Braves Hall of Famer, Dominican Baseball Icon Rico Carty Dies at 85

Rico Carty played for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays throughout the 1960s and 70s, becoming one of MLB's first stars out of the Dominican Republic.

Unknown date; Milwaukee, WI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Milwaukee Braves outfielder Rico Carty poses for a portrait at County Stadium. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Legendary MLB outfielder Rico Carty died Saturday night, according to multiple reports.

Carty, a one-time All-Star and one-time batting champion, was 85 years old. He was inducted into the Atlanta Braves' Hall of Fame in 2023.

The Dominican Republic native signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959, then made his big league debut in 1963. The catcher-turned-outfielder burst onto the scene for real in 1964, batting .330 with 22 home runs, 88 RBI, a .942 OPS and a 4.8 WAR.

Carty remained a valuable piece for the Braves as they moved to Atlanta, until he separated his shoulder in 1967 and missed the entire 1968 season with tuberculosis. He returned to form in 1969, batting .342 with 16 home runs, 58 RBI, a .951 OPS and a 3.1 WAR en route to a 13th-place finish in the NL MVP race.

In 1970, Carty made his first and only All-Star appearance in the midst of an explosive career year. He led all of MLB with a .366 batting average and .454 on-base percentage, posting a 1.037 OPS and 5.8 WAR alongside his 25 home runs and 101 RBI.

Placing 10th in NL MVP voting marked the peak of Carty's career, as he soon suffered a knee injury that would knock him out for all of 1971. The Braves moved on from Carty after 1972, and he split 1973 between the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics.

Carty landed with the Cleveland Indians in 1974, reviving his career in the process. He became a designated hitter and finished 24th in AL MVP voting in 1976, continuing to hit over .300.

Cleveland traded Carty to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1978, only for the Blue Jays to flip him to the Athletics midseason. Still, the 38-year-old slugger hit a career-high 38 home runs that year, racking up 99 RBI and a 3.2 WAR.

Carty returned to the Blue Jays for one final season in 1979, then retired at the age of 40.

For his career, Carty hit .299 with an .833 OPS, recording 1,677 hits, 204 home runs, 890 RBI and a 32.7 WAR. He was a .317 hitter with the Braves and a .303 hitter with the Indians.

Carty appeared on just one out of 395 ballots when he became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. Regardless, he was part of the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1996, and he got inducted in the Braves' own Hall of Fame nearly three decades later.

According to Listin Diario, Carty was taken to Atlanta two weeks ago due to intestinal ailments. He remained there until he died, but his remains will reportedly return to the Dominican Republic in the coming days.

Carty's death comes less than two months after another Dominican icon, Osvaldo Virgil, died at the age of 92. Virgil was the first MLB player to be born in the Dominican Republic, arriving in the big leagues in 1956. Pioneering Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant also passed away in October.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.