Friday on the Farm: Three hot Rangers minor-leaguers not named Leody Taveras, and three cold ones

(Hickory Crawdads/Ashley Salinas)

Of all the players the Texas Rangers have in the minor leagues, one is performing better than all of them.

That would be Leody Taveras, who is banging on the major-league door.

The most impressive performance through one month, though, might be another center fielder who barely played last season.

Evan Carter isn’t just surviving at High A Hickory as a 19-year-old, he’s thriving with a .321 average, a .419 on-base percentage and a .513 slugging percentage.

The Rangers felt comfortable putting him at Hickory after only 106 Low-A bats last season because he has an advanced understanding of the strike zone. At this rate, Carter will be at Double A Frisco before turning 20 on Aug. 29.

The one area of “concern” is that Carter has hit only one home run, though he enters Friday with four doubles and four triples. The left-handed hitter hasn’t tapped into his pull-side power potential, but he will.

“That’s the only thing missing that unlocks the next tier,” Rangers vice president Ross Fenstermaker said.

The Rangers are seeing their full-season affiliates enjoy plenty of early success, but not everyone clicked in the first month.

Here’s a look at three players who have started fast and three who are playing catch-up.