Does Chris Carter have staying power?
If you've owned Chris Carter for any of the last five weeks, you're probably pleased with both him for hitting a bunch of home runs -- 15 in his last 31 games, to be exact -- and yourself for having the foresight to start this player whose batting average only recently eclipsed the Mendoza line.
Considering it's up to a not-so-embarassing .230 now, it feels like ancient history, but it was really only a month ago. In fact, at the start of it all, Carter was batting a ghastly .182 with a .664 OPS. Can a player really change that much that fast? Has Carter?
Yes and no. While he's not the .328 hitter he's been in his last 31 games, he was due for a big correction with the way his season started. And judging by his .262 BABIP, down from .311 last year and .295 the year before, he's still due for more.
Granted, the abundance of home runs might be skewing that number a bit -- they don't count as "balls in play" -- but who's to say he hasn't improved as a power hitter at age 27? He wouldn't be the first. Even with all his limitations, the potential to hit 40 home runs with full-time at-bats would make Carter kind of like another Mark Trumbo. You drafted Trumbo at the start of the year expecting to play him every week, hot or cold, right? I sure did.
So while Carter is sure to cool off at some point, I won't be so quick to drop him, particularly in Rotisserie leagues, when he finally does.
