Yes, resting.
"Chris is a little quirky," said Lowrie. "Everybody is aware of that. I think he's pretty much stayed the same. He's got his own theories on how he gets the job done, but the bottom line is he can hit. Doesn't matter how he does it."
As much criticism as there has been of Carter's defense, there has been praise of his offense. The backup first baseman and fifth outfielder, who was told this week that he will break camp with the Red Sox barring the unforeseen, has seemingly always had a big league bat. It's just that he never had a position.
To that end, Carter spent every day of camp with first base coach/infield instructor Tim Bogar and third base coach/outfield instructor DeMarlo Hale, relearning the positions he might be asked to play during his stint with the major league team, which almost certainly will end when Mark Kotsay returns from the disabled list.
Carter, obtained from the Nationals for Wily Mo Peña, lost more than 15 pounds this offseason, making him "more agile, flexible, mobile," in his words. It enabled the 26-year-old to get the footwork and quickness down that he will need to play the corner outfield or first base.
"I always had to improve my swing," said Carter, who hit .300 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs in Pawtucket last season. "I had to improve my defense, not just repetition but technically. I had to learn all this stuff I didn't really know before. Then I had to get confidence. I had to start believing. I started hitting more home runs, I started hitting more for average, I started hitting lefties, I started hitting offspeed pitches. When it came to defense, I started getting balls I didn't used to get. More relaxed, able to do more, just quicker with my reactions."
That all culminated in his meeting with manager Terry Francona, general manager Theo Epstein, and Bogar this week, when he was told he probably had made the team.
