Local product Carter displays clout vs. 51s

While attending 51s games as a kid, Chris Carter envisioned himself returning to Cashman Field on his way to the big leagues.

The former Sierra Vista High School standout realized that vision Saturday, when he went
2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the fourth inning to carry the Sacramento River Cats to a 2-1 victory over the 51s before a crowd of 4,980 that included about 30 of Carter's friends and family members.

"I had like 200 ticket requests, but I could only get 30," Carter said before the game. "It's exciting. All my family and friends get to see me play who don't get to see me usually."

The 23-year-old Carter, the No. 1 prospect for the Oakland Athletics, didn't disappoint. In his second at-bat he crushed the first pitch by Brad Mills over the left-field wall to give Sacramento the lead.

The right-handed hitter also struck out, popped out and blooped an opposite-field single down the right-field line.

Early in his first full Triple-A season, Carter is batting .283 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 15 games.

"He's going to be a great player real soon," Sacramento manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "His bat is his best asset. He's a big guy, he hits for power and he drives in runs. Right now, we're just trying to get him locked in.

"Once Chris gets hot -- we've seen him get hot before -- he can definitely carry a team. I think that will be his role: an impact player in the major leagues."

Carter, who has lived in Las Vegas most of his life, helped lead Sierra Vista to a state title in 2005, when he was drafted in the 15th round, with the 455th overall pick, by the Chicago White Sox.

After earning league All-Star honors in 2006 and 2007, Carter was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for current White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin. About two weeks later, Carter was dealt to the Athletics for pitcher Dan Haren.

"Knowing someone wants you, it's a pretty good feeling," he said.

Carter was named Oakland's Organizational Player of the Year the past two seasons, when he slugged a combined 67 homers and drove in 219 runs.

He cracked 39 homers and had 104 RBIs in 2008 in 137 games for High-A Stockton. Last season he hit .329 with 28 homers and 115 RBIs in 138 games at Double-A Midland and Sacramento.

Named MLB.com's minor league Hitter of the Year in 2009, Carter led the minors in hits (179), ranked second in RBIs and was third in runs scored (115).

Carter attributes much of his success to a growth spurt he had after graduating from Sierra Vista, where he hit .346 with 11 homers and 66 RBIs in three years. He said he was about 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds in high school, but has become a baseball behemoth, standing nearly 6-5 and weighing about 250.

"It's a pretty big difference," the soft-spoken slugger said. "It all came pretty much after I got drafted (in 2005)."

Carter had an outside shot at earning Oakland's starting first baseman's job in spring training, but needs more seasoning, particularly on defense.

"He definitely needs to fine-tune his defense, but I think that will all come by the end of summer here," DeFrancesco said. "Once he gets comfortable, he's going to be an impact player."

■ NOTE -- The 51s released third baseman Christian Colonel and activated third baseman Kyle Phillips.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.