Or, as his mentor puts it, "He wasn't even a prospect."
When Carpenter was in college, he developed a friendship with Twins veteran Torii Hunter, which blossomed after Carpenter was drafted. Carpenter's father, Rick, was integral in connecting the two, as he coached two of Hunter's sons when they were in high school.
"[My dad] was the one who told [Hunter], 'Hey, I got a son, too, that plays baseball,'" said Carpenter. "Torii reached out to me and invited me to over to hit at his house and spend some time with him."
For Hunter, it was somewhat of a given.