Gary Carter (2003)


Date of Birth: 4/8/1954
Date of Death: 2/16/2012
Birthplace: Culver City, California

Gary Carter, the first Montreal Expos or Washington Nationals player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was a power hitting catcher who was also an excellent defensive player. He played with the Expos for 11 years (1974-1984) and then went to the New York Mets (1985-1989), the San Francisco Giants (1990), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1991) before returning to Montreal for his last season in 1992.

Carter was already an athlete at the age of seven, as a football player. By the time he was in high school, he was excelling in both football and baseball. He was an infielder for his high school's baseball team prior to being drafted by the Montreal Expos in June, 1972.

Montreal Expos

Carter started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues in 1972. In September, 1974, he joined the Expos, playing in nine games with them that season. The following year, he was the starting catcher and he played in 144 games with the Expos. He batted .270 with 136 hits, 20 doubles, 17 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 1975, his first full season in the major leagues. He was named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year that season.

Carter played in only 91 games with the Expos in 1976. He had 68 hits and a .219 batting average. An excellent defensive player, he led all NL catchers in caught stealing percentage with 50%.

Carter had a strong season again in 1977, batting .284 in 154 games. He had 148 hits, 29 doubles, 31 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 103 strikeouts to 58 walks. He played well defensively, leading NL catchers in assists with 101 and in putouts with 811.

Carter's batting average dropped to .255 in 1978. He had 136 hits, 27 doubles, 20 home runs, and 72 RBIs in 157 games. He struck out 70 times and walked 62 times. He again led NL catchers in putouts with 781. He played better offensively in 1979, batting .283 in 141 games. He had 143 hits, 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 62 strikeouts to 40 walks. He again led NL catchers in assists (88) and putouts (751).

In 1980, Carter won his first of three consecutive Gold Glove awards. That year he made only seven errors and he led NL catchers in assists (108) and putouts (822). He batted .264 in 154 games and he had 145 hits, 25 doubles, 29 home runs, and 101 RBIs.

Carter won his first of five Silver Slugger awards in the strike shortened 1981 season. However, his batting statistics for that season are not impressive, with a batting average of .251, 94 hits, 20 doubles, 16 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 100 games. He also won the All Star Game MVP award in 1981. He again led all NL catchers in putouts (509) and caught stealing percentage (47%).

In 1982, Carter won a Silver Slugger award again and his numbers that year were considerably better. He had a .293 batting average, 163 hits, 32 doubles, 29 home runs, and 97 RBIs in 154 games. He walked a career high 78 times while striking out just 64 times. He won his third Gold Glove and he led NL catchers in assists (104) and putouts (954).

Carter had a career high 37 doubles in 1983. He batted .270 with 146 hits, 17 home runs, and 79 RBIs in 145 games. He once more led NL catchers in assists with 107 and in caught stealing percentage with 47%.

Carter had one of his best seasons in 1984, again winning a Silver Slugger award and the All Star Game MVP award. He led the NL in RBIs and he had career highs in games played (159), hits (175), and RBIs (106). He batted .294 and he had 32 doubles and 27 home runs.

Although Carter was a star player for the Montreal Expos and his 1984 season was a very good one, they traded him after the season to the New York Mets.

New York Mets

Carter won his fourth Silver Slugger award in his first year with the Mets. He finished the 1985 season with 156 hits, 17 doubles, a career high 32 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .281 batting average in 149 games. He walked 69 times and struck out just 46 times. He again led NL catchers in putouts with 956.

Although Carter batted only .255 in 1986, he won a fifth Silver Slugger award. He had 125 hits, 14 doubles, 24 home runs, and 105 RBIs in 132 games. The next year, his batting average dropped to .235. He had 123 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs, and 83 RBIs in 139 games.

By 1987 Carter's power with the bat started to diminish and he finished the 1988 season with only 11 home runs, 16 doubles and 46 RBIs. The following season, he played in only 50 games and he batted .183. The only bright spot for him in 1989 was being named the winner of the Roberto Clemente award.

The Mets released Carter at the end of the 1989 season.

Final Years as a Player

In 1990, Carter played in 92 games with the San Francisco Giants. He batted .254 with 62 hits.

Carter played in 101 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991. He had 61 hits and a .246 batting average that year.

Although his statistics for 1990 and 1991 were only fair, the Expos signed him for the 1992 season. He finished his last season with a .218 batting average and only 5 home runs and 18 doubles in 95 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Gold Glove (3 times)
  • Silver Slugger (5 times)
  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • All Star Game MVP (2 times)
  • Roberto Clemente award

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Carter in 18 full seasons (1975-1992) in the major leagues include:

  • 3 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 175 in 1984
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 37 in 1983
  • 9 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with highs of 31 in 1977 and 32 in 1985
  • 4 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 106 in 1984

Career batting statistics for Carter include:

  • 2,295 games played
  • 2,092 hits
  • 324 home runs
  • 371 doubles
  • 1,225 RBIs
  • 997 strikeouts to 848 walks
  • .262 batting average
  • .335 on-base percentage
  • .774 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Carter as a catcher include:

  • 2,056 games played
  • 121 errors
  • 1,203 assists
  • 11,785 putouts
  • .991 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Carter include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 30 games played
  • 118 at-bats
  • 33 hits
  • 8 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 4 home runs
  • 21 RBIs
  • 15 strikeouts to 8 walks
  • .280 batting average

Post Playing Career

From 1993 through 1996, Carter worked as a television commentator and analyst for the Florida Marlins.

Carter was a minor league manager from 2005-2006 and from 2008-2009. His record as a manager was 430 wins and 319 losses.

Carter was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003 on the sixth ballot with 78.0% of the vote.

Carter died of brain cancer in February, 2012, at the age of 57.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Gary Carter
ESPN - Gary Carter
Baseball Reference - Gary Carter

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