Rico Carty
From BR Bullpen
Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty
(Beeg Mon)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 200 lb.
- Debut September 15, 1963
- Final Game September 23, 1979
- Born September 1, 1939 in San Pedro de Macoris, D.R.
[edit] Biographical Information
Outfielder Rico Carty, sometimes called "Beeg Mon", played 15 years in the major leagues, mostly during the time of the second dead-ball era. He typically had a high batting average, good power, and had decent range in the outfield. He led the National League in batting in 1970, was second in batting in 1964, and third in 1966. As great as his career was, he would have been even greater had he not suffered a variety of injuries and illness.
One of the first major leaguers to be born in famous San Pedro de Macoris, he was signed in 1959 by the Milwaukee Braves and broke in with a couple of major league games in 1963. In 1964 he made a splash as a regular outfielder, playing alongside Hank Aaron and having as good a year as Aaron did: Carty hit .330 and slugged .554. In spite of that, Dick Allen was the almost unanimous choice as 1964 Rookie of the Year, with an even more terrific season.
Carty played with the Braves from 1963 to 1972, and in addition to his 1964, 1966, and 1970 years when he ranked in the top three in batting, he also hit .342 with a .549 slugging percentage in 1969 when he appeared in 104 games. In 1970, he had a 31-game hitting streak, which was the Atlanta record until he was passed by Dan Uggla in 2011.
Carty spent 1973 with three different teams before settling in with the Cleveland Indians from 1974 to 1977, and playing for the most part excellently. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 expansion draft but was traded back to the Indians before the season, then was sent back to Toronto once it was over. In 1978 he split his time between the Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics, hitting 31 home runs, which was his career high. He finished out his career in 1979 as the regular DH for the Blue Jays.
The similarity scores method shows the most similar player as Pedro Guerrero. He is the uncle of pitcher Julio Santana.
His career was marred by serious injuries to his legs and a bout with tuberculosis that cost him the whole of the 1968 season (and also affected his performance in 1967). He missed 1971 with injuries suffered during winter baseball. In a league seeking to enhance offensive statistics, Rico Carty became one of the first great designated hitters.
He is the all-time Home Run leader for the Dominican Winter League with 59. He was elected to the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its 2011 class.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1964 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- NL All-Star (1970)
- NL Batting Average Leader (1970)
- NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1970)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1964, 1970 & 1978)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1978)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1970)
