Chris Carter (cartech01)

William Christopher Carter
(The Animal)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6', Weight 230 lb.
• School Stanford University
• High School De La Salle High School
• Debut June 5, 2008
• Final Game October 3, 2010
• Born September 16, 1982 in Fremont, CA, USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Not to be confused with the contemporary home run hitter of the same name, "The Animal" Chris Carter saw time in three big league seasons, largely with the New York Mets.

Chris was drafted in the 17th round in 2004 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was signed by Fred Costello and began his career with the Yakima Bears. He had hit .333 and slugged .697 for the US team that finished second in the 2000 World Junior Championship, leading the team with two homers; his six extra-base hits were second to Joe Mauer, as were his 10 RBI. Carter was involved in two trades on the same day on August 21, 2007, first going from Arizona to the Nationals for pitcher Emiliano Fruto, then moving to Boston for Wily Mo Pena.

Carter made his major league debut with the Sox on June 5, 2008, playing left field; he went 2-for-3 and scored 2 runs against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was called up two days earlier when designated hitter David Ortiz went on the disabled list and sent back down shortly after when Coco Crisp had served an 8-game suspension for initiating a bench-clearing brawl against the Rays. He was replaced by Brandon Moss because the latter was capable of playing center field. He went 6-for-18 with 5 runs scored in his first taste, then 0-for-5 in four games in 2009.

Chris was sent to the New York Mets after the 2009 season as part of the deal that brought reliever Billy Wagner to Boston. While in spring training, he earned the nickname "The Animal" from his teammates. He started 2010 with the AAA Buffalo Bisons, then was called up on May 11th when Frank Catalanotto was DFAed. He doubled to the right-field corner as a pinch-hitter in his first at-bat on the day of his call up, part of a six-run inning in an 8-6 win over the Washington Nationals; it was his first big league extra-base hit. He spent the remainder of the season with New York, hitting .263 in 167 at-bats over 100 games; he hit 9 doubles and 4 homers. He excelled as a pinch-hitter, hitting .328 with a homer and 10 RBI. He became a free agent after the season and decided to sign with the Rays. He spent the first few months with the AAA Durham Bulls, hitting .270 in 54 games, but opted out of his contract on June 15th, seeking a better opportunity. He signed with the Atlanta Braves, playing only 23 games for the Gwinnett Braves, hitting .338 before his season was cut short by an injury on July 15th. He later spent two seasons with the Saitama Seibu Lions before retiring.

Related Sites

• Chris Carter at mlb.com
• Stanford bio