Доминикан бейсболының шебері Рикардо Карти

Dominican baseball player

Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (born September 1, 1939), nicknamed "Beeg Boy", is a Dominican former 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 where he helped the franchise win its first National League Western Division title in Carty had a career batting average of .299 and, was the 1970 National League (NL) batting champion with a .366 batting average. He earned his starting role in the 1970 All Star Game as a write in candidate. 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. 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.

Carty represented the Dominican Republic at the 1959 Pan American Games. He signed a contract with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1959. While he was considered an excellent hitter, he had poor defensive skills. Originally a catcher, Carty was converted into an outfielder in order to lessen his defensive liabilities and to get his bat into the everyday lineup. He continued to hit over .300 for the next three seasons but, then faltered in 1967, slumping to a .255 batting average in part due to a separated shoulder. The Braves would eventually lose to the "Miracle" Mets in the 1969 National League Championship Series. Carty had his best season in 1970 when he hit 25 home runs with 101 runs batted in and, won the National League Batting Championship with a .366 batting average, the highest average in the major leagues since Ted Williams recorded a .388 batting average in 1957. Despite not appearing on the All Star ballot, he was voted to be a starting outfielder for the National League as a write in candidate in the 1970 All Star Game, playing alongside Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in the outfield. It would be the only All Star appearance of his career. Carty also compiled a 31 game hitting streak in 1970 (the longest by a Braves hitter in the franchise's Atlanta history until Dan Uggla surpassed it with a 33 game streak in 2011). He was named NL Player of the Month in May with a .448 batting average, 7 home runs, and 22 RBI, and finished 10th in the 1970 National League Most Valuable Player Award voting. On May 31, Carty hit 3 home runs against the Phillies, going 4 for 4 with 6 RBI in a 9 1 rout of the Phillies. A crushed knee injury suffered during the Dominican Winter Baseball season meant Carty would miss another entire season in 1971. Carty was expected to fill the role of the newly adopted designated hitter, but batted only .232 before being traded in mid season to the Chicago Cubs. While with the Cubs, he had a personality clash with their star third baseman, Ron Santo, forcing the team to trade Carty to the Oakland Athletics one month later. In August 1974, the Cleveland Indians signed him to be their designated hitter. His time with the Blue Jays lasted five months before he was sent to the Oakland Athletics for Willie Horton and Phil Huffman on August 15, 1978. At the age of 39, he hit for a combined .282 batting average with 31 home runs and 99 runs batted in.

In 1996 he gained induction into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame as part of their first class. Carty was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on August 19, 2023.