San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Stanford great played for Giants and A’s
Former Stanford first baseman Dave McCarty, a member of Boston’s 2004 World Series winning team, died at age 54, the Red Sox announced Friday on social media.
McCarty was the 1991 Baseball America College Player of the Year at Stanford after batting .420 with 24 homers.
“He was one of the all-time greats here,” said Stanford head coach David Esquer, who was an assistant coach when McCarty was playing for the Cardinal. “He was our best player, a go-to player, a big-leaguer playing college baseball, and his teammates loved him. They’re all crushed. Dave was the hub of that class.
It’s affected our whole community.”
McCarty was the third pick overall in the 1991 draft, going to the Twins, and in an 11-year career in the major leagues, he also played for the Giants (in 1995-96), the Mariners, Royals, Rays, A’s (2003) and Red Sox. He retired in 2005 and worked as an analyst on Boston’s NESN’s broadcasts for three years.
According to MassLive.com, McCarty died of a cardiac event in Oakland.
McCarty was working in commercial real estate in the East Bay; he is survived by his wife, best-selling author Monica McCarty, and children Reid and Maxine.
“Mac was a phenomenal teammate, father and friend,” said former Giants manager Gabe Kapler, who played with McCarty on Boston’s curse-ending title team. “My heart is broken for Monica and their children. I’ll remember Dave’s gift for banter and the good-natured person he was more than anything else.”
Ed Sprague, the A’s director of player development, got to know McCarty when McCarty was on a recruiting trip to Stanford. “He had a great career at Stanford and in the big leagues,” Sprague said. “He was a smart guy and a nice guy, it’s really sad.”