Matt Carpenter spurns guaranteed offers to ‘prove himself’ with hometown Rangers | Evan_P_Grant
St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Carpenter applauds after hitting his 300th career double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in St. Louis. SURPRISE, Ariz. — Fort Worth’s Matt Carpenter wanted to be with the Rangers badly enough that he was willing to spurn a couple of guaranteed major league deals to sign a minor league deal, he said Saturday after his first workout.
He was eager enough to get started that he got on the field Saturday even before his signing was official, stayed in the batting cages for an extra hour to work with instructors Donnie Ecker and Tim Hyers before Sunday’s exhibition with Milwaukee and plans to get at-bats in an intrasquad game Sunday, the Rangers’ scheduled day off.