New York Yankees should not give up on Chris Carter

New York Yankees first baseman Chris Carter has struggled to start the season. Should the Yankees give up on him?

It’s no secret that Chris Carter has been the one consistent weak link in the New York Yankees lineup ever since Greg Bird was placed on the disabled list. He’s right up there with Aaron Judge and Matt Holliday in terms of strength and power, but his high strike out rate has made him about as close to an automatic out as is possible.

Yankees fans have since been calling for Carter to not be such a consistent part of the lineup, but after yesterday’s three-hit game in a 7-1 win against the Kansas City Royals, Chris Carter may finally be settling into his role on this team.

Carter has been a major factor in helping the Yankees succeed so far, especially in the field where he’s been able to make some athletic catches and tough scoops. He’s no Mark Teixeira out there, but he’s been able to hold his own and actually play better defense overall than Greg Bird.

Since he hit 41 home runs last year, tied with Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, for the most in the National League, people expect Carter to do so every few games or so. Fans think he’s struggling at the plate since he’s only hit two home runs and has less than 20 hits while hitting around .200, but when looking at his career statistics, this is the Chris Carter that baseball has known his entire career.

Carter is a lifetime .218 hitter with a .313 OBP in 2,350 career plate appearances. His OBP this season is slightly lower at .293, but his overall numbers this season are very close to his career ones and prove that he’s playing just as well as he’s played his entire career. The fact that he’s only had 65 plate appearances doesn’t help either. Considering that most starters are over 100 at this point in the season. Carter’s statistics with more plate appearances aren’t great, so why would fans expect them to be better with less chances to hit?

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Yankees fans need to take a deep breath and calm down when it comes to Carter. He’s been solid in the field and has produced near his usual numbers at the plate. Brian Cashman wouldn’t have signed the reigning National league home run champion if he couldn’t help the team. Carter just hasn’t had the number of at-bats yet to show all that he is capable of.

Perhaps last night’s performance will be the start of a nice run for Carter, so don’t give up on him just yet.