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Back in the Dominican Republic, hardly anyone ever thought that Ricardo Adolfo Jacabo Carty would even make it to the majors. "They put me in left field when I was a kid," he recalls, "and the ball went over my head. They put me to catch, and the ball went behind me." One thing Rico could always do, though, was "heet the ball." That is what impressed major league scouts when, at 18, Carty came to the U.S. to play in the Pan American Games. Unable to speak a word of English, he was quick to give his autograph to any man who smiled at him. "I think I sign twelve contracts," he says, "eight to play in the U.S. and four for the Dominican Republic."
Hot Dog, Not Hothead. It was finally ruled that Carty belonged to the Braves. During his rookie season he subsisted mainly on hamburger (the first English word he mastered), but today he is known to rival players as a "hot dog"—locker-room lingo for showoff. Ever smiling, Carty always catches the ball one-handed, waves to the fans, and tosses balls to them. He wants to be known as a "hoppy guy," not as the hotheaded player who once slugged Teammate Hank Aaron.
Known to teammates as "the beeg fella," the 6 ft. 2 in., 210 Ib. Carty describes himself as "a crazy hitter until two strikes, then I look for the strike . zone." Bat cocked straight up like an exclamation point, he hits with power to all fields. In a recent game against Philadelphia, he pounded three home runs to three different fields. That may be just the beginning. In past seasons, Rico notes, he has always done his best hitting in July and August.