Highlighted Year: Chuck Carr, 1993

Outfielder, Florida Marlins

Age:  26 (Aug. 10)

1^st season with Marlins

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 155 

Prior to 1993:

A California native and son of athlete parents, Carr starred in center field at Fontana High School. Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1986 amateur draft he hit poorly in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, batting .171 in 44 games with 9 stolen bases. Released by the Reds, Carr signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1987. Assigned to Bellingham of the Class A Northwest League that year, he improved his batting average to .242 with a .298 on-base percentage and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts. Moving on to the Wausau Timbers of the Class A Midwest League in 1988, Carr improved to .299 with a .327 OBP, 14 doubles, 6 home runs, 30 RBIs, 58 runs scored, and 41 stolen bases in 52 attempts, earning promotion to Vermont of the Class AA Eastern League where he finished up the season by batting .245 with 21 steals in 41 games. Traded to the New York Mets in the offseason, Carr spent 1989 with Jackson of the Class AA Texas League where he hit .241 with 14 extra-base hits, 47 stolen bases, and a .285 OBP. Back with Jackson again in 1990, he started off well and received a call-up to the Mets to fill in for an injured outfielder. His major league stay was brief and uneventful, as he was returned to Jackson until another injury had him back, again briefly, with the Mets. For the year with Jackson and Class AAA Tidewater, where he was promoted to in August, Carr batted a combined .258 with a .329 OBP, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 3 home runs, and 32 RBIs with 54 stolen bases. Cocky and flamboyant, Carr had impressive speed and showed a tendency to make exciting plays in the field. With Tidewater in 1991 Carr’s batting average dropped to .195, but he again spent a little time with the Mets and recorded his first two major league hits. Dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason, he started 1992 back in Class AA and Arkansas of the Texas League to work on his hitting. Minor league hitting instructor Johnny Lewis adjusted his swing and promoted to Louisville of the Class AAA American Association, Carr batted .308 with 11 doubles, 9 triples, 3 home runs, and 53 stolen bases in 96 games and received a September call-up to the Cardinals, where he impressed with his speed but not his hitting. In the offseason the Marlins chose him in the expansion draft. By mid-April of the 1993 season Carr, still officially a rookie, became the new club’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter.

1993 Season Summary

Appeared in 142 games

CF – 139, PR – 2, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 613

At Bats – 551

Runs – 75

Hits – 147

Doubles – 19

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 4

RBI – 41

Bases on Balls – 49

Int. BB – 0

Strikeouts – 74

Stolen Bases – 58 [1]

Caught Stealing – 22 [1]

Average - .267

OBP - .327

Slugging Pct. - .330

Total Bases – 182

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 7

Sac Flies – 4 

League-leading stolen bases were +5 ahead of runner-up Marquis Grissom

League-leading times caught stealing were +3 ahead of runners-up Eric Young & Brett Butler

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 13, HR – 2, RBI – 30, SB – 28, AVG - .255, OBP - .322

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Pittsburgh 5/27, (in 5 AB) vs. San Diego 9/2

Longest hitting streak – 15 games

HR at home – 3

HR on road – 1

Most home runs, game – 1 on four occasions

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 at Montreal 5/12

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 1 (.000)

Fielding

Chances - 406

Put Outs – 393

Assists – 7

Errors – 6

DP – 2

Pct. - .985

Awards & Honors:

4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting (18 points, 13% share)

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In their inaugural season, the Marlins went 64-98 to finish sixth in the NL Eastern Division, 33 games behind the division-winning Philadelphia Phillies, while leading the league in batting strikeouts (1054) and fewest runs scored (581), fewest doubles (197), lowest batting average (.248, tied with the New York Mets), fewest home runs (94), and fewest total bases (1897). The Marlins were nearly at .500 with a 30-31 record on June 13, after a four-game sweep of Pittsburgh. They then dropped 11 of 15 to close out the month. A 4-16 finish to the season solidified their hold on sixth place. They drew 3,064,847 fans to Joe Robbie Stadium. Carr not only led the NL in stolen bases, he also compiled 17 base hits among his 42 bunts.

Aftermath of 1993:

Popular with Marlins fans for his fan-friendly demeanor and colorful personality as well as his speed on the basepaths and exciting, and daring, play in the outfield, Carr was less esteemed by opposing players due to his taunting and “hot-dogging”. Following a holdout in the spring of 1994, Carr went on to have a lesser season, batting .263 with 32 stolen bases and a disappointing .305 OBP that caused him to be dropped lower in the batting order. Despite drawing criticism for behaving oddly and being a self-promoter, Carr performed good works off the field, participating in antidrug programs in schools and other youth-oriented service activities. With a players’ strike having curtailed the 1994 season, Carr worked with Florida’s new hitting coach Jose Morales and went on to post a.330 OBP in 1995 despite a drop in his average to .227 since he more than doubled his walks total to 46. In the offseason the Marlins signed veteran center fielder Devon White and Carr was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He performed well with his new club in 1996 until injuries, in particular a gruesome knee injury, finished his season after just 27 games. Following knee surgery he returned to action in 1997 and was benched after managing only one hit in his first 16 at bats. Seeing limited action, he alienated manager Phil Garner and was released in May after refusing to accept a demotion to Class AAA. Signed by the Houston Astros, he spent time with New Orleans of the Class AAA American Association prior to joining the Astros. He appeared in 63 games and batted .276 with a .333 OBP and hit four home runs while stealing 11 bases. Carr saw his only taste of postseason action with the division-winning Astros who were swept by Atlanta in the NLDS. He went one-for-four with a home run. Not offered a contract by Houston for 1998, he signed a minor-league contract with the Montreal Expos but failed to make the club in the spring. Playing in Taiwan in ’98 he hit .308 with 15 stolen bases in 36 games before returning home to tend to family issues. In 1999 he joined the Atlantic City Surf of the independent Atlantic League and batted .263 with 8 home runs, 21 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 49 games. In 2000 he played for a new Atlantic League team, the Long Island Ducks, and hit .263 with 10 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. After a year with Rimini of the Italian Baseball League, Carr finished his playing career in the four-team Arizona-Mexico League. For his major league career, Carr batted .254 with 435 hits that included 81 doubles, 7 triples, and 13 home runs. He scored 254 runs and compiled 123 RBIs, 144 stolen bases, and a .316 OBP. With the Marlins he batted .256 with 190 runs scored, 331 hits, 58 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 91 RBIs, 115 stolen bases, and a .320 OBP. Carr died of cancer in 2022 at the age of 55. A colorful and exciting player, he made a favorable impression on Marlins fans in the franchise’s early days.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.