Braves Hall of Famer Rico Carty passes away at 85

Rico Carty was popular enough to be elected to start an All-Star Game as a write-in candidate.

Memories of Carty’s 1970 All-Star election and the batting title he won that same year were rekindled on Sunday, as the former outfielder passed away at the age of 85.

Carty played for the Braves, Guardians, Cubs, Blue Jays, A’s and Rangers during a 15-year career. He finished second in balloting for the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award and won the NL batting title in 1970, when he hit .366 with 1.037 OPS. He spent much of that year in the Braves’ cleanup spot, where he batted directly behind Henry Aaron. Carty was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2023.

Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty was born on Sept. 1, 1939, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He drew the attention of Major League scouts while playing for the D.R. in the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago. Eight teams offered him a contract -- and he signed with each one. George Trautman, president of the Minor Leagues, awarded Carty to the Milwaukee Braves.

After four seasons in the Minors, Carty debuted for the Braves by playing in two games at the end of the ’63 season and remained in the organization through the end of the ’72 season. The 147?wRC+?he produced from 1964-71 ranked tied for second among MLB left fielders (minimum 400 games) with Frank Howard, trailing only Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski (149).

Carty missed a portion of the 1969 season because of a sore shoulder but proved productive enough to finish 13th in balloting for the NL MVP Award. Still, he wasn’t on the All-Star ballot the following year.

Fans took care of the oversight. According to his biography on the Society for American Baseball Research website, Carty received 552,382 votes as a write-in candidate, or 67,000 more than Pete Rose, who was on the ballot. The first write-in All-Star, Carty started alongside Aaron and?Willie Mays?in the NL’s starting outfield.

Carty finished 10th in balloting for the 1970 NL MVP Award, but he fractured his left knee and suffered ligament damage when he collided with Matty Alou while playing in the Dominican Republic that December. A blood clot in the damaged leg erased Carty’s bid to return during the second half of the 1971 season.

Carty, who had also missed the 1968 season with tuberculosis, battled multiple ailments again in 1972 and was traded to the Rangers after playing in just 86 games that season.

Carty feuded with fans, umpires and teammates, including Aaron during a flight to Los Angeles during the 1967 season. A few punches were thrown during the altercation that began after Carty allegedly called Aaron a name he didn’t like.

Still, while Carty feuded with Aaron, Eddie Mathews and other Braves figures, his time with the club was productive.

His career-best 171 OPS+ from the 1970 season is tied with Ronald Acu?a Jr. (2023) for the third-highest ever constructed by a Braves player over at least 130 games during the Atlanta era, which dates back to 1966. The only player ahead of them is Aaron (194 in 1971, 177 in '69). Carty is the only left fielder in Braves history to produce a 130?OPS+?or better in at least four seasons, reaching that mark on five different occasions.