Carlos Lee – A Closer Look
January 22, 2008 by Kori Ellis
Filed under Baseball
Leading up to Spring Training, we want to take a closer look at Hunter’s Astros teammates.
Starting in left field for the Houston Astros in 2008 will be Carlos Lee. Lee, a native of Panama, is a 31-year-old who is coming into the peak of his career.
In 2007, Lee hit .303 and had 32 homeruns and 119 RBIs in his first year with the Astros. Playing in all 162 games, Lee was a dependable presence for Houston on a daily basis.
Lee’s career began with the Chicago White Sox in 1999. In his first career at bat, Lee hit a homerun. He stayed with the White Sox for six seasons before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. After a year and a half with the Brewers, Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers. Last offseason, Lee left the Rangers after a half season to sign with the Astros.
At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Lee is nicknamed El Caballo – which means “the horse” in Spanish. El Caballo has quickly become a crowd favorite in Houston. He even has his own fan club in Minute Maid Park called Los Caballitos (little horses).
Lee set career-highs in homeruns (32), RBIs (119), hits (190) and doubles (43) in 2007. With Houston’s lineup even more formidable in 2008, expect Lee to have an even better season this year.
Check out this video clip of Los Caballitos at Minute Maid Park.
