Former first baseman and outfielder Dave McCarty died today, Friday at the all too young age of 54. The Twins drafted him third overall in 1991:

A first baseman and outfielder drafted out of Stanford, McCarty failed to turn into a star with the Twins, hitting .221 with three home runs and 37 RBI in 167 games before they dealt him to Cincinnati for pitcher John Courtright in 1995. McCarty never played for the Reds, but he did subsequently play for San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Oakland and finally Boston., and was a career .242 hitter with 36 homers and 175 RBI in 630 games. He spent time as a Red Sox broadcaster for NESN after his retirement.

StarTribune.com

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

McCarty only had one good year, his 2000 season with Kansas City. He slashed .278/.329/.478 in .295 plate appearances. It was the only year he reached double digits in home runs, hitting 12.

He had no obvious strengths as a hitter. His slash averages were all poor. He did not steal bases well. Even his fielding was below average most years. He received one post-season plate appearance and struck out. He is a great example of a 0 WAR player still having value in the major leagues.