Rico Carty, Major League Player, Dies at 85

By Pat Freeman, The Mighty O’Ba

Rico Carty

Atlanta Braves lost one of its legendary all-star sluggers, Rico Carty. He passed at the age of 85 as he made his professional mark with the Braves. He was one of the first Dominican plyers to make the majors.

After a year of illness in 1968 he was battling with tuberculosis. When Carty returned from his illness /.342/.401/.549 with home runs and 58 RBIs across 104 games. Carty won the batting 366 average and played in the All-Star game for the Atlanta Braves.

He played for the Braves, 4 years Cleveland Indians, 2 years with the Toronto Blue Jays, parts of two seasons with Oakland Athletics and played parts with the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. Despite his injuries, Carty managed to play baseball from 1963 to 1979.

Carty was inducted into Atlanta’s Braves Hall of Fame just last year. He played alongside Braves legend Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews. He retired with a 299 batting average, 204 home runs, 890 RBIs, and a 32.7 WAR.