Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (September 1, 1939 – November 23, 2024) was a Dominican professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) 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 (NL) Western Division title in 1969. Carty was the 1970 National League batting champion and, became the first write-in candidate in MLB history to be elected as an All-Star starter in the 1970 All-Star Game. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.
Carty was one of the earliest Dominicans to play in the major leagues, giving himself the nickname "Beeg Boy". He maintained a .300 career batting average until a sub par final season dropped his average to .299. Despite being one of the best hitters of his era, his defiant, confrontational personality earned him a reputation as a troublemaker. Carty's 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 was born on September 1, 1939 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, where his father worked in a sugar mill. One of 16 children, he followed his uncles into the sport of boxing at the age of 15. He won his first 17 boxing matches but quit boxing for baseball after experiencing an embarrassing defeat in a boxing ring. Another source claims that he quit boxing at the behest of his mother.
At the age of 19, Carty represented the Dominican Republic as a catcher for the national baseball team at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago. His impressive hitting performance during the Pan American Games attracted contract offers from eight major-league teams and four Dominican League clubs. Being a naïve youngster with no English speaking skills, Carty unwittingly signed all the contracts. George Trautman, head of minor-league baseball at the time, resolved the issue in favor of the Milwaukee Braves who signed Carty as a free agent in 1959.
In 1962, he began to show his talent for hitting a baseball while playing for the Class-B Yakima Braves. Carty was leading the Northwest League with a .366 batting average until he injured his leg after he tripped over first base and missed the remainder of the season. He was named to the year-end league All-Star team and was the Topps Class-B All-Star catcher.
Carty had an intimidating presence while batting. He never left the batter's box and stood firmly throughout the at-bat while glaring menacingly at the opposing pitcher. He sometimes increased the level of intimidation by screaming at pitchers to challenge him with a fastball rather than breaking balls.
While Carty was considered an excellent hitter, he had poor defensive skills so, in order to lessen his defensive liabilities and to get his bat into the everyday lineup, the Braves made the decision to convert him into an outfielder in 1963. In his first season as an outfielder, he produced a .327 batting average along with 27 home runs, and 100 runs batted in (RBI) while playing for the Austin Senators of the Texas League. He made his major-league debut with the Braves on September 15, 1963 at the age of 24. The Sporting News named him the best hitting prospect in the Braves organization.
After posting a .408 batting average during spring training, Carty made the Braves opening day roster in 1964. He finished the season with a .330 batting average, second only to Roberto Clemente in the National League. Despite his impressive performance, he finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award behind Dick Allen who had one of the most productive rookie seasons in MLB history. Braves manager Bobby Bragan tried to convert Carty into a first baseman during the 1965 season however, he injured his back while learning to play the new position. Carty's injury kept him from playing regularly, although he produced a .310 average in 83 games.
For the 1966 season the Braves moved to Atlanta and the new Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. The stadium's elevation in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains made it favorable to home run hitters, which led to the stadium's nickname, "The Launching Pad". Carty holds the distinction of being the first Braves player to record a hit after the franchise moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in a game against the Pirates on April 12, 1966. He finished third behind Matty and Felipe Alou in the 1966 National League Batting Championship with a .326 batting average and quickly became a favorite in Atlanta where the left-field stands became known as “Carty’s Corner".
Carty had an extroverted personality and charmed fans with a cheerful disposition in public however, inside the Braves clubhouse he was not well-liked by many teammates, with even his Dominican teammates Felipe Alou and Sandy Alomar avoiding his belligerent, confrontational personality. On June 18, 1967, Carty was involved in a physical altercation with teammate Hank Aaron on a chartered Atlanta Braves flight from Houston to Los Angeles. Carty allegedly directed a racial slur toward Aaron, resulting in a fistfight where teammates had to separate them. Afterwards, Aaron said that he was frustrated by Carty's lack of effort on defense. Carty had a dismal season in 1967, slumping to a .255 batting average in part due to a separated shoulder. At the conclusion of the season, the Braves let it be known that they would be willing to trade Carty in exchange for pitchers.
Carty was diagnosed with tuberculosis during spring training in 1968. While the illness was not as serious as first suspected, he had to undergo six months of treatment in a sanatorium, forcing him to miss the entire 1968 season.
In the 1969 season, Carty suffered three shoulder separations but still posted a team-leading .342 batting average in 104 games, including a .383 average in the team's final 21 games when he had 22 RBI. He drove home the game-winning run in the division-clinching game as the Braves won the National League West title, the franchise's first postseason berth since the 1958 World Series. In the only postseason appearance of his career, Carty hit .300 along with a .462 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging average, but failed to produce any RBIs as the Braves would eventually lose to the "Miracle" Mets in the 1969 National League Championship Series. He finished 13th in the National League Most Valuable Player Award voting.
Carty had the best season of his career In 1970, hitting 25 home runs with 101 RBI 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 became the first write-in candidate in MLB history to be elected as an All-Star starting player, playing alongside Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in the outfield for the National League team in the 1970 All-Star Game. It would be the only All-Star appearance of Carty's career.
Carty also compiled a 31-game hitting streak in 1970, the longest by a Braves player since Tommy Holmes hit in 37 straight for the Boston Braves in 1945. It was also the longest hitting streak in the franchise's Atlanta history until Dan Uggla surpassed it in 2011 with a 33-game streak. Carty was named NL Player of the Month for May with a .448 batting average, seven home runs, and 22 RBIs. He 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 six RBIs in a 9–1 rout of the Phillies.
However, In the midst of his best season, Carty was involved in another physical altercation with a teammate on August 19, 1970. Ron Reed and Carty had a misunderstanding over his taking two souvenir baseball bats from Reed’s locker and giving them to a child. Reed confronted Carty which resulted in another fistfight. Despite having the highest career batting average among active players, Carty's reputation as a malcontent had worn out his welcome with the Braves management and the team actively sought to trade him.