Minnesota Twins release Chris Carter, leaving future in the air
By David Hill
The Minnesota Twins released first baseman Chris Carte from their AAA squad, leaving one to wonder what the future holds for the former home run leader.
Chris Carter did not exactly have a long tenure with the Minnesota Twins organization. Acquired back in May as insurance at first base when Joe Mauer was dealing with injury, he remained with the AAA Rochester Red Wings. While he showed the potential to be a useful part of the lineup when he was with the Angels organization, Carter was unable to replicate that production in the International League. In his 144 plate appearances, he produced a .187/.299/.423 batting line, hitting seven homers, but striking out 43 times.
With the Twins needing room on their active roster following the acquisition of Jon Kemmer from the Astros, Carter became expendable. With that being the case, the Twins released Carter on Saturday afternoon.
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It is not that long ago when Carter was a fearsome power hitter at the major league level. he led the National League with 41 homers in 2016, helping provide quite the power boost to the Milwaukee Brewers lineup. However, as he was due to receive a solid raise in arbitration following that season, Carter was let go, in what was a surprising move at the time.
It took the one dimensional slugger some time to find another job, signing with the Yankees in the middle of February. While the hope was the Carter could provide some punch to the New York lineup, he was unable to do so. He produced a miserable .201/.284/.370 batting line, hitting eight homers, but striking out 76 times in 208 plate appearances before being released in July.
Since then, Carter has bounced around to three different organizations, each team hoping that he can be a powerful depth piece. However, he has not been able to find enough success in AAA to lead to another chance in the majors. At this point, it is fair to wonder if Carter will ever get another opportunity to join a major league club.
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The Minnesota Twins released former home run champion Chris Carter. That 2016 campaign, when he led the National League in home runs, seems so far away.