• In 1994, at age 17, Lee was signed by White Sox scout Miguel Ibarra. Though he had played baseball for years, he didn't always want to play the game.

“To be honest, I didn’t like baseball until I was 16 years old. My Dad made me play,” said Lee. “He made me go to the ballpark every Saturday. I wasn’t into baseball. I preferred to play basketball and volleyball on the weekends. Baseball took too long.”

Carlos now plays baseball with enthusiasm.

• Carlos is the answer to a minor league trivia question: He hit the first home run at Class A Piedmont's Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.

• He is intelligent. In one year, Carlos went from knowing little English to serving as a translator for other Latin players. He is a role model for other Latin players, in that and other ways.

  But at times, Lee can also be a bit moody, unmotivated, and self-centered.

• May 31, 1997: Lee's 17-game hitting streak snapped at Winston Salem (CAR-White Sox). He ended up leading the Carolina League in hits, doubles, and extra-base hits (71). He was also second in batting, fourth in runs, and fifth in RBI.
• After the 1998 season, Lee stood out in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .315 and a league-leading 33 RBI and 19 doubles, which broke the league record. He earned the league's MVP Award.
• Carlos has a ranch in Panama. He has about 6,000 head of cattle and, during the off-season, he gets up at 6:30 a.m. and tends to the cows.
• On March 13, 2005, Lee and his wife, Mary, celebrated the birth of Carlos, Jr., their third child. Carlos flew home to Panama for the joyous occasion.
• Brewers coach Rich Donnelly calls the good-natured Lee "7-Eleven" because "his mouth is always open."

• Carlo is working hard to become one of the top Brahma bull breeders in Panama. Much of his stock comes from the famed V8 Ranch in Hungerford. Lee also owns a ranch in Boling, Texas.

  In late May 2008, Lee entered a bull named for Brad Ausmus at the World Brahman Congress, the most prestigious Brahman show competition in the world. Mr. V8 564/6 "Big Aus" is a 16-month-old bull owned by Lee.

  Big Aus, who competed in the fourth class, is one of the top bulls on Lee's showstring. Along with Jim Williams of Boling's V8 Ranch, Lee also co-owns Miss V8 464/6, the 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Grand Champion that was chosen as the Grand Champion Heifer at the World Brahman Congress on May 20, 2008.

  Lee is one of the top Brahman breeders in South America. Most of his stock is in Panama, but he also has a ranch with a showstring in Boling. Before naming one of his prized calves after his friend, Lee waited until he found one worthy of being in his showstring.

  "The 'Big Aus' is big like the real big Aus," Lee said. "They're both big, they got big (backsides), and strong legs. They have a chance to win. At least the bull has a chance, the real 'Big Aus.' Now I got a problem because now I have to call the next bull the 'Big Puma' (in honor of Lance Berkman)." (Jose De Jesus Ortiz-Houston Chronicle-5/21/08)

• Former Astros manager Phil Garner said Lee has impressed him for his mental stability—not getting too high or too low.

  "He's a very even-tempered guy," Garner said. "The thing you learn when you're with the guy for a while is, he's got a great feel for the game, much more than I realized. I've watched him play since he first came up with the White Sox, and he knows what to do in game situations.

  "One thing that I noticed about a lot of great players I had—Robin Yount was this way, Paul Molitor was this way—is that they're very even-tempered. They control their emotions, and Carlos kind of fits in that mold."

• During one spring training in Florida, upon walking into his office following the Astros' 7-6 win over the Dodgers, manager Cecil Cooper found a note sitting on his desk:

  "I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I need it. Thanks."

  The note was signed, "The Pony. Used to be The Caballo."

  The note was from Carlos Lee, nicknamed "El Caballo," which in English means, "The Horse."

  Apparently, an 0-for-6 showing at the plate has altered Lee's view of himself. The burly left fielder went 0-for-3 against the Tigers one Wednesday in March and posted another 0-fer against the Dodgers the next day.

  "Guess he'll be taking the tomorrow off," Cooper said with a laugh.

• March 2008: Lee, who hasn't hidden his dislike for the five-hole, playfully blamed his skipper for his hitless day at the plate.

  Lee prefers to hit fourth, and he's expressed as much to his manager. That said, Lee has no intentions to make this an issue in the clubhouse. He'll do what he's asked, even if it means hitting fifth.

