ST. LOUIS — Matt Carpenter and his new mustache have become the talk of baseball over the past few weeks.
After a forgettable ending in St. Louis where he hit .176 with just seven home runs across 2020 and 2021 as a Cardinal, Carpenter has found a home in New York.
Carpenter started 2022 with the Texas Rangers, but didn't make the major league roster and was released by the team after 21 games in the minors.
Any team in baseball could have had Carpenter for pennies on the dollar after his release from Texas. It just happened to be the team with the best record in the league that came calling with a $1 million major league contract.
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Through 10 games with the New York Yankees, Carpenter has six home runs, 13 RBI and an OPS of 1.592. He's hitting .333 in 24 at-bats.
In the storied history of the Yankees, Carpenter is the first player in franchise history to hit six home runs in his first 10 games with the team.
Oh, and his new mustache has become quite popular as well. (Carpenter had to ditch his trademark beard to comply with the Yankees' long-standing policy on facial hair.)
Carpenter said after his 2-homer, 7-RBI day on Sunday that he's been working hard to get back to the level he was in his prime with the Cardinals.
"I've just put in the work. I've come out early and took swings, I've stood in a couple bullpens and I've done this role before. A lot of it is just how you prepare when the game is not being played. And just trying to do that to the best of my ability and help the team however I can," Carpenter said on the YES Network broadcast after his big performance on Sunday.
As a team, Carpenter has only added to the Yankees' dominance in 2022. They have the best record in baseball at 44-16, have outscored their opponents by a league-leading 127 runs and have the best team OPS in baseball by a wide margin.
Carpenter has mainly been used as a designated and pinch hitter, but did get the start at third base on Sunday.
Looking at his full career with the Cardinals, Carpenter was an incredibly productive player. In 11 years in St. Louis, Carpenter hit .262 with an OPS of .816, 155 home runs and 576 RBIs.