Rico Carty
In 1970, on his way to the National League batting title, Rico Carty became the first player voted to play in the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. Carty could plain hit. Over his first six full seasons in the big leagues he batted .300 five times and posted an aggregate average more than 60 points above league average. He missed the entire season following his batting title when he contracted tuberculosis, and it took him nearly four years to rebound fully from the ailment. Made for the designated hitter role, Carty forged a second career as a DH, hitting a career high 31 homers at the age of 38.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1651 |
5606 |
1677 |
712 |
204 |
890 |
21 |
.299 |
.464 |
.369 |
.833 |
118.7 |
|
Verrry Superstitious
For as long as the game has been played, baseball players have been prone to superstition. With Rico Carty it was often an obsession. Carty believed in using the same socks if he had a good game at the plate, either wearing them dirty game-after-game, or demanding that he get the same pair returned to him after it went into the wash with the others. Carty didn't seem to have any problems with stepping on the foul lines (as many players with superstitions often do), but he was careful to always greet the homeplate umpire the first time he came to the plate. He felt that if he failed to acknowledge the ump, it was poor luck. Carty was also suspicious: he guarded his cadre of bats closely, and only lent them out to teammates in rare instances. He didn't even like anyone else using his model of bat. An old-time superstition was the fear of pebbles or scraps of paper on the field, and Carty inherited that, though he wasn't obsesive about it later in his career. Off the field, he had his share of fears as well. In his book, Ball Four, Jim Bouton wrote: "[Carty] doesn't trust banks. He also doesn't trust the clubhouse valuables box. So that big lump you see in his back pocket during baseball games is his wallet."
Born
Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty was born on September 1, 1939, in San Pedro de Macoris
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
9 15,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1963
Pete Rose
Rusty Staub
Joe Morgan
Willie Horton
Jose Cardenal
Jimmy Wynn
Dick Allen
Tommy John
Mickey Lolich
Nicknames
Beeg Mon
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1985 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.3% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1969 National League Championship Series
Hitting Streaks
31 games (1970)
18 games (1972)
17 games (1966)
16 games (1969)
All-Star Selections
1970 NL
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