Carter homered and drove in two runs for Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. So far this month — and yes, we realize it's only July 8 — he's hitting .276/.417/.655. He now ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League in home runs (18) and fourth in RBIs (62).
Carter struggled early in the season and his strikeout total is kind of absurd (98), but the power is absolutely real. In 2009, he was named the Texas League Player of the Year after hitting .337/.435/.576 with 24 homers, 101 RBIs and 13 steals. (Zesty!) Keep him on the fantasy radar. If the recent surge continues — and the A's ever decide they want something better than a .395 slugging percentage at first base — then Carter will earn a call-up. He has the potential to provide a nice end-of-season power boost, and it's often possible to gain roto points in HRs late in the year.