Rod Carew, baseball player, 1967-1985

Rod Carew

⭐ Hall of Fame 1991

Born: 10/1/1945 in Gatun, CZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1967-04-11 | Final Game: 1985-10-05

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Rodney Cline Carew

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Biography

Rod Carew, born in 1945, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who made his mark from 1967 until his retirement on October 5, 1985. Over the course of his illustrious career, Carew showcased his exceptional hitting ability, compiling a remarkable .328 batting average across 2,469 games, which placed him among the elite hitters of his era. With a total of 3,053 hits, he became one of the few players in baseball history to surpass the 3,000-hit milestone, further solidifying his legacy in the game. Carew was known for his unique batting stance and exceptional hand-eye coordination, which allowed him to excel in both contact hitting and base running, as he also stole 353 bases. A testament to his outstanding performance and influence in baseball, Carew earned numerous accolades, including 18 All-Star selections and the prestigious Rookie of the Year honors. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, recognizing his significant contributions to the sport. Throughout his career, Carew played primarily for the Minnesota Twins and later the California Angels, becoming a beloved figure in both cities. His ability to consistently produce at the plate and his impact on the game have left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire future generations of players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2469 9315 1424 3053 445 112 92 1015 353 1018 1028 0.328 0.393 0.429 0.822 35141.1

Career AVG .328 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +28.2% above league average.

Career OBP .393 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +22.2% above league average.

Career SLG .429 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +13.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.822 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — +17.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1967 MIN AL 137 514 66 150 22 7 8 51 5 37 91 0.292 .242 (+20%) .306 (+11%) .357 (+14%) .663 (+13%) 1186.6
1968 MIN AL 127 461 46 126 27 2 1 42 12 26 71 0.273 .236 (+15%) .298 (+5%) .340 (+2%) .638 (+3%) 194.8
1969 MIN AL 123 458 79 152 30 4 8 56 19 37 72 0.332 .248 (+34%) .320 (+20%) .369 (+27%) .689 (+24%) 2016.9
1970 MIN AL 51 191 27 70 12 3 4 28 4 11 28 0.366 .253 (+44%) .325 (+25%) .385 (+36%) .711 (+31%) 981.7
1971 MIN AL 147 577 88 177 16 10 2 48 6 45 81 0.307 .249 (+23%) .316 (+12%) .365 (+4%) .682 (+8%) 886.0
1972 MIN AL 142 535 61 170 21 6 0 51 12 43 60 0.318 .243 (+30%) .310 (+19%) .353 (+7%) .664 (+13%) 1338.9
1973 MIN AL 149 580 98 203 30 11 6 62 41 62 55 0.350 .256 (+36%) .325 (+26%) .378 (+24%) .703 (+25%) 2985.0
1974 MIN AL 153 599 86 218 30 5 3 55 38 74 49 0.364 .256 (+42%) .324 (+33%) .369 (+21%) .693 (+27%) 3478.1
1975 MIN AL 143 535 89 192 24 4 14 80 35 64 40 0.359 .257 (+39%) .327 (+29%) .374 (+33%) .701 (+31%) 3368.9
1976 MIN AL 156 605 97 200 29 12 9 90 49 67 52 0.331 .255 (+29%) .320 (+23%) .360 (+28%) .681 (+26%) 3105.5
1977 MIN AL 155 616 128 239 38 16 14 100 23 69 55 0.388 .264 (+47%) .329 (+36%) .401 (+42%) .730 (+39%) 5156.0
1978 MIN AL 152 564 85 188 26 10 5 70 27 78 62 0.333 .257 (+29%) .323 (+27%) .378 (+17%) .702 (+21%) 2680.5
1979 LAA AL 110 409 78 130 15 3 3 44 18 73 46 0.318 .265 (+20%) .329 (+27%) .397 (-2%) .727 (+11%) 1289.1
1980 LAA AL 144 540 74 179 34 7 3 59 23 59 38 0.331 .264 (+25%) .326 (+21%) .387 (+13%) .714 (+17%) 1951.5
1981 LAA AL 93 364 57 111 17 1 2 21 16 45 45 0.305 .255 (+19%) .320 (+19%) .368 (+1%) .688 (+9%) 777.3
1982 LAA AL 138 523 88 167 25 5 3 44 10 67 49 0.319 .261 (+22%) .324 (+22%) .388 (+4%) .712 (+12%) 1533.8
1983 LAA AL 129 472 66 160 24 2 2 44 6 57 48 0.339 .260 (+30%) .324 (+26%) .389 (+6%) .714 (+15%) 1635.0
1984 LAA AL 93 329 42 97 8 1 3 31 4 40 39 0.295 .259 (+13%) .322 (+14%) .384 (-8%) .707 (+2%) 254.8
1985 LAA AL 127 443 69 124 17 3 2 39 5 64 47 0.280 .257 (+9%) .323 (+15%) .390 (-12%) .714 (avg) 320.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 50 6 11 4 0 0 1 5 9 0.220

