Former MLB first baseman and outfielder Dave McCarty, 54, of Oakland, CA, passed away unexpectedly on April 19, 2024 in Oakland, California. Born in Houston, TX, on November 23, 1969, Dave attended Sharpstown High School and later Stanford University, where he would put up All-American, College Player of the Year numbers that would eventually land him in the Stanford Hall of Fame. Dave played for Team USA in the summer of 1990 and was drafted 3rd overall in the 1991 draft by the Minnesota Twins.
The 1969 MLB draft first round did not yield many star players. The first pick was Brien Taylor (Yankees), then it was the Braves turn and they took Mike Kelly and the Twins then selected McCarty. The best player selected in that first round was Manny Ramirez by the then Cleveland Indians as the 13th overall selection.
McCarty signed with Minnesota for $395,000 in June of 1991 and started his pro career in High-A ball and made his big league debut on May 17, 1993 at the Metrodome as an outfielder against Jimmy Key and the New York Yankees in what turned out to be a Twins 11 to 5 loss. McCarty went 1 for 4 in his first big league game. McCarty’s career with the Twins did not go as planned, probably because Twins manager Tom Kelly and McCarty did not see eye to eye. McCarty appeared in just 167 games hitting .226 with 3 home runs between 1993-1995 before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher John Courtright whose one game big league career was already behind him.
During his 11 years in MLB the once top prospect would become a journeyman utility player who could come off the bench to play defense, provide a power-threat, and-a few times-pitch. Dave played in 630 major league games with the Minnesota Twins (1993–1995), San Francisco Giants (1995–1997), Seattle Mariners (1998), Kansas City Royals (2000–2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2002), Oakland Athletics (2003), and Boston Red Sox (2003–2005), posting a career average of .242 with 36 home runs, and 175 RBI.
The highlight of Dave’s baseball career was being part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox during their historic championship season that would break the infamous 86-year-long “Curse of the Bambino.” Dave retired from baseball in 2005 but continued to work for the Red Sox as an analyst on NESN until the 2008 season.
After baseball, Dave joined Lee & Associates as one of the founding members of the commercial real estate firm’s Oakland office in 2006. Dave’s wife of 32 years, Monica, whom he met at Stanford, and their two children, Reid and Maxine, shared a love of sports and travel. The family traveled the globe together and enjoyed skiing, hiking, golf, Disney, and London.
Dave was preceded in death by his father, Dennis. He is survived by his wife, his children, his mother, Joan, his sister, Kelly, and a large much-loved extended family. We at Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to David McCarty’s family, friend and fans. Thank you for the memories Dave McCarty.