Gary Carter, baseball player, 324 home runs, 1974-1992

Gary Carter

⭐ Hall of Fame 2003

Born: 4/8/1954 in Culver City, CA, USA

Died: 2/16/2012 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1974-09-16 | Final Game: 1992-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Gary Edmund Carter

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Biography

Gary Carter, born in 1954, was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1974 until his retirement in 1992. Known for his exceptional skills as a catcher and his infectious enthusiasm for the game, Carter played in 2,296 games, compiling 2,092 hits, 324 home runs, and 1,225 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .262. His ability to combine offensive prowess with defensive excellence made him one of the most well-rounded players of his time. Over the course of his career, he was selected to 11 All-Star Games and earned the distinction of All-Star Game MVP on two occasions. Carter's impact on the game went beyond statistics; he was a key figure in the New York Mets' 1986 World Series championship team, solidifying his legacy in baseball history. His leadership and clutch performances in critical moments exemplified the grit and determination of the era, which was characterized by intense competition and the emergence of powerful hitting. After his retirement, Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, a testament to his significant contributions to the sport. His career remains a source of inspiration for aspiring players and a pivotal chapter in the narrative of baseball during the late 20th century.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2296 7971 1025 2092 371 31 324 1225 39 848 997 0.262 0.335 0.439 0.773 13602.2

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .335 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .439 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +14.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.773 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1974 WSN NL 9 27 5 11 0 1 1 6 2 1 2 0.407 — — — — 0.0
1975 WSN NL 144 503 58 136 20 1 17 68 5 72 83 0.270 .257 (+5%) .327 (+10%) .374 (+11%) .701 (+11%) 1197.8
1976 WSN NL 91 311 31 68 8 1 6 38 0 30 43 0.219 .255 (-14%) .320 (-10%) .360 (-14%) .681 (-13%) -684.4
1977 WSN NL 154 522 86 148 29 2 31 84 5 58 103 0.284 .264 (+7%) .329 (+8%) .401 (+31%) .730 (+21%) 2171.3
1978 WSN NL 157 533 76 136 27 1 20 72 10 62 70 0.255 .257 (-1%) .323 (+4%) .378 (+11%) .702 (+8%) 886.4
1979 WSN NL 141 505 74 143 26 5 22 75 3 40 62 0.283 .265 (+7%) .329 (+2%) .397 (+22%) .727 (+13%) 1191.1
1980 WSN NL 154 549 76 145 25 5 29 101 3 58 78 0.264 .264 (avg) .326 (+1%) .387 (+25%) .714 (+14%) 1460.9
1981 WSN NL 100 374 48 94 20 2 16 68 1 35 35 0.251 .255 (-2%) .320 (-2%) .368 (+20%) .688 (+10%) 543.2
1982 WSN NL 154 557 91 163 32 1 29 97 2 78 64 0.293 .261 (+12%) .324 (+17%) .388 (+31%) .712 (+25%) 2944.6
1983 WSN NL 145 541 63 146 37 3 17 79 1 51 57 0.270 .260 (+3%) .324 (+3%) .389 (+14%) .714 (+9%) 916.5
1984 WSN NL 159 596 75 175 32 1 27 106 2 64 57 0.294 .259 (+13%) .322 (+13%) .384 (+26%) .707 (+21%) 2552.2
1985 NYN NL 149 555 83 156 17 1 32 100 1 69 46 0.281 .257 (+9%) .323 (+13%) .390 (+25%) .714 (+19%) 2310.4
1986 NYN NL 132 490 81 125 14 2 24 105 1 62 63 0.255 .257 (-1%) .325 (+3%) .395 (+11%) .720 (+8%) 696.3
1987 NYN NL 139 523 55 123 18 2 20 83 0 42 73 0.235 .262 (-11%) .331 (-12%) .415 (-6%) .746 (-9%) -1046.0
1988 NYN NL 130 455 39 110 16 2 11 46 0 34 52 0.242 .254 (-5%) .317 (-5%) .377 (-5%) .695 (-5%) -482.8
1989 NYN NL 50 153 14 28 8 0 2 15 0 12 15 0.183 .254 (-28%) .319 (-25%) .375 (-27%) .694 (-26%) -684.8
1990 SFG NL 92 244 24 62 10 0 9 27 1 25 31 0.254 .257 (-1%) .324 (avg) .385 (+5%) .710 (+3%) 124.2
1991 LAD NL 101 248 22 61 14 0 6 26 2 22 26 0.246 .255 (-4%) .323 (avg) .384 (-3%) .708 (-1%) -37.0
1992 WSN NL 95 285 24 62 18 1 5 29 0 33 37 0.218 .255 (-15%) .322 (-7%) .377 (-10%) .699 (-9%) -457.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
30 118 11 33 8 1 4 21 8 15 0.280

