Aldrete.
If you were to ask around the baseball community, chances are you'd come across someone who recognizes the name. It was widely known even before Carter, a sophomore infielder on the Sun Devil baseball team, ever even set foot on a diamond.
Between his father Rich and uncle Mike lies over 15 years of playing experience in professional baseball, spanning teams like the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. "Uncle Mike" was a part of the 1996 World Series champion New York Yankees.
Baseball is in their blood.
"He's grown up around the game," said Tracy Smith, baseball coach at Arizona State. "There's an advantage to growing up around the game: you've seen stuff first hand; you witness the highs and lows and I think you can really learn and become a better player from that."
Although Aldrete eventually followed the same path as his father and uncle before him, he didn't always want it to be that way. The path also wasn't a smooth one.
The Monterey, California native struggled to make a name for himself as a baseball player early in his high school career because of the shadow his father and uncle cast. He decided to pursue basketball as his main sport for a short while because of this.
"There was a point in my life where the only thing people ever talked about were my dad and my uncle for probably around a year or so," Aldrete said. "I was trying to become my own athlete and person and I didn't want to hear about it because I was trying to do it myself."
Baseball quickly pushed its way back into the forefront of Aldrete's heart when he dislocated his elbow diving for a loose ball. It took an injury for him to realize it, but baseball was his true passion.
Aldrete quickly developed into a standout player with an impressive resume. Out of high school he was rated the 23rd best shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game and selected to play in the prestigious Under Armor All-America game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. To cap off a standout high school career, Aldrete was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.
Monumental in his baseball success was his father who, despite working full-time, woke up every morning to cook breakfast for his son. Rich provided support to Carter whether it was in baseball, football or basketball, and preached passion and a hard-working mentality to his son no matter what sport Carter chose to pursue in the end.
"He would always tell me to be passionate about anything I did, whether it was baseball or basketball or football," Aldrete said. "He just wanted me to do what I wanted and if I did decide to do something, even if it wasn't baseball, I had to put everything I had into it.
The support his father provided quickly subsided the indifference Carter felt toward the Aldrete name, forcing him to realize that it was a gift, not a curse. Now playing infield for Arizona State, Aldrete is thankful for the guidance the two have given him over the years, especially after a solid first season as a Sun Devil in 2017.
After a slow start, Aldrete found the perseverance to pick it up and ending the season leading the Devils in RBI with 31 and tied for the team lead in doubles with 12. Aldrete was also third on the team in multi-hit games.
"In the past couple years I've realized that what they've done for me and our name has helped me to get noticed and to become both a better player and a better person," Aldrete said. "Their support has been huge and I'm so thankful for it."
If you were to ask around the baseball community, chances are you'd come across someone who recognizes the name. It was widely known even before Carter, a sophomore infielder on the Sun Devil baseball team, ever even set foot on a diamond.
Between his father Rich and uncle Mike lies over 15 years of playing experience in professional baseball, spanning teams like the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. "Uncle Mike" was a part of the 1996 World Series champion New York Yankees.
Baseball is in their blood.
"He's grown up around the game," said Tracy Smith, baseball coach at Arizona State. "There's an advantage to growing up around the game: you've seen stuff first hand; you witness the highs and lows and I think you can really learn and become a better player from that."
Although Aldrete eventually followed the same path as his father and uncle before him, he didn't always want it to be that way. The path also wasn't a smooth one.
The Monterey, California native struggled to make a name for himself as a baseball player early in his high school career because of the shadow his father and uncle cast. He decided to pursue basketball as his main sport for a short while because of this.
"There was a point in my life where the only thing people ever talked about were my dad and my uncle for probably around a year or so," Aldrete said. "I was trying to become my own athlete and person and I didn't want to hear about it because I was trying to do it myself."
Baseball quickly pushed its way back into the forefront of Aldrete's heart when he dislocated his elbow diving for a loose ball. It took an injury for him to realize it, but baseball was his true passion.
Aldrete quickly developed into a standout player with an impressive resume. Out of high school he was rated the 23rd best shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game and selected to play in the prestigious Under Armor All-America game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. To cap off a standout high school career, Aldrete was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.
Monumental in his baseball success was his father who, despite working full-time, woke up every morning to cook breakfast for his son. Rich provided support to Carter whether it was in baseball, football or basketball, and preached passion and a hard-working mentality to his son no matter what sport Carter chose to pursue in the end.
"He would always tell me to be passionate about anything I did, whether it was baseball or basketball or football," Aldrete said. "He just wanted me to do what I wanted and if I did decide to do something, even if it wasn't baseball, I had to put everything I had into it.
The support his father provided quickly subsided the indifference Carter felt toward the Aldrete name, forcing him to realize that it was a gift, not a curse. Now playing infield for Arizona State, Aldrete is thankful for the guidance the two have given him over the years, especially after a solid first season as a Sun Devil in 2017.
After a slow start, Aldrete found the perseverance to pick it up and ending the season leading the Devils in RBI with 31 and tied for the team lead in doubles with 12. Aldrete was also third on the team in multi-hit games.
"In the past couple years I've realized that what they've done for me and our name has helped me to get noticed and to become both a better player and a better person," Aldrete said. "Their support has been huge and I'm so thankful for it."