Chris Carter (left-handed hitter)

For the Major League Baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros, see Chris Carter (right-handed hitter).
Chris Carter

Carter with the New York Mets
Free agent
Outfielder/First baseman
Born: September 16, 1982
Fremont, California
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
June 5, 2008 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
(through 2010)
Batting average .263
Home runs 4
Runs batted in 28
Teams
Carter batting for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox, in 2009.

William Christopher "Chris" Carter (born September 16, 1982), nicknamed "Animal", is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder who most recently played for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball.

High school

Carter attended De La Salle High School in Concord, California, and graduated in 2001. He hit for a batting average of .571 and led the league in home runs as a senior, and was named his team's MVP. He also was named a 2001 Preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America and Bay Valley Athletic League MVP in 2001.

He was twice selected as North Coast Section High School Sports Focus Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2000, '01) and earned honorable mention All-American honors from USA Today as a junior in 2000.

His father, Bill Carter, was his high school coach.[1]

College

Carter attended Stanford University,[2] where he majored in human biology and was Pre-Med, graduating in just three years.[3] He was awarded Stanford's Most Valuable Freshman Award in 2002 and helped the Cardinal to the final eight in the 2002 College World Series and 2003 College World Series. He was mainly a designated hitter for the team, and played some outfield as well.[1][4]

Minor leagues

Carter was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 17th Round (506th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft.

In 2004, Carter played for the Single-A Yakima Bears and South Bend Silver Hawks. In 2005, he played for the Single-A Lancaster JetHawks and Double-A Tennessee Smokies. In 2006 and 2007, Carter played for the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders.

After expressing a desire to be traded,[5] Carter was traded by the Diamondbacks on August 21, 2007 to the Washington Nationals for Emiliano Fruto. He was subsequently sent to the Red Sox as the player to be named later in the August 17 trade of Wily Mo Peña from the Red Sox to the Nationals.[6][7] After the trade, Carter was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

On November 20, 2007, Carter was placed on the Red Sox 40-man roster.[8]

Major Leagues

Boston Red Sox

Carter made his Major League debut on June 5, 2008. He went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, after entering the game after Coco Crisp was ejected in the 2nd inning. With the Red Sox facing a possible Crisp suspension and injuries to both Jacoby Ellsbury and Manny Ramírez, Carter was sent back to Pawtucket on June 6 in favor of Brandon Moss.[9]

In the 2009 season, he broke camp with the Red Sox, and filled the final spot on the bench until Mark Kotsay returned from the disabled list.

New York Mets

Carter was traded to the New York Mets as a player to be named later in the deal for Billy Wagner, and was then added to the 40 Man roster.[10] During spring training, Carter was given the nickname "The Animal" by Mets manager Jerry Manuel for his relentless drive and work ethic.[11]

On May 10, 2010, the Mets promoted Carter from the Buffalo Bisons to fill Frank Catalonotto's roster spot.[12] On May 11, 2010, his first at-bat as a Met, in the bottom of the eighth inning, he hit a double that drove in the winning run against the Washington Nationals.

On June 11, 2010, Carter hit his first major league home run against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie as the designated hitter.[13] Two days later, Carter, again playing DH, hit his second home run against Orioles pitcher Kevin Millwood.

Carter agreed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on January 6, 2011.[14] He opted out of his contract on June 16.

Atlanta Braves

Carter signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on June 18, 2011.[15]

Saitama Seibu Lions

On March 3, 2012, it was announced that Carter was playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball.[16] Carter was waived by the Lions after the 2012 season.

In the first part of 2013 he played for the semi-professional Ishikawa Million Stars in the independent Baseball Challenge League.[17] On June 16, 2013, it was announced that Carter would be returning to the Saitama Seibu Lions.[18]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Chris Carter profile". Stanford University. September 30, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  2. ↑ Renwick, James (November 14, 2005). "Chris Carter Plays 'Smart' Ball". scout.com. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  3. ↑ http://www.projo.com/pawsox/content/sp_bb_pawsox30_08-30-07_I36UCTT.34bab95.html
  4. ↑ Janelle Kwietkauski (May 11, 2004). "Chris Carter: Strong Character Shines Through". Stanford University. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  5. ↑ Ken Brazzle (August 22, 2007). "'Winder's Carter traded to Nationals, then to Red Sox". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  6. ↑ Alex McPhillips (August 17, 2007). "Sox trade Pena to Nationals: Club sends outfielder and cash for player to be named". MLB.com. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  7. ↑ David Lefort (August 21, 2007). "Red Sox get Carter". Boston Globe. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  8. ↑ "#31 Chris Carter". SoxProspects.com. March 1, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  9. ↑ Nick Cafardo (June 6, 2008). "Losing left, right, and center". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  10. ↑ http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4427729
  11. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (May 11, 2010). "Mets Ask for Offense, and a Newcomer Answers". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ Obernauer, Michael; Gagne, Matt; Martino, Andy (May 11, 2010). "Frank Catalanotto designated for assignment, Chris Carter called up; Oliver Perez stays in rotation". New York: nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  13. ↑ Waldstein, David (June 13, 2010). "First Sweep on Road for Mets Since 2008". nytimes.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  14. ↑ 'Animal' Carter to Tampa Bay
  15. ↑ Links, Zach. "Minor Deals: Castillo, Vazquez, Gotay, Carter". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  16. ↑ Short, D.J. (March 3, 2012). "Chris Carter signs with the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League". NBC Sports.
  17. ↑ Jakahi, Kevin. "Stars’ bats suffer burnout in loss," Hawaii Tribune-Herald (June 3, 2013).
  18. ↑ "Seibu Lions to bring Chris Carter back". http://yakyubaka.com/''. June 17, 2013.

External links

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