| Rico Carty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: September 1, 1939 Consuelo, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | |
| Died: November 23, 2024 (aged 85) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 15, 1963, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 23, 1979, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .299 |
| Home runs | 204 |
| Runs batted in | 890 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (September 1, 1939 – November 23, 2024), nicknamed "Beeg Boy", was a Dominican professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He had the first hit for the team in their first game in Atlanta on April 12, 1965.[1] In 1969, he helped the franchise win its first National League Western Division title. Carty had a career batting average of .299, most notably hitting .366 to become the 1970 National League (NL) batting champion (the first Brave to do so in eleven years) while also garnering him a start at the 1970 All-Star Game as a write-in candidate.[2] In a fifteen-year major league career, Carty played in 1,651 games, accumulating 1,677 hits in 5,606 at bats for a .299 career batting average along with 204 home runs, 890 runs batted in, .369 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage.[2] He ended his career with a .974 fielding percentage.[2] During his career, he played as a catcher, first baseman, third baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter.
Carty also played for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Texas Rangers. He was one of the earliest Dominicans to play in the major leagues; however, his career was marked by battles with injuries, illnesses (tuberculosis) and teammates.[3] In 1996, Carty was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame as part of their inaugural class, and in 2023 he was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame.[4][5]
- ^ "Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title with the Atlanta Braves, dies at 85". Star Tribune.
- ^ a b c "Rico Carty Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Rico Carty: He's No Longer The 'Beeg Boy, by Ron Hudspeth, Baseball Digest, February 1973, Vol. 32, No. 2, ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ Montgomery, Wynn. "Rico Carty". Society of American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Carty, Tenney to enter Braves Hall of Fame". mlb.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.