  "I'm trying to do what's best for the team," Lee said. "I don't like it, but you've got to do it. I work here. You're paid to go out there and do your job, regardless of what position you hit in the lineup. My job is to get RBIs, drive guys in. You've got to do it even if I'm hitting seventh or eighth."

  TRANSACTIONS

• 1994: The White Sox signed him as a free agent, out of Panama.
• December 19, 2003: Carlos signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the White Sox. The contract is for $6.5 million in 2004, $8 million in 2005, and a club option for $8.5 million in 2006, or the White Sox can buy out the contract for $500,000.
• December 13, 2004: The Brewers sent OF Scott Podsednik, P Luis Vizcaino, and a 1B Travis Hinton to the White Sox, acquiring Lee.
• July 28, 2006: The Rangers sent outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix, and pitchers Francisco Cordero and Julian Cordero to the Brewers, acquiring Lee and OF Nelson Cruz.
• November 24, 2006: The Astros and Carlos agreed on a six-year, $100 million contract. It was the largest contract in Astros history. The pact calls for $11 million in 2007 plus a $3 million signing bonus, then $12 million in 2008, and $18.5 million for each of the last four seasons. The contract runs through the 2012 season.
• July 4, 2012: The Marlins acquired Lee and cash (the remaining nearly $9 million owed to Lee, except for the pro-rated $480,000 minimum salary)  from the Astros by sending prospects Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen to the Houston organization.
• June 21, 2013: 

  Carlos Lee officially announced his retirement, ending his 14-year Major League career on his 37th birthday.  Lee said on a Panamanian sports radio show that he received offers from four teams this offseason. According to an Associated Press report, Lee said he was looking for a two-year deal but didn't get offered one from any of the interested teams, so he decided to call it a career.

  A left fielder/first baseman nicknamed "El Caballo" by iconic White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson when he broke into the Majors with the South Siders in 1999, Lee ended his career with a .285 batting average, 358 home runs, 1,363 RBIs and 125 stolen bases over 14 seasons with the White Sox, Brewers, Rangers, Astros and Marlins.  The right-handed slugger posted a .339 on-base percentage and slugged .483 while never recording a 100-strikeout season, a rarity for a power hitter like Lee.

  Lee made three All-Star teams (2005-07), won two Silver Slugger Awards ('05, '07) and played at least 140 games in all but two seasons. He put together five straight years with at least 30 homers, and 11 consecutive years with more than 20 homers.

• Lee loves to hit; he is a force in the middle of the lineup. He is aggressive at the plate, with a super-sweet swing.

  Lee is a fine line-drive hitter with excellent bat speed. He hits the ball to all fields, as well as out of the park. But he hits it the hardest when he gets a pitch he can drive to left field. He hits tons of doubles and his homer total will improve every season, as he learns to turn on inside pitches.

• Hitters like Carlos Lee, who have that rare combination of speed, batting average, and power, normally play well until they are in their late-30's or even 40 years of age—like Dave Winfield and Andre Dawson, for instance.

• On May 7, 1999, Carlos became the first White Sox player and 75th player ever to homer in his first Major League at-bat.

  "It was the most exciting moment of my life," Lee said.

• He is a fine clutch hitter who knows no fear. As former White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said, "Carlos is like Tony Perez. He'll do anything for an RBI."

• In June 2002, then-White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel had a batting-cage conversation with Carlos that turned him around.

  "I asked him 'If you had a chance to drive in a run in the ninth inning of the World Series, where do you want that pitch?''' Manuel said. "He put some balls over the plate. So I said, 'In these next so many balls, don't swing until it's there.' For some reason, I guess that kind of registered to him that he had a zone that he could really dominate. What he's done now is look like he's been very patient at swinging at balls in his area and getting a good look at pitches.''

• Lee is now trying to balance his patient approach with an ability to attack when the opportunity arises.

  "I was able to get back to where I was earlier in my career,'' he said about the sessions with Manuel. "I'm able to see some pitches. It doesn't mean it's taking my aggressiveness away. I just feel like if it's not where I want it, I don't swing. And if it's there early in the count, I swing. I have a lot more time to see the ball and to make a decision.''

  GETTING PATIENT AT THE PLATE

• If Lee continues laying off breaking pitches in the dirt and high fastballs, he should drive in 100 runs every year. (Editor's note: Good call.)

