Evan Carter Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects
Track Record: If the Rangers hadn’t made the playoffs, Carter would have been assigned to the Arizona Fall League, where he would have been part of the champion Surprise Saguaros. Instead, he made Texas’ postseason roster and was a key piece of their run to the franchise’s first World Series title. Carter’s rise to top prospect and postseason hero was unforeseeable in 2020, when the Rangers shocked the industry by popping him with their second-round pick. Nearly immediately after entering pro ball, Carter looked like that draft’s biggest steal. He was assigned to Low-A Down East as an 18-year-old in 2021 and immediately showed a strong combination of plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills before a back injury cut short his season. The lefthanded hitter broke out in 2022, when he spent nearly all of the regular season in High-A before a cameo with Double-A Frisco that culminated in a Texas League championship. Before making his big league debut on Sept. 8, 2023, Carter was excellent in a year split between Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .288/.413/.450 with 13 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 108 games.
Scouting Report: Carter is among the most well-rounded prospects in baseball, with an array of average to plus tools across the board. The Tennessee native is an advanced hitter with an excellent knowledge of the strike zone that led to miss and chase rates of 26.1% and 18.7%, as well as an in-zone whiff rate of just 17.3%. Now, the question is whether he’ll add the thump to complete the package. His average exit velocity in the minors was a pedestrian 85.5 mph, but that figure jumped significantly in his small sample size in the big leagues. Carter’s output also ticked up. After hitting 13 home runs in the minors, he slammed five in 23 big league games and one more in the postseason. To sustain the jump, part of Carter’s offseason plan involves dedicating himself to a serious strength program for the first time. In the past, both as a pro and in high school, weightlifting was more of a complementary piece of his workout regimen. He also could stand to add a bit more loft to his swing. Carter’s other target area includes improving against lefthanders, against whom he showed on-base skills but racked up only one extra-base hit in 2023. Though the presence of Leody Taveras pushed Carter to left field in the big leagues, he has the instincts and long, gliding strides to allow him to play center field at a potentially Gold Glove level. He will be excellent in left--where his average arm fits best--as long as he stays there, but there will be more pressure to develop the power that comes with a corner-outfield job.
The Future: Carter will play nearly all of the 2024 season as a 21-year-old, and his body still has opportunity to fill out. If he adds strength and closes his hole against southpaws, he could be yet another piece of a tantalizing Rangers lineup blessed with a mix of pedigree and promise. n
Scouting Grades Hit: 65 | Power: 50 | Run: 80 | Field: 60 | Arm: 50
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