When Rico Carty struck out, he smiled. When he made an error, he smiled. After everything, he always smiled.
It earned him two nicknames: “Beeg Boy” and “Smiley.”
His teammates always asked: What are you smiling for?
“I would say, ‘If I get mad, it’s worse,’” Carty said. “If I smile, I forget about what I did and am going to try to correct what I did. But that’s part of life.”
In a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Carty and Fred Tenney were inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame.
Not long before that, Carty spent almost 30 minutes answering questions. He reflected on his Braves tenure. He told stories. He provided tidbits on some of the greats – those he played with and against.
He seemed to relish this moment, this day.
“I’ll tell you what: I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Carty said.
Carty, who played for the Braves from 1963 to 1972, posted a .317 batting average for the franchise, which ranks sixth in club history and is tied for first in the Atlanta era. He has the highest career WAR of any left fielder in Braves history. In 1970, an All-Star season, he hit .366, which is the highest batting average in Atlanta history – and tied for sixth in the franchise’s overall history.
Credit: AJC Sports
Credit: AJC Sports
Tenney, the first baseman who played for the Boston Braves from 1894-07, and again in 1911, ranks fourth in franchise history in hits (1,994), fifth in stolen bases (260) and fifth in runs scored (1,134). Tenney was both a player and a manager from 1905-07, and in 1911.
Carty took pride in valuing the fans. He used to throw the ball up into the stands, and the Braves would fine him $5 each time he did it. Keep in mind: He only earned $1,000 a month – before taxes.
Eventually, someone with the team said not to fine Carty because, well, he was going to keep doing it.
“And that’s the truth,” Carty said. “I kept doing it.”
Carty was touched by the fans’ support this weekend. He heard them yell his name a lot.
“The fans, they make feel like I’m playing,” he said.
And he made sure to clarify this: Many of them were not 50, 60 and 70 years old. They were younger.
“You’re not from my time, but I’ve heard so much about you,” some of them told him.
“That made me feel good,” Carty said. “And grateful – very grateful.”
Kyle Wright’s rehab assignment could begin soon
Kyle Wright on Saturday threw a live batting practice session at the Braves’ spring training complex in Florida.
Asked if he could begin a rehab assignment soon, manager Brian Snitker said: “I would think he’s getting there.”
Snitker didn’t have Wright’s schedule in front of him – of course, he’s focused on the 26 players who are active at this moment – but it seems like Wright is close. He’s been in Florida facing hitters.
The Braves will be cautious, but it seems like a rehab assignment isn’t far off if all continues to go well.
Lee getting close too
Reliever Dylan Lee on Friday threw a scoreless inning for Triple-A Gwinnett.
His next step will be to throw one more inning on Sunday as he continues building up.
Lee went 1 1/3 innings in one rehab outing, but has not yet gone two full innings. He allowed three runs during that 1 1/3-inning outing. Otherwise, he’s tossed four scoreless innings on his rehab assignment.
The Braves are building up Lee to throw multiple innings.
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