All of a sudden, with the call up of Chris Carter before Monday’s game vs. the Seattle Mariners, the final 51 games of the season are starting to look a lot brighter.

Rationally, I know that might not make total sense. How can one rookie make that much of a difference? And to be fair, the starting pitching staff and regular A’s lineup has been looking pretty sharp recently. Case in point, taking 2 out of 3 in the last series against the AL West leading Rangers. But there’s still something about the addition of the Carter that has everyone buzzing…

For starters, there’s the hype. You just look at this guy’s numbers, from both his bio and his on-field performance, and it’s hard not to be impressed. 6’5″ and 230 pounds with 27 home runs in just four months in Sacramento. It’s pretty common knowledge the A’s need some pop in their lineup, and hopefully, this guy can lend his strength and contribute.

I had the chance to meet Carter during Spring Training. Initially, it was tough to coax out detailed answers from our curious questions, but his shy smile won us (the Diamond Vision crew) over. Once we post that interview, I’ll be sure to link to it here.

Fans, what do you think? Excited the Chris Carter wait is over? Wish Billy Beane had called him up earlier? Or maybe it doesn’t make much difference to you one way or another?