He may not have been given a full spring training or even time to breathe, but the Chris Carter experiment just isn’t working in the Bronx.
The 30-year-old slugger, who peculiarly led the National League in home runs last season (41) with the Brewers, has been a shell of himself with the Yankees this spring, and so far, New York has seen little of Carter’s power and more of his inept approach at the plate. In 101 at-bats, Carter has struck out a whopping 45 times, while owning an abysmal slashline of .188/.288/.347. To make matters worse, he’s also 37 homers shy of his total from last year.
Granted, Carter wasn’t a part of the Yankees’ blueprint this winter. He was a signed as a one-year, $3.5 million insurance policy in late February when rookie corner infielder Tyler Austin broke his foot. At no point did the team believe Carter would receive regular playing time, as Greg Bird was tagged as the future starting first baseman. But when the 24-year-old also landed on the disabled list with a foot injury in early May, New York was left with Carter, and to sum up the team’s bad dream, he hasn’t taken advantage of any opportunities.
For an underperforming veteran, Carter’s body language is confounding. Whether he’s swinging late at fastballs or early at breaking balls, there’s a clear lack of effort and interest. And even if that’s due to a lingering slump, which of course can shape any player’s mentality, it seems as if hitting has become a chore to him rather than something he wants to continue doing.
While Carter’s future in the majors is still up in the air, the Yankees — despite a first place record of 29-19 — are placed between a rock and a hard place with him. The calendar is about to flip to June, and both Bird and Austin are in the midst of rehab assignments. New York hopes that at least one of the two will be ready in a few weeks, but in the meantime, they’ll continue to receive lackluster performances from Carter. To the majority of fans, who’ve grown tired of Carter, the question is simply why, as there must be someone else who can fill the void at first until the youngsters return. Although Matt Holliday was signed as a designated hitter, the Yankees have tested the 36-year-old at the corner bag in five games, and backup catcher Austin Romine has also played at first (three games), in order to keep Holliday and Gary Sanchez in the lineup. Defensively, neither Holliday or Romine are an upgrade from Carter, but for a team heavily reliant on offensive production, a platoon between those two isn’t ridiculous while the Yankees wait for their kids.
It doesn’t appear to be the avenue manager Joe Girardi wants to travel down, but how much longer can the Yankees wait for Carter’s bat to wake? Perhaps a solution to the first base dilemma is to eliminate the ability to choose Carter, and give him his outright release. The team wouldn’t be eating much money, and at this point, is it even worth making trade inquiries from now until the summer deadline?
Whether or not Carter’s power was a fluke, trading home runs for strikeouts is too difficult of a compromise, and if the Yankees receive good news from Bird and Austin in the coming days and weeks, Carter is only a waste of a roster spot.
