Mailbag: How soon will Carter arrive?

Beat reporter Mychael Urban answers A's fans' questions Chris Carter (left) is a 6-foot-4 first baseman who hit 39 homers this season. (Ben Platt/MLB.com) MLB Headlines Now that the offseason is here -- for the A's, anyway -- the mailbag will appear weekly throughout the winter, with a few exceptions, instead of every other week. So keep the questions coming. Thanks. I was just reading your assessment of the A's and your projections for 2009 positions. There's no mention of first baseman Chris Carter, despite some stunning numbers. Is it really too soon to think of him competing for a job at Spring Training? He looks like a man-child. -- Rick P., (no hometown given) He is a man-child, Rick. The guy's an absolute beast at 6-foot-4 and about 225 pounds, and as evidenced by his Minor League-leading 39 homers for Class A... [read full story]