Vernon Christopher Carter was drafted by the White Sox out of high school in the 15th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Carter was traded to Oakland in 2009. He had cups of coffee with the A's in 2010 and 2011 then, in 2012, he got into 67 games for the major league club, batting .239 with 16 HRs. He was traded to the Astros before the 2013 season where he played three seasons as an outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter.

A high-strikeout power hitter, Carter led the AL in strikeouts with 212 in 2013 but also smashed 29 homers and drove in 82 runs. The next year, he drilled 37 homers with 88 RBIs. He declined a bit in 2015, batting .199 with 24 bombs and 64 RBIs then was granted free agency.

Carter had a career year with Milwaukee the next year, leading the NL with 41 homers and strikeouts with 206. His last season in the majors was with the Yankees in 2017. Overall, the California native hit .217 with 158 homers and 400 RBIs.