• Carlos used to be notorious for jumping on the first pitch, especially if it was a fastball. But, starting in 2002, he was much more disciplined at bat, accepting a base on balls with great frequency. He is tough to strike out, making excellent contact for a power hitter. So in 2002, his on-base percentage was far higher than ever.

  "He might not like his batting average, but look at his on-base percentage," then-White Sox skipper Jerry Manuel said. "He should be applauded for his patience, as well as accepting that his average slipped. What he's learned in 2002 should make him a better all-around hitter down the road."

  In 2004, Carlos said, “I used to be a first-pitch hitter. I didn’t have a lot of 3-2 counts,” said Lee. “As the years go by, the more patient you are. At the beginning of my career, I swung at everything.”

• In 2003, he came out swinging and showing little plate discipline. So when his averaged dropped off to .174 on April 16, Lee focused on pitches in his hitting zone and went on a tear. His on-base percentage was down from 2002 (.359 to .331 in 2003).
• In 2005, Carlos enjoyed a fantastic first half. He hit 22 home runs and set a Brewers record with RBI Number 76 in the final game before the All-Star break.

  He led the Major Leagues in RBIs at that point and was a first-time All-Star, invited to participate in the annual Home Run Derby. Lee made it to the semifinals in that event, but he will not try to win it in the future.

  "I kind of never recovered," Lee said. "I would not do that again. Before I got to the All-Star Game, I was driving the ball to right-center, hitting a lot of home runs there. After that, I couldn't get it going. My swing totally changed. I had to totally change my stance and come up with new stuff."

  He did have 25 fewer at-bats with runners in scoring position after the break, but that alone cannot explain his offensive dropoff. Lee's home run and RBI totals were cut in half, and he had to rally to reach his career highs in both categories.

  "My bat was so slow," he said. "I was trying to compensate. I couldn't drive the ball."

• In 2006, Carlos hit 37 home runs and struck out only 65 times. The only other Major Leaguer who had more home runs and fewer strikeouts was Albert Pujols.

  Lee also stole 19 bases in 21 attempts. Among Major Leaguers with at least 30 home runs, only Alfonso Soriano stole more bases (41).

• Lee is a relaxed and confident hitter. With two strikes on him, you will often see him spread his feet in the batter's box, which cuts down his power potential, but gives him a better shot to put an inside pitch into play.

• If pitchers pitch Carlos mid-thigh to mid-calf, they better duck! (March 2011)

• As of the start of the 2013 season, Lee's career Major League stats were: .285 batting average, 358 home runs, with 1,363 RBI's in 7,983 at-bats.

• Carlos's defense in left field has grown tremendously. He wasn't a very good third baseman. Though Lee had a strong arm at third, he had problems with his throws to first.
• When it comes to defense, Lee has proven to be especially nimble at handling low line drives in the left-center field gap. 

• He is now more comfortable with judging fly balls and knowing where to throw the ball than he used to be. He has decent range to his left and his right, but balls hit right at him can still handcuff him. He makes too many mental misplays.

• In 2001, he had eight errors, most among left fielders in the American League.

• Lee is athletic. In his younger days, he got down to first base in 4.25 seconds, just above average. And he stole his share of bases.
• Carlos has been known to hurt the team with mental lapses while on the bases.

• Lee's massive legs make him susceptible to hamstring pulls.
• August 9, 2008: Carlos suffered a broken pinky finger when he was hit by a pitch from Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo. Carlos's pinky finger got caught between the ball and the knob of the bat. The finger was bleeding when he removed his batting glove. Lee spent the rest of the season on the D.L.
  
  It was his first trip to the D.L. in his career.

• May 1, 2011: Lee spent the night in a Houston hospital after injuring his left ribs when he collided with Angel Sanchez while both were sliding in the outfield in the 5-0 win over the Brewers at Minute Maid Park.

  Lee writhed on the ground in pain for several minutes before being helped off the field on a cart. A preliminary chest X-ray at the hospital showed no fractures, the team said. A CT scan confirmed a left rib contusion, and the Astros said Lee is day to day.

• June 3-18, 2012: Carlos was on the D.L. with a strained left hamstring. It was his 2nd trip to the D.L. in his 13-year career.