Gary Carter

Class of: 1998

Sport: Minor League Baseball
MLB

Team: Montreal Expos
New York Mets

Carter was drafted by the Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Montreal Expos as a shortstop in the third round of the 1972 Draft. The Expos converted Carter to a catcher in the minor leagues. Carter split time between right field and catching his rookie season and was selected for the National League (NL) All-Star team. Carter hit .270 with 17 home runs and 68 runs batted in, and finished second for the NL Rookie of the Year and received the Sporting News’ Rookie of the Year Award. In 1980, Carter clubbed 29 home runs, drove in 101 runs, and earned the first of his three consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

In 1984, Gary was traded to the New York Mets where he helped the team win the World Series in 1986. After five years with the Mets, he returned to Montreal to finish out his career. Overall, Carter had a .991 fielding percentage as a catcher and 11,785 career putouts. He ranks sixth all-time in career home runs by a catcher with 298.

After his retirement, Carter served as an analyst for Florida Marlins television broadcasts from 1993-1996. Gary’s #8 was retired by the Expos in 2003. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 7, 2003.

Carter has been a very active philanthropist since his retirement from baseball. The Gary Carter Foundation, supports eight Title I schools in Palm Beach County, whose students live immersed in poverty. Typically these schools will have 90% or more students eligible for free or reduced lunches. The Foundation seeks to “better the physical, mental and spiritual well being of children.” They advocate “school literacy by encouraging use of the Reading Counts Program, a program that exists in the Palm Beach County School District.” Since its inception, The Gary Carter Foundation has placed over $622,000 toward charitable purposes, including $366,000 to local elementary schools for their Reading programs.