Carlos Lee
| Carlos Lee | |
|---|---|
 Lee with the Houston Astros |
|
| Free agent | |
| First Baseman/Left Fielder | |
| Born: June 20, 1976 Aguadulce, Panama |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 7, 1999 for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Career statistics (through 2012 season) |
|
| Batting average | .285 |
| Home runs | 358 |
| Hits | 2,273 |
| Runs batted in | 1,363 |
| Runs | 1,125 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Carlos Noriel Lee (born June 20, 1976) is a professional baseball first baseman and left fielder, who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed.
Contents |
Professional career[edit]
White Sox, Brewers, Rangers[edit]
Lee made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox on May 7, 1999, hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat. He would remain in the White Sox organization until being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Scott Podsednik and pitcher Luis Vizcaíno.
Lee was the White Sox' starting left fielder for the first six years of his career, with only a few games a season as a designated hitter. He can hit for both average and power. From 2001–02, his batting average slumped to the .260s, but he has returned to exceeding .300, and has a career average of .288. His home run totals increased over the years. White Sox television announcer Ken Harrelson gave Lee his nickname "El Caballo", which means "The Horse".
Lee's best showing was in the National League with 114 RBIs. He was selected for the National League All-Star team in his first two seasons as a Brewer, and participated in the Home Run Derby in 2005.
On July 28, 2006, he was traded to the Texas Rangers with minor league outfielder Nelson Cruz for outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix, relief pitcher Francisco Cordero, and minor league pitcher Julian Cordero.[1] According to Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin, the Brewers attempted to re-sign Lee, but by July 27, it became apparent he would not sign a contract extension. The Brewers reportedly offered a four-year, $48 million contract extension, close to the four-year, $50 million extension David Ortiz signed earlier in 2006. Lee's agent Adam Katz said the two parties were too far away in negotiations.
Houston Astros[edit]
On November 24, 2006, Lee agreed to a six-year, $100 million contract with the Houston Astros.[2] Lee had a productive first year in Houston, hitting .303 with 32 home runs and driving in 119 runs, which was good for a three-way tie in the National League with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.[3][4][5][6][7]
In 2009 he had the lowest range factor of all starting major league left fielders (1.56).[8][9] In 2010 after Lance Berkman was traded to the New York Yankees, Lee played a handful of games at first base. While this was not the first time in his career he had played first, it was the first time he did so on a regular basis. In 2011 he was an above average defender according to UZR and other statistical measurements.[10]
Miami Marlins[edit]
On July 4, 2012, Lee was traded to the Miami Marlins for minor leaguers Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen. He played his first game as a Marlin the next day against the Milwaukee Brewers, and went 2-for-4 with a run in a win. He hit his first home run as a Marlin, a grand slam, on July 17 against the Chicago Cubs. He now has 17 career grand slams, ranking him seventh in MLB history (tied with Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams). He is third on the active list of grand slams behind Alex Rodriguez (23) and Manny Ramirez (21).
Personal[edit]
In reference to his nickname, Carlos has a fan club called "Los Caballitos,"[11] which means "Little Horses." He is married and has two daughters, Cassandra and Karla and a son, named Karlos. Lee owns and operates cattle ranches in Aguadulce and Houston. His brother, also named Carlos, played professional baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league system.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ JS Online: So long, slugger
- ^ best baseball player Astros reel in Lee, Williams | astros.com: News
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/360689-bad-paper-the-10-worst-contracts-in-the-mlb#page/3
- ^ http://www.springtraining09.com/features/the-44-worst-contracts-in-base.php
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/08/12/worst.contracts/index.html
- ^ http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-worst-contract-in-baseball/
- ^ http://mikesrants.baseballtoaster.com/archives/322892.html
- ^ "MLB Player Fielding Stats - As lf - 2009," ESPN, accessed October 6, 2009
- ^ http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/08/07/worst-everyday-player-in-baseball/
- ^ http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=243&position=OF
- ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4815131.html
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carlos Lee |
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Preceded by Barry Bonds Jim Edmonds Bobby Abreu |
NL Silver Slugger/Outfield w/ Andruw Jones & Miguel Cabrera 2005 |
Succeeded by Carlos Beltrán Matt Holliday Alfonso Soriano |
| Preceded by Carlos Beltrán Matt Holliday Alfonso Soriano |
NL Silver Slugger/Outfield w/Carlos Beltrán & Matt Holliday 2007 |
Succeeded by Ryan Braun Matt Holliday Ryan Ludwick |
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- 1976 births
- Living people
- People from Aguadulce District
- National League All-Stars
- Chicago White Sox players
- Milwaukee Brewers players
- Texas Rangers players
- Houston Astros players
- Miami Marlins players
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Major League Baseball players from Panama
- Gulf Coast White Sox players
- Bristol White Sox players
- Hickory Crawdads players
- Winston-Salem Warthogs players
- Birmingham Barons players
- Charlotte Knights players
- Corpus Christi Hooks players
- 2006 World Baseball Classic players
- 2009 World Baseball Classic players
