Evan Carter turns 20-years-old on Aug. 29 and those in the Texas Rangers organization are confident the best days are yet to come for the former Elizabethton High School standout.
“The best thing that we do for him is stay out of his way,” said Cody Atkinson, who serves as the minor league director of hitting for the Rangers. “He was raised right and he would be doing what he’s doing no matter what organization he was in. We’re lucky to have him.”
There’s a reason that Baseball America recently rated Carter as the best prospect in the Rangers’ system and the same publication had the outfielder listed as the 43rd best prospect in the sport.
“Evan is impressive in multiple areas,” said Josh Bonifay, the director of player development for Texas. “Strike zone discipline is outstanding, ability to drive the ball to all fields, handles fastball velo and breaking balls well. Extremely athletic in center field – impressive jumps, routes and covers ground very well.”
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Currently with the High-A Hickory Crawdads, Carter ranks in the top 10 in the South Atlantic League in nine major offensive categories.
He leads the SAL in triples (10) and also has scored 70 runs (second), collected 98 hits (sixth), tallied 60 RBIs (tied for fifth), drawn 51 walks (ninth), stolen 23 bases (ninth), recorded a .377 on-base percentage (seventh), .477 slugging percentage (ninth) and an .854 OPS (seventh) to go along with a .282 batting average, 18 doubles and 10 home runs.
Keep in mind he’s done all that as a teenager.
“If you didn’t know he was one of the youngest players [in the South Atlantic League], you’d have no clue,” Atkinson said. “The way he handles himself day-in and day-out is like he’s been doing this his whole life. He’s emotionally stable, tough and consistent.”
A back injury limited Carter to 32 games last year for the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks and he hit .236. He’s played 90 games this year and delivered in a big way.
“Things have gone great,” Carter said. “It is a long year, for sure. Showing up and seeing your friends every day makes it easy though. You have to make it fun and that’s what we have done.”
Carter’s even-keeled approach has been key.
“Steady heartbeat,” Bonifay said. “He doesn’t let the big moment get to him. He’s a hard worker … and his preparation allows him to handle any situation.”
Vaughn Grissom began the season with Rome of the South Atlantic League and is now contributing for the Atlanta Braves on the big-league level.
While it’s hard to put an estimated time of arrival on Carter’s MLB debut, the immediate concern for him is the 24 games the Crawdads have remaining.
“Just trying to stay consistent and finish things out strong,” Carter said.
Successful Stratton
As the season enters the stretch run, Hunter Stratton is pitching well.
The former Sullivan East High School star worked a scoreless ninth inning for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on Saturday in their 6-1 win at Memphis.
The game-ending sequence for Stratton featured a groundout by Kramer Robertson, a single by Conner Capel, a strikeout of Scott Hurst and a 6-3 grounder by Alec Burleson.
Stratton has crafted five straight scoreless innings and is 2-5 with one save and a 5.44 ERA in 34 appearances for the top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Thomas time
Thomas Francisco (Abingdon) showed some power and patience at the plate for the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals this past weekend in a series against Florida State League foe Bradenton.
On Saturday, he went 2-for-5 and blasted a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Joelvis Del Rosario.
On Sunday, he was 0-for-1 and drew four walks.
Francisco has a slash line of .235/.310/.358 to go along with five home runs and 51 RBIs this season between Palm Beach and High-A Peoria in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.
Cross clout
Gavin Cross connected for his first home run as a member of the Low-A Columbia Fireflies on Sunday night.
The former Tennessee High and Virginia Tech standout hammered a two-run clout in the fifth inning on a 3-2 pitch from Chicago Cubs prospect Angel Hernandez of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Cross has now homered for teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Low-A Carolina League in 2022.
Cross finished 3-for-5 on Sunday in what was his first three-hit game as a pro.
Latest on Landon
Right-hander Landon Knack made his first outing on the mound since July 16 on Saturday for the Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Knack allowed three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings against Midland, while striking out three and walking none after being activated from the injured list.
The ex-Science Hill High School and East Tennessee State University ace is 2-7 with a 5.24 ERA in a dozen starts.
Pioneer League Power
Gabe Wurtz of the Billings Mustangs is one of the top power hitters in the Pioneer League.
His 17 home runs rank third in the independent league, trailing the 28 hit by Missoula’s Jayson Newman and the 18 blasted by Shawn Ross of Grand Junction.
Meanwhile, his 22 doubles are tied for fifth-best.
The former slugger from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise also owns a .318 batting average with 63 RBIs.
Return of the Wolfe
Hunter Wolfe of the Cleburne Railroaders recently returned from a stint on the injured list and is making up for lost time.
The Dobyns-Bennett High School graduate went 3-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs and three RBIs on Friday against Kane County.
He is hitting .251 with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 52 games for the club that competes in the independent American Association.
Blaum’s bat
Tyler Blaum went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored on Sunday for the Charleston Dirty Birds in their 10-6 Atlantic League triumph over the Long Island Ducks.
The former standout at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise is hitting .286 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 54 games for the independent league squad.
Detroit Daniel
Daniel Norris (Science Hill) fared well in his first game back in a Detroit Tigers uniform.
Norris worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday night in a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox, allowing four hits, walking two and notching a strikeout. The White Sox won 2-0.
Norris began the season with the Chicago Cubs, but was released and hooked back on with the team he played with from 2015-2021.
“My main goal today was to compete every pitch and give us a chance to win,” Norris told reporters following the game. “I was definitely battling some emotions, coming back and putting the uniform on again, which was cool. I felt super fortunate and grateful just to even have this opportunity.”
The next start for Norris is scheduled for Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.
Morristown man
Texas Rangers reliever Brett Martin (Morristown East) earned his first victory of the season on Saturday in an outing that required all of three pitches.
Called on to take over for starting pitcher Dane Dunning with one out in the top of the fifth inning, a runner on first base and protecting a 4-3 lead, Martin got Jesse Winker to bounce into an inning-ending double play on a 1-1 pitch in a game the Rangers eventually won 7-4.
It was the left-hander’s first MLB victory since Sept. 11, 2021.
Martin entered Monday with a 1-7 record, three saves and 3.79 ERA in 44 appearances.
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