New York Yankees: Carter improving in the month of June

Jun 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Yankees infielder Chris Carter (48) is congratulated by outfielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics in the eighth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Yankees infielder Chris Carter (48) is congratulated by outfielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics in the eighth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Yankees infielder Chris Carter is starting to turn it around in 2017. Carter’s power bat is exactly what the Yankees need in the heart of the order.

It wasn’t too long ago that Yankee fans were calling for Chris Carter to be designated for assignment or outright released from the team, and who can blame them?

At the end of May, Carter was batting an abysmal .186, and had only homered three times and driven in eight runs.

He wasn’t giving the Yankees the production that usually comes from a first baseman then, but the month of June has been an entirely different story for Carter.

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In just 16 games in June, Carter has hit four home runs and driven in nine runs, both one more than his entire totals for both categories after 23 games in May.

He has 13 hits this month, compared to just 11 in May, and has seen his average jump up to .215.

Currently, Carter’s .205 average is 19 points higher than his .186 average at the end of May, while his .292 OBP, .391 slugging percentage and .683 OPS are all higher than his May totals of a .286

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OBP, .343 slugging percentage and a .629 OPS.

Carter’s win probability, which measures the contributions one player has towards helping their team win by taking into account each play they made that altered the outcome of a game, has also improved in June. It went from a -0.001 in may to a -0.18.

He’s also become more consistent at the plate in June, having hit in half of the 16 games compared to just eight of the 23 games in May.

Carter’s longest hitless streak in May spanned six games, while his longest hitless streak in June has only been two games.

Chris Carter is still not a long-term option for the Yankees at first base.

His lack of production the entire season has been evident and can’t be overlooked, but Yankee fans can’t ignore what has been a solid month at the plate for Carter. He’s improved in just about every major statistical offensive category since May, and deserves more credit for doing so.