Chris Carter Stats & Scouting Report

AB	190
AVG	.263
OBP	.316
SLG	.374
HR	4

Full name William Christopher Carter
Born 09/16/1982 in Fremont, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Stanford
Debut 06/05/2008
Drafted in the 17th round (506th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004.

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Stanford normally hangs on to its juniors, but most scouts expect OF Chris Carter to be a relatively easy sign. A highly-touted recruit, Carter has had a checkered career at Stanford. He was set back immediately by a shoulder injury in his first fall practice and played through the injury as a freshman before finally having surgery. His arm strength never returned and he became such a liability with the glove, both in left field and at first base, that he spent most of his career at Stanford as a DH. Carter has one exceptional tool, massive raw power. He loves to hit balls 500 feet in batting practice and had 23 homers in just 324 college at-bats. But his swing is often out of control and he didn't make consistent contact. He projects as a .250 hitter with 35-home run potential. He was patient enough to draw nearly as many walks (67) as strikeouts (69), making him attractive to an American League club that values plate discipline.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

With Wily Mo Pena rotting on their bench, the Red Sox shipped him to the Nationals in a three-way deal that netted Carter from the Diamondbacks, who got righthander Emiliano Fruto from Washington. Carter is similar in many ways to Pena, as he's a defensively challenged slugger who may find at-bats hard to come by in Boston. Carter was a top recruit when he arrived at Stanford, but he left as a 17th-round pick in 2004 following a disappointing, injury-plagued career. He has been anything but disappointing in pro ball, reaching Triple-A in his second full season and putting up a career .906 OPS. With tremendous bat speed, Carter can knock a ball out of any part of any park. He also has the discipline to wait until pitchers challenge him before turning his bat loose. The rest of his game is substandard. He's a well below-average runner who hasn't thrown well since having surgery to repair a torn labrum in college. The Red Sox played Carter solely at first base after the trade, though he did see extensive time in the outfield during his time in the Arizona system. He's bad in both spots and really best suited to become a DH. Boston protected him on its 40-man roster but has no way to get him at-bats. The best Carter can hope for is to serve as a lefty bat off the bench, and he may be looking at a third straight year in Triple-A.
Carter was a late-round bargain coming out of Stanford, where injuries and poor defense pushed him down the depth chart, and he has hit his way to prospect status. He has moved methodically through the organization and produced consistent results at the plate, and he finished ninth in the Pacific Coast League batting race in his first Triple-A experience. Carter has great bat speed along with outstanding knowledge of the strike zone, so he knows how to pick pitches he can punish and he does damage to them. He can hit the ball out to any part of the park and could bat in the middle of any batting order. His future is inextricably tied to his bat, however. He has been looking for a defensive position since he was in college, when a torn labrum and subsequent surgery cost him arm strength and needed development time in the outfield, and first base is the only option unless he moves to an American League organization. Carter has improved but remains a below-average defender, and he led PCL first basemen with 15 errors. He has a fringy arm and well below-average speed. Carter had a great spring in big league camp last year, and with a similar performance he could earn a bench job in Arizona in 2007. Otherwise he'll head back to Triple-A.
The Diamondbacks believe they got a steal in Carter. After a stellar freshman season at Stanford, he was buried on the Cardinal roster for two years because of a shoulder injury and defensive inefficiencies. Since signing as a 17th-round pick in 2004, he has led the short-season Northwest League in slugging and RBIs in his debut, then followed up by topping the system in homers and RBIs in his first full season. Carter's tremendous bat speed and plus-plus power make him a potential middle-of-the-order threat. Built like a fireplug, he's capable of hitting 500-foot bombs. He doesn't need to make perfect contact to hit the ball out, nor does he have to pull the ball. He's a grinder who gives it his all, despite a lack of physical gifts. Carter's power bat is not just his only plus tool, it's his only tool that even grades out as at least average. He's a well-below-average runner and limited defensively to first base, where he's awkward and lacks range. Stuck behind former college rival Conor Jackson on Arizona's depth chart, Carter has seen time in left field but isn't an option there. He struggles with good breaking balls, and some see him as a classic 4-A slugger. He'll return to Double-A to open 2006, with a decision on his position not necessary until his bat forces its way into the lineup.
Carter was one of Stanford's top recruits in 2001 and was named the team's Most Valuable Freshman after hitting .375 in the NCAA postseason. A shoulder injury hampered him in 2002 and his poor sophomore showing and lack of defensive skills dropped him out of favor with the Cardinal, limiting him to DH duties as a junior. The Diamondbacks feel they got one of the best values of the draft in Carter, who led the Northwest League in slugging and RBIs in his pro debut. Carter has jaw-dropping power from the left side, eliciting gasps in batting practice while launching 500-plus foot shots when he turns on a ball. He has an advanced feel for the strike zone and draws a good number of walks. His bat will have to be his ticket to the majors as Carter has yet to show any aptitude defensively. He was a designated hitter in nearly half of his starts in his debut, an option unavailable to the Diamondbacks at Double-A and above. He has only one thought when he swings the bat-- he's either going to hit the ball very hard, or miss it entirely. Carter has already proved completely incapable of playing left, and will move to first base in 2005, where he also has struggled. He could put up some big numbers in high Class A, where he'll begin the year.

Minor League Top Prospects

Carter led the league in slugging by using his tremendous raw power to drive nearly any pitch out of the park. He's an attacking hitter whose selectivity allowed for frequent contact and more walks than strikeouts. He had a 32-game on-base streak (and the league's No. 2 on-base mark) and earned a late-season jump to low Class A South Bend. "He hits everything," Yakima manager Bill Plummer said. "He hits sliders for home runs, offspeed pitches, lefthanders, balls to the opposite field." Carter was nearly as offensive in the field as he was at the plate, however, and DH looks like his future position. He struggled reading and taking routes to fly balls. "He's a guy you need a defensive replacement for late in the game because he's a liability in the outfield and first base didn't work either," one manager said. "He's not absolutely falling down out there, but he's not winning you a Gold Glove either."