager Chris Young told FOX Sports. "He's 21 years old. Two years ago, he was playing in high school facing not-very-good left-handed pitching. So I think it takes time to develop."

By the end of his 2023 season, Carter had a combined .954 OPS in 482 plate appearances against righties and a .602 OPS in 106 plate appearances against lefties between his stops at Double-A, Triple-A and the majors. Beasley said he hasn't seen enough yet to think lefties will be a weakness for him, and he believes Carter's ability to control the strike zone should neutralize any disadvantages.

This year will be telling as teams use the offseason to uncover any deficiency — be it a particular zone, pitch type or pitcher's handedness.

"There's going to be an adjustment period," Young said. "But with his aptitude and his mentality, I have full confidence he'll make that adjustment."

It would seem unwise to think otherwise.

Carter, after all, has already defied what many thought possible.

He was in Double-A in early August and Triple-A in early September. By the start of October, he was the youngest player in MLB history to reach base at least four times in his postseason debut. Without him, there's a strong likelihood the Rangers don't celebrate their franchise's first-ever World Series title — let alone make the playoffs.

"I remember how hard it is to be a rookie and how overwhelming it is, and I wasn't a rookie in a pennant race," Young said. "For him to step into that environment and those atmospheres with the pressures that exist and to succeed as well as he did, he made it look easy. It was amazing."

This offseason, a trip back home to Tennessee allowed Carter a brief chance to breathe and reflect on the otherworldly end to the season. He took a few weeks off and got back to it, trying to eat as much as he could to put back the weight he had lost throughout the year in the Texas triple-digit heat. He is back in the low-190s now, where he prefers to play.

Adding and maintaining that weight is not as easy for the slim, 6-foot-2-inch outfielder as it is for the Rangers' other top outfield prospect, Wyatt Langford, a 6-1, 225-pound phenom whose sinewy build helped him power his way up the Texas ranks last season. The two are both consensus top-10 MLB prospects and represent the future in Texas. With the Rangers adding little this offseason, they will be counting on their farm system to help them defend their championship crown.

Langford, the No. 4 overall pick last year, performed so well in his speedy rise — from rookie ball in late July, to High-A in August, to Double-A and then Triple-A in September — that some wondered whether he, too, might impact the big-league club at some point last year. Despite posting an OPS over 1.000 at every stop, launching 10 homers with more walks than strikeouts in his 44 minor-league games, he knew that was unlikely.

As the Rangers made their playoffs run, Langford remained part of the "stay-ready" group. He took batting practice and attended some of the home games, getting a feel for the big-league atmosphere.

Surprisingly, though, he never actually met Carter until this spring.

Langford was promoted to Double-A Frisco on Sept. 4 — six days after Carter made the leap from Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock on his 21st birthday. By the time Langford reached Round Rock later that month, Carter was already giving the Rangers a boost, demonstrating what was possible to the prospects behind him.

It's one thing to tell minor leaguers that they will dictate their timetable; it's another to see it. Though Langford never got the call last year, watching Carter get his opportunity — and take off with it — made an impact.

"It gives you hope," Langford said, "that you can do it too."

Soon, perhaps as early as Opening Day, the Texas lineup will feature the two promising prospects together for the first time.

Langford has the opportunity to break camp with the team, either as an outfielder or designated hitter. Carter's standing on the Opening Day roster is more solidified. He has already demonstrated his readiness as a regular in the Texas outfield. His advanced plate discipline and ability to mash right-handers provide a high floor.

How he handles lefties will determine if there are any limits to his ceiling.

"Everybody has a different opinion than I do," Carter told FOX Sports.

Which is?

"I know I can do it."

Rowan Kavner covers MLB for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers' editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.