PEORIA, Ariz. -- Wyatt Langford has been stealing all the headlines lately, and for good reason -- the Rangers¡¯ No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 6 prospect overall has already launched three home runs this spring, including two last Saturday against the White Sox.

Langford has a real chance to make Texas¡¯ Opening Day roster, less than a year after being selected fourth overall in the MLB Draft. The sight of him in a Rangers uniform on March 28 is a scintillating prospect.

But another scintillating prospect reminded us on Tuesday that Langford isn¡¯t the only exciting young player whom the Rangers plan to have in their lineup for years to come. With a pair of homers, including a second-inning grand slam, Evan Carter jump-started the scoring early in a 10-9 win over the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.

Carter smashed the third pitch of the game from right-hander Logan Gilbert over the wall in right-center field to give the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead. In the second, he deposited another one onto the berm in right-center off Gilbert, this time with the bases loaded. Carter even added a nice defensive play at the wall in left field for good measure.

With the pair of long balls, Carter has a .389 batting average and a 1.178 OPS in 20 Cactus League plate appearances.

¡°You definitely don¡¯t want to let hittable pitches go by,¡± Carter said. ¡°So just being ready to go in a moment¡¯s notice right there.¡±

A ¡°moment¡¯s notice¡± is a good way to describe Carter¡¯s rapid rise. He made his MLB debut last September and posted a 1.058 OPS with five homers in 23 games down the stretch before setting a postseason record with nine doubles.

Following that up with a strong open to Spring Training, Carter has tasted nothing but success so far as a big leaguer, and he¡¯ll be receiving a World Series ring next month after being a key contributor to Texas¡¯ first championship. It¡¯s what Carter did for the Rangers last fall that has them utterly unsurprised by his red-hot start this spring.

¡°We don¡¯t [need to] take from early in Spring Training,¡± manager Bruce Bochy said. ¡°We take from last year, the highlights from when he came up. ¡­ He¡¯s even gotten stronger over the winter -- he put on a little bit of weight. He¡¯s a fun guy to watch.¡±

Does last year¡¯s successful debut breed confidence that carries over to 2024? For Carter, confidence is a familiar companion, and it¡¯s only grown since he reached the Majors.

¡°You know, I try to be a confident person, and it¡¯s really cool that the teammates I have in the locker room have really helped me build on the confidence I already have,¡± Carter said. ¡°It¡¯s really easy to be confident when you have people like that around you.¡±

Despite only having about a month of MLB experience to his name, not to mention being nearly a year younger than Langford, Carter may already be serving in that role for him. Carter is the club¡¯s No. 1 prospect. Langford is No. 2. Carter is the No. 5 overall prospect in the game. Langford is No. 6. They hit in the same batting practice group. They¡¯ve been in the same outfield group.

And they may be a fearsome 1-2 punch of the future for the Rangers.

¡°I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say we¡¯re like, pushing or competing or whatnot,¡± Carter said. ¡°It¡¯s just one of those things where I¡¯m trying to be the best that I can be, and he is, too.¡±

Of course, things don¡¯t always go as well as they have for the youthful duo in the first couple of weeks of Spring Training.

¡°Baseball¡¯s a humbling sport,¡± Carter said. ¡°So you¡¯ve gotta move on to tomorrow.¡±

Tomorrow is looking pretty good for the Rangers today.

Adolis could DH on Wednesday
American League Championship Series MVP and World Series hero Adolis García got some plate appearances in a ¡°B¡± game on a back field at the Rangers¡¯ complex in Surprise on Tuesday morning. He looked ready, singling on the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Jordan Lyles.

Texas has been working Garc¨ªa in slowly this spring after he experienced an oblique strain during the World Series. Bochy said that Garc¨ªa will likely serve as the designated hitter in Wednesday¡¯s Cactus League matchup with the Rockies in Scottsdale, which would mark his first Cactus League action this year.