Gary Carter (1954-2012) played in MLB as a catcher from 1974 to 1992. He played for the Montreal Expos for the majority of his career from 1974 to 1984, The New York Mets from 1985 to 1989, and finished with short stints with the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and back to the Montreal Expos in 1992.
Over his career, Carter finished with a .262 batting average, 324 home runs, and 1,225 RBIs. He was an eleven time All-Star in 1975 and then
again from 1979 to 1988, a World Series Champion in 1986, and an NL RBI leader in 1984.
Carter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 on 78.02% on the sixth ballot. Additionally, he is a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame, and his jersey was retired by the Montreal Expos.
Born in Culver City, California, Carter grew up in sports. He won the 7 year old national punt, pass, kick competition, and he played quarterback in football and in the infield in baseball.
He received over 100 athletic scholarship offers, and though he signed a letter of intent to play football with UCLA, he left for the Montreal Expos after they selected him 53rd overall in the 1972 MLB Draft.
In the minors, the Expos staff made him a catcher. He was called up in 1974, and he received the nickname “The Kid” which was lovingly bestowed during spring training. Though he did well in 1974, he had little playing time.
Carter played right field and catcher during his rookie season in 1975. He was selected as All Star that year as a right fielder, and he had a .270 batting average with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. This led to a second place finish for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, and he was named Expos Player of the Year.
Due to a finger injury, Carter only played 91 games the next season, and he split time again while he gradually spent more and more time at catcher.
By 1980, Carter won his first of three Gold Glove Awards. With 29 home runs and 101 RBIs, Carter finished second for the NL MVP. He appeared in his first post season the next year where he hit .421 in the division series and .438 in the NLCS.
1984 was a great year for Carter. He was an All Star, a Silver Slugger Award winner, the NL RBI leader, and he had 106 RBIs, 159 games played, .294 batting average, and 175 hits.
The Expos decided to rebuild that off season, so they traded Carter while his stock was high to the New York Mets.
Carter got off to a good start, and he hit walk off home run in the 10th inning on Opening Day. He would end up finishing sixth in MVP voting.
The Mets won the NL pennant in 1986 by 21 ½ games. They charged into the playoffs, and Carter was a valuable member of the team. He hit a walk off RBI single in Game Five of the NLCS. He hit .279 in the World Series with two home runs and nine RBIs. The Mets won the Series.
By 1988, Carter hit career lows in RBIs and home runs, but he continued to excel as a defensive catcher. He was soon cut by the Mets, but the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him up. He petered out and had retired by the end of 1992.
His career ended with the Montreal Expos on September 27, 1992, with a final at bat that drove in what proved to be the winning run. The fans gave him a standing ovation.
Carter is considered one of the finest all around catchers in baseball history. He excelled on defense, and he was high quality at bat.
Carter retired into television broadcasting for a time, as well as coaching and managing. He also focused on his family and his philanthropy with the Gary Carter Foundation.
Unfortunately, Carter passed away due an aggressive and inoperable cancer on his brain. Shortly before he died, he still made Opening Day of the local college team that he was coaching at.
Below are a few details on some of his best cards. There are several more affordable options out there, especially if you collect into the 80s and 90s, but the best cards are listed here.
1975 O-Pee-Chee Gary Carter Rookie Card
There are 660 cards in this set, and each card has standard measurements (2 ½ x 3 ½”). A few keys to the set include Nolan Ryan, Hank
Aaron, as well George Brett and Robin Yount.
Carter sits at #620 on the set. He shares a card title “Rookie Catchers-Outfielders” with Marc Hill, Danny Meyer, and Leon Roberts. PSA has over 9,000 cards registered on this set, and over 75 cards are Carter copies.
The last sale found for a PSA Gem Mint 10 copy was $2,732 in May of 2012. A PSA Mint 9 copy sold for $500 in 2018.
1975 Topps Gary Carter Rookie Card
There are 660 cards in this set, and each card has standard measurements (2 ½ x 3 ½”). A few of the keys to the set include Mike Schmidt, Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan, and George Brett.
Carter sits at #620 on the set. As O-Pee-Chee was the Canadian outpost of Topps, Carter shares his card on the “Rookie Catchers-Outfielders” card.
For reference, PSA has over 300,000 cards registered on this set, and over 3,000 are Carter copies.
Topps is the much more valuable brand, so this identical card has sold for over $10,000 since December of 2020. PSA Mint 9 cards have sold for around $1,000 in the first half of 2021.
1975 Topps Mini Gary Carter Rookie Card
There are 660 cards in this set, and each card measures at 2 ¼ x 3 ⅛”. A few of the keys to this set include Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson, and Hank Aaron.
Carter sits at #620 on this set. Topps Mini was a test set, so it is identical to the base. Carter again appears on the “Rookie Catchers-
Outfielders” Cards. PSA has over 100,000 cards registered on this set, and over 1,000 are Carter copies.
This card sold for around $2,000 since 2008, and the price began to rise in the covid era. The most recent sale was for $8,600 in 2021.
1976 Topps Gary Carter
There are 660 cards in this set, and each card has standard measurements (2 ½ x 3 ½”). A few of the keys to this set include Dennis Eckersley, Nolan Ryan, and George Brett. Carter sits at #441 on the set.
For reference, PSA has over 20,000 cards registered on this set, and over 1,000 cards are Carter copies.
A PSA Gem Mint card sold for $2,100 in May of 2021, and another sold for $1,502.77 in June 2021. That is a sharp increase from previous years where it went for a few hundred dollars since 2016.
1977 Topps Gary Carter
There are 660 cards in this set, and each card has standard measurements (2 ½ x 3 ½). A few of the keys to the set include Bruce Sutter, Lee Mazilli, Brooks Robinson, as well as Tom Seaver. Gary Carter sits at #295 on the set.
PSA has over 100,000 cards registered on this set, and over 500 are Carter copies. PSA Gem Mint 10’s were selling for around $200 for several years, and the most recent sale is for $891.22 from June of 2021.
Conclusion
When he was the prime minister of Canada, Pierre Elliot Trudeau remarked, “I am certainly happy that I don’t have to run for election against Gary Carter.”
Noted baseball writer, Tom Verducci, wrote after Carter’s death, “I cannot conjure a single image of Gary Carter with anything but a smile on his face. I have no recollection of a gloomy Carter, not even as his knees began to announce a slow surrender … Carter played every day with the joy as if it were the opening day of Little League.”
He was nicknamed “The Kid” for a reason, and that passion showed throughout his career.