Carter will anchor A's lineup, but not yet

<p>PHOENIX — Chris Carter proves a handful for opposing pitchers when he steps into the batter’s box.</p><p>He’s also quite the challenge during an interview.</p><p>Carter is polite and accommodating with the media, but he’s generally a man of few words.</p><p>The Oakland A’s don’t mind if their top prospect speaks softly as long as he continues carrying a big stick.</p><p>Manager Bob Geren envisions Carter, 23, someday anchoring the middle of his lineup, an image that doesn’t appear far down the road.</p><p>The first baseman already was considered the A’s best power-hitting prospect after belting 39 homers for Single-A Stockton in 2008.</p><p>He turned heads last season by hitting .329, spending most of the year with Double-A Midland but getting promoted to Triple-A Sacramento in late August.</p><p>It was a dramatic jump from his .259 mark in 2008, leading the A’s to believe they’ve got more than an all-or-nothing slugger.</p><p>Carter hit 28 homers with 115 RBIs last season and led all of the minor leagues with 179 hits.</p><p>“It was kind of a big leap last year from a guy with a lot of power and potential to a guy who has a chance to be a great all-around hitter,” A’s assistant general manager David Forst said.</p><p>Carter didn’t take long making an impact this spring, launching a mammoth homer in the eighth inning of Thursday’s exhibition opener against the Chicago Cubs.</p><p>Daric Barton is penciled in as the A’s starting first baseman, and Eric Chavez will get significant innings there if healthy. But when the A’s are convinced Carter is ready, they won’t waste time calling him up.</p><p>“When” is the key word.</p><p>The A’s don’t want to rush Carter, who has just 54 at-bats at Triple-A and struck out 133 times last season.</p><p>But they’re not afraid to throw him into the fire, either. Pitchers Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Andrew Bailey all made last season’s opening-day roster, even though none had played a full season higher than Double-A.</p><p>There’s thought that the A’s might delay Carter’s debut so the clock won’t start on his big-league service time, which determines how quickly he’d become eligible for salary arbitration.</p><p>Forst said that won’t factor heavily in the decision-making.</p><p>“It’s not an exact science by any means,” he said. “I can tell you that as much as people like to talk about it, the service clock is not a big determining factor. We have an obligation to put the best 25 guys out there, and if (Carter) is (one of them), that clock goes out the window.”</p><p>The A’s might prefer a larger body of work from Carter at Triple-A. But there’s no doubt he made big strides last season.</p><p>“It was just being ready every pitch of every at-bat,” said Carter, whom the A’s acquired from Arizona in the Dan Haren trade in 2007. “I just calmed down and learned to relax and be more selective.”</p><p>Outfielder Corey Brown, a teammate last season at Midland, said Carter does a good job not getting down on himself during slumps.</p><p>Brown added that Carter’s quiet demeanor with reporters is just an extension of his personality among friends.</p><p>“Sometimes when we see guys that are as good as that, it’s good to know that they’re humble and don’t really have to say too much,” Brown said.</p>