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1988 NLCS NYN 7 27 0 6 1 1 0 4 1 3 0.222
1986 NLCS NYN 6 27 1 4 1 0 0 2 2 5 0.148
1986 WS NYN 7 29 4 8 2 0 2 9 0 4 0.276
1981 NEDIV MON 5 19 3 8 3 0 2 6 1 1 0.421
1981 NLCS MON 5 16 3 7 1 0 0 0 4 2 0.438

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 76 53 490 33 2 39
3B 3 0 1 4 0 1
C 2056 1955 11785 1203 121 149
OF 137 120 214 7 5 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 MON C 6 5 26 4 0 1
1974 MON OF 2 2 2 0 0 0
1975 MON 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 MON C 66 56 280 37 5 6
1975 MON OF 92 80 150 1 4 1
1976 MON C 60 55 311 36 2 7
1976 MON OF 36 33 53 6 0 1
1977 MON C 146 143 811 101 9 14
1977 MON OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1978 MON 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0
1978 MON C 152 147 781 83 10 9
1979 MON C 138 136 751 88 9 12
1980 MON C 149 146 822 108 7 8
1981 MON 1B 1 1 6 0 0 1
1981 MON C 100 99 509 58 4 11
1982 MON C 153 151 954 104 10 6
1983 MON 1B 1 1 8 1 0 1
1983 MON C 144 141 847 107 5 14
1984 MON 1B 25 23 218 13 1 19
1984 MON C 143 134 772 65 6 6
1985 NYN 1B 6 6 31 3 0 2
1985 NYN C 143 139 956 67 8 11
1985 NYN OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1986 NYN 1B 9 7 68 5 0 4
1986 NYN 3B 1 0 1 3 0 1
1986 NYN C 122 121 869 62 8 13
1986 NYN OF 4 3 5 0 1 0
1987 NYN 1B 4 0 10 0 0 1
1987 NYN C 135 132 874 70 9 13
1987 NYN OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1988 NYN 1B 10 6 45 3 1 3
1988 NYN 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1988 NYN C 119 116 797 54 9 5
1989 NYN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1989 NYN C 47 42 266 31 6 6
1990 SFN 1B 3 3 25 0 0 3
1990 SFN C 80 58 323 31 3 2
1991 LAN 1B 10 4 47 7 0 3
1991 LAN C 68 55 355 45 5 2
1992 MON 1B 5 2 26 1 0 2
1992 MON C 85 79 481 52 6 3

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 2056
First Base 76
Third Base 3
Left Field 5
Right Field 132

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1989 Roberto Clemente Award
1986 Silver Slugger C
1986 TSN All-Star C
1985 Player of the Month September
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-09-06
1985 Silver Slugger C
1985 TSN All-Star C
1984 All-Star Game MVP
1984 Silver Slugger C
1984 TSN All-Star C
1982 Gold Glove C
1982 Silver Slugger C
1982 TSN All-Star C
1981 All-Star Game MVP
1981 Gold Glove C
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-08-28
1981 Silver Slugger C
1981 TSN All-Star C
1980 Gold Glove C
1980 Player of the Month September
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-05-30
1980 TSN All-Star C
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-06-20
1975 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#9
Top 20 Catchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 9 of 20
→

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1992 MON NL $825,000
1991 LAN NL $500,000
1990 SFN NL $250,000
1989 NYN NL $2,198,572
1988 NYN NL $2,160,714
1987 NYN NL $2,060,714
1986 NYN NL $2,160,714
1985 NYN NL $2,028,571
Total Career Earnings $12,184,285

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1986 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 181.0 336 1
1985 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 116.0 336 0
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 32.0 336 0
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 35.0 336 0
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 77.0 336 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 193.0 336 0
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 15.0 336 1
1975 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 9.0 24 9