Way back when I was a kid Gary Carter was one of my first baseball idols. From what I recall, Carter wasn’t the most talented, wasn’t the fastest, wasn’t the strongest, or the flashiest. Carter was all about hustle and determination.

Former Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez on Gary Carter:

“He was a human backstop back there. Early, before his knees went bad, you couldn’t steal on him in Montreal. When he wasn’t able to throw because of his knees, that never affected his performance. He was running on and off the field after three outs. This guy played in some pain and it was hustle, hustle, hustle.”

photo: SI Vault