Carlos Lee

Carlos Noriel Lee, known as "El Caballo," was a Panamanian left fielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1999 through 2012. He suited up for the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Miami Marlins. Over his career, he hit 17 grand slams, tying him with Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams for seventh all-time; his seven grand slams as an Astro are a club record he shares with Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.

Lee debuted with the White Sox on May 7, 1999, homering in his first big-league at-bat. As a rookie, he batted .293 with 84 RBIs over 127 games, finishing seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2000, he drove in 92 runs and hit 24 homers. The next year, he again hit 24 homers with 84 RBIs, though his average slipped from .301 to .269 across 150 games. In 2002, he played 140 games, driving in 80 runs with 26 homers. His breakout came in 2003: 158 games, 113 RBIs, 31 homers, and 100 runs scored. He followed that in 2004 with 31 homers, 103 runs, 99 RBIs, and a .305 average. After the season, Chicago traded him to Milwaukee for Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaíno.

With the Brewers in 2005, Lee hit 32 homers, drove in 114 runs, and led the National League with 11 sacrifice flies. He made the NL All-Star team in both 2005 and 2006, participating in the 2005 Home Run Derby, and won his first Silver Slugger Award that year. On July 28, 2006, Milwaukee traded him and minor leaguer Nelson Cruz to Texas for Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix, Francisco Cordero, and minor league pitcher Julian Cordero. Brewers GM Doug Melvin said the team tried to re-sign Lee, but by July 27 it was clear he wouldn’t accept an extension; Milwaukee had offered four years and $48 million, close to David Ortiz’s four-year, $50 million deal. Lee’s agent Adam Katz noted the sides were too far apart.

In 59 games for the Rangers, Lee hit .322 with nine homers as a designated hitter and left fielder. Combined with his Brewers numbers, he set career highs with 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 161 games.

On November 24, 2006, Lee signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Astros. In his first Houston season, he batted .303 with 32 homers and 119 RBIs, tying Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder for the NL lead. In 2008, despite playing only 115 games due to injury, he drove in 100 runs and hit 28 homers. In 2009, he had the lowest range factor among starting major league left fielders (1.56), but still produced at the plate: .300 average, 102 RBIs in 160 games.

After Lance Berkman was traded to the Yankees in 2010, Lee took over at first base regularly for the first time in his career. That year he hit a career-low .246, though he still drove in 89 runs and hit 24 homers. In 2011, advanced metrics like UZR rated him an above-average defender. Through 66 games in 2012, he struck out only 17 times in 258 at-bats.

Over his six years in Houston, he never fanned more than 65 times in a season, and he set the club grand slam record with seven.

On July 4, 2012, the Astros traded Lee to the Miami Marlins for minor leaguers Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen. He debuted the next day against Milwaukee, going 2-for-4 with a run in a win. On July 17, he hit his first Marlins homer—a grand slam—against the Cubs. In 81 games with Miami, he batted .243 with four homers in 338 plate appearances.

Lee also played for Panama in international competition. At the 2006 World Baseball Classic, he slashed .182/.250/.182 over 12 plate appearances with two hits and three strikeouts. In the 2009 WBC, he slashed .143/.250/.143 over eight plate appearances.

Over 14 seasons and 2,099 games, Lee finished with a .285 average (2,273 hits in 7,983 at-bats), 1,125 runs, 469 doubles, 19 triples, 358 homers, 1,363 RBIs, 125 stolen bases, 655 walks, 984 strikeouts, a .339 on-base percentage, and a .483 slugging percentage. Defensively, he posted a .988 fielding percentage in left field and at first base.

His nickname inspired a fan club called Los Caballitos, meaning "Little Horses." Lee is married with two daughters, Cassandra and Karla, and two sons, Karlos and Carlos. He owns and operates cattle ranches in Aguadulce and Houston. His younger brother, also named Carlos (Carlos Humberto Lee), played in the minor league systems of the White Sox and Brewers from 2001 to 2007.