(Charleston, WV – October 3, 2024) – Charleston Dirty Birds centerfielder and native West Virginian Jared Carr is not only the top centerfielder in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, the league announced today that its coaches, managers and executives also named him the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.  Of all the players whose defensive prowess was also recognized as part of the ALPB Drake All Defensive Team earlier this week, the people who paid the closest attention to defensive talent determined that Carr had the most impact on games.

 

“All year long, his teammates and our fans witnessed Jared making spectacular plays all over the outfield and right-on-target throws to gun down opposing base runners to prevent runs,” said Dirty Birds Owner and CEO Andy Shea.  “To have the rest of the league recognize the tremendous impact he had on defense is very gratifying.”   

 

The Martinsburg, West Virginia native started in 114 of the 126 games with his only time off due to a hand injury. Carr boasts a .990 fielding percentage with only three errors in 290 total chances this season. He had 270 put outs with 15 assists and was a part of 4 double plays. The 15 assists were the most by an outfielder this year and more than any other outfielder over the past three seasons. Only three other players this season recorded more than nine assists from the outfield.

 

“In a league with dozens of former Major Leaguers and top draft picks, Jared Carr is recognized as the best defender, bringing even more pride to the Dirty Birds and our state this year as a native of West Virginia playing for our home team,” said Dirty Birds General Manager Ben Blum.  “In addition, on a team with a heavy emphasis on offensive production, clearly Jared added huge value on both offense and defense as a key reason why this year’s Dirty Birds went further into the post-season than another Charleston team since 2008.”

 

Carr attended Shepherd University and played all four years for the Rams. He started his final two years and was First Team All-PSAC East his senior year. In 2021, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 13th round. 

 

Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 25-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.