| Rod Carew | |
|---|---|
 Carew with the Minnesota Twins in 1978 | |
| Second baseman / First baseman | |
| Born: October 1, 1945 Gatún, Panama Canal Zone | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 11, 1967, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1985, for the California Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .328 |
| Hits | 3,053 |
| Home runs | 92 |
| Runs batted in | 1,015 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1991 |
| Vote | 90.5% (first ballot) |
Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945)[1] is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels. The most accomplished contact hitter in Twins history, he won the 1977 AL Most Valuable Player Award, setting a Twins record with a .388 batting average.[2] Carew appeared in 18 consecutive All-Star Games and led the AL in hits three times, with his 239 hits in 1977 ranking as the 12th most in a season at the time and the 16th most as of 2024, tied with Willie Keeler’s 239 hits from 1897.[3] He won seven AL batting titles, the second most AL batting titles in history behind Ty Cobb, and on July 12, 2016, the AL batting title was renamed to the Rod Carew American League batting title.[4]
In 1977, Carew was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for his involvement in local community affairs. On August 4, 1985, he became the 16th member of the 3,000 hit club with a single to left field off Frank Viola.[5] His 3,053 hits are 27th all time, and his career batting average of .328 is 34th all time. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 in his first year of eligibility;[6] he appeared on upwards of 90 percent of the ballots. He was also elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, and Angels Hall of Fame. After retiring as a player, Carew served as a coach for the Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers.
- ^ "Rod Carew Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins Top 10 Single-Season Batting Leaders". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Hits". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Snyder, Matt (July 13, 2016). "MLB All-Star Game: Batting title awards named to honor Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "3,000 Hit Club Exhibit". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Rod Carew at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Joseph Wancho, Retrieved February 3, 2020.