Carpenter 'home' with Rangers, adds infield depth

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Matt Carpenter made his MLB debut in 2011, playing in just seven games in his debut season. When the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Rangers in the World Series later that year, he was awarded a ring despite not being on the postseason roster.

Twelve years later, Carpenter joins Texas on a Minor League deal after spending his entire career with the Cardinals, the club announced ahead of the Rangers' 11-0 loss to the Brewers on Saturday. The deal would make Carpenter $2 million if he makes the big league club.

Carpenter is a Texas native and TCU alum, and said that while he had Major League deal offers from other clubs, he wanted the “opportunity to bet on himself” with his hometown team.

“First and foremost, this is home for me,” said Carpenter, who resides in Fort Worth. “I've always had an affinity for this club dating back to 2011. Let me rephrase that, an admiration and respect for how great they were and what they're striving to be right now.”

Carpenter quickly became acquainted with his new team, getting a crash course session with hitting coaches Donnie Ecker and Tim Hyers and spending most of Saturday morning in the cages working on his swing.

Carpenter has previous experience with Ecker, who worked with the Cardinals for three years as a player development coach and Minor League hitting coach.

“That was a huge reason why I wanted to be here,” Carpenter said. “I have a lot of respect for both those guys. I think they're really good at what they do. I think that with the work that I've put in the offseason, this would be a really good fit to continue that work because we're all on the same page. They’re preaching a lot of the same stuff that I've been trying to do, so that played a huge role in that as well.”

With the signing, the Rangers have once again added to their infield depth at third base. Carpenter, who has received an invitation to big league camp, would give the Rangers yet another option at the position, but manager Chris Woodward did say he wanted to give Andy Ibáñez “some runaway” at the position. This comes three days after the Rangers also brought back utility man Charlie Culberson on a Minor League deal to push the competition at third base.

Woodward said he’s not sure that Carpenter will make the full squad out of camp, but it's an invaluable experience for everybody to have him in Surprise.

“He's already sitting in the cages talking with our young hitters, talking to [the hitting coaches] and just kind of talking baseball,” Woodward said. “He's got a lot to offer. If he's in the organization, it's good for us.”

Carpenter was an elite player for the first eight years of his big league career, which included three All-Star Game appearances, a Silver Slugger and a fourth-place finish in NL MVP voting in 2013. From 2019-21 though, Carpenter .hit 203/.325/.346 with a .671 OPS (83 OPS+). He spent most of ‘21 as a role player.

The 36-year-old said he remade his swing in the offseason and is excited to work with Ecker and Hyers this coming season to reach a new level at the plate. The adjustments were similar to one that Ecker made when working with Eli White: making the swing set driving the ball to the middle of the field with good backspin.

“His swing looked good,” said Woodward. “He's in good shape. Physically it all looks great. We just obviously had to get our eyes on. I know Donnie had been communicating with him. We saw him in the cages, but it looks healthy. He made some adjustments after the last couple years and I was excited to see it.

“There’s still a lot in the tank physically. He's had a hell of a career. He's got a lot to offer.”