Chuck Carr

Charles Lee Glenn Carr Jr.
(Chuckie)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.
• High School Fontana High School
• Debut April 28, 1990
• Final Game September 27, 1997
• Born August 10, 1967 in San Bernardino, CA USA
• Died November 12, 2022 in Mesa, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Speedy outfielder Chuck Carr was known for his highlight reel catches in center field, particularly during his time with the Florida Marlins.

Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1986 amateur draft, he only played one season in their farm system and was released less than a year later. He signed with the Seattle Mariners organization in 1987 before being traded to the New York Mets chain following the 1988 season. He broke into the Majors with the Mets in 1990, playing one game at the end of April and three more at the end of August. He struck out in both at bats that year. He played another 12 games with the Mets in 1991 before being traded in the offseason to the St. Louis Cardinals for Clyde Keller. He saw action in 22 games in St. Louis in 1992 and was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft following the season. The Marlins took him in the 7th round, intending him to be their center fielder.

Carr made the Florida Marlins' first ever opening day roster in 1993, but as a reserve outfielder. Rule V draft choice Scott Pose won the center field job after a strong spring training, but was slashing .222/.263/.278 after the team's first nine games, and Carr took over while Pose found himself back in the minors before the beginning of May. Carr ended up slashing .267/.327/.330 in 146 games, stole a National League-leading 58 bases, and finished fourth in the !Rookie of the Year balloting. On the downside, his 22 times caught stealing led the Senior Circuit, and while his tremendous speed allowed him to cover a lot of ground in center field, his fielding percentage was exactly league average. Moreover, he had a crippling inability - or perhaps unwillingness - to get on base, with a high on-base percentage of .330 in 1995 (a year in which he hit an uncharacteristically low .227) with a career OBP of a mere .316 - terrible numbers for a leadoff hitter. He also possessed very little power at the plate, slugging .332 in his eight-year career.

By the middle of 1994, the Marlins were growing frustrated with his refusal to perform as a leadoff hitter. He preferred to try to hit like a middle-of-the order run producer, even adopting a batting stance similar to that of teammate Gary Sheffield for a time! Following the 1995 season, the Marlins traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Juan Gonzalez. He spent most of the 1996 season on the disabled list, only appearing in 27 games in which he slashed .274/.310/.377. He began 1997 back in Milwaukee. On May 16th in Anaheim against the Anaheim Angels, he ignored a take sign on a 2-0 count and popped out to third base.

"That ain't Chuckie's game. Chuckie hacks on 2-0." - Chuck Carr, on why he swung when ordered to take by Milwaukee Brewers manager Phil Garner

That was his final game in Milwaukee - he was released on May 20th. He was hitting a meager .130 at the time with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts in 50 plate appearances. He signed with the Houston Astros on June 1st and got into his first game on June 24th. Against the Chicago Cubs that day in Wrigley Field, he went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and even two walks. He appeared in 63 games with the Astros, starting 49 of them and slashing .276/.333/.417. He homered off John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves in the 7th inning of Game 3 of the Division Series, in what turned out to be the final big league at-bat of his career.

He was in the Montreal Expos camp in spring training 1998 as a non-roster invitee. However, he didn't make the ballclub, nor did he spend any time in Montreal's minor league system. Instead, he went overseas and played 36 games for the Mercuries Tigers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He spent 1999 and 2000 back stateside in the Atlantic League, slashing .257/.321/.428 in his two seasons there. He later played in Serie A1 and in the Arizona-Mexico League, wrapping up his professional career in 2003.

He was later a coach with the Salem Avalanche from 2005 to 2007.

Carr passed away in 2022 at age 55 after a battle with cancer.

Notable Achievements

• NL Stolen Bases Leader (1993)
• 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 1 (1993)

Further Reading

• JR Radcliffe (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel): "Chuck Carr, who played for five Major League Baseball teams, dies at 55", Yahoo! News, November 13, 2022. [1]

Related Sites

• Chuck Carr at the SABR Bio Project