It took some time for Paul Goldschmidt first baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals All-Star to adjust to seeing his old teammate Matt Carpenter in Yankees pinstripes, and it’s not just about the uniform.
It was one thing to see Carpenter without his trademark bushy beard, a casualty of the Yankees’ appearance policy, and quite another to soak in what stood out after his shave, a thick mustache reminiscent of Tom Selleck’s Magnum P.I. days.
Carpenter has played in almost every game for the Yankees since joining in May after beginning the season as a player of the Texas Rangers.
Carpenter might have gone to Tinsel Town with the six Yankees if the All-Star Game had been two weeks later. Carpenter has bounced back stunningly at the age of 36 after his 11-year journey with St. Louis ended last season with a second consecutive awful season. His reconfigured left-handed swing has hit .354 with 13 homers and 31 RBI in 79 at-bats in 31 games, 21 of which he started at five positions.
His former Cardinals teammates have taken notice, and they are delighted.
With St. Louis, the three-time All-Star had several big seasons, including one in which he hit .36 home runs in 2018, and in 2013 he batted 318 with 55 doubles, but he has struggled the last 2 years. He batted during the COVID-shortened season in 2020. In 50 games, he hit .186, with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. The following season, he appeared to be done batting. In 130 games, he batted .169 with 3 home runs and 21 RBI.
Carpenter’s last resort was to repair his swing, which is a very difficult task. In recent years, he changed his batting path through the swing zone. He knew that his only chance of regaining success was to return to swinging as he did in his best form. It’s more difficult to do than say. But he did it after some hard work like watching videos and a lot of trial and error.
So he understood. He needs to test it against a good pitcher, but he was a free agent during the lockout. When it ended in March, he signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers, his hometown team, and proceeded to hit .222 with no home runs in 18 spring training at-bats. Carpenter began the season for the first time in the minors.
He seems like a big-league hitter once again while playing for the Triple-A Round Rock. In 31 games, he hit .275 with 6 home runs and 19 RBI, but the Rangers decided to keep him in the minors. He used Armed with an opt-out on May 19 and a week later signed with the Yankees.
In his 2 months career as Yankees, he has been the team’s hottest hitter for weeks, possibly the hottest in the majors.
Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies’ All-Star outfielder, feels in the same way. He saw a lot of Carpenter’s prime in rival NL Central series during his 6 years with the Chicago Cubs, from 2015 to 20.
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