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 ALCS CAL 5 17 2 3 1 0 0 0 4 4 0.176
1979 ALCS CAL 4 17 4 7 3 0 0 1 0 0 0.412
1970 ALCS MIN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1969 ALCS MIN 3 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.071

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1184 1153 10930 774 106 1130
2B 1130 1071 2573 2928 154 664
3B 2 2 3 2 0 0
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 4 3 4 5 0 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1967 MIN 2B 134 131 289 314 15 60
1968 MIN 2B 117 112 262 280 18 48
1968 MIN SS 4 3 4 5 0 2
1969 MIN 2B 118 106 244 302 17 80
1970 MIN 1B 1 1 6 0 0 0
1970 MIN 2B 45 45 73 122 8 26
1971 MIN 2B 142 137 321 329 16 76
1971 MIN 3B 2 2 3 2 0 0
1972 MIN 2B 139 133 331 378 16 85
1973 MIN 2B 147 142 383 413 13 96
1974 MIN 2B 148 147 375 416 33 114
1975 MIN 1B 14 14 123 8 3 10
1975 MIN 2B 123 118 285 369 18 79
1976 MIN 1B 152 151 1394 108 16 149
1976 MIN 2B 7 0 4 2 0 0
1977 MIN 1B 151 148 1459 121 10 161
1977 MIN 2B 4 0 4 3 0 0
1978 MIN 1B 148 138 1362 105 16 134
1978 MIN 2B 4 0 1 0 0 0
1978 MIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1979 CAL 1B 103 102 804 55 10 101
1980 CAL 1B 103 102 897 57 6 82
1981 CAL 1B 90 90 877 60 5 90
1982 CAL 1B 134 130 1339 94 12 115
1983 CAL 1B 89 88 890 42 6 94
1983 CAL 2B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1984 CAL 1B 83 80 724 59 15 73
1985 CAL 1B 116 109 1055 65 7 121

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1184
Second Base 1130
Third Base 2
Shortstop 4
Left Field 1
Designated Hitter 68

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2016 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award - HOF Player
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-08-02
1983 Player of the Month May
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-05-06
1980 Player of the Month June
1978 TSN All-Star 1B
1977 Most Valuable Player
1977 Player of the Month June
1977 Player of the Month September
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-06-25
1977 Roberto Clemente Award
1977 TSN All-Star 1B
1977 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1977 TSN Player of the Year
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-09-03
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-06-06
1975 TSN All-Star 2B
1974 Player of the Month May
1974 TSN All-Star 2B
1973 TSN All-Star 2B
1972 TSN All-Star 2B
1969 TSN All-Star 2B
1968 TSN All-Star 2B
1967 Rookie of the Year
1967 TSN All-Star 2B
1967 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#12
Top 20 First Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 12 of 20
→
#12
Top 20 Second Basemen in history of MLB Baseball
Ranked 12 of 20
→

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1985 CAL AL $875,000
Total Career Earnings $875,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 5.0 392 0
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 46.0 392 0
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 273.0 392 12
1976 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 71.0 336 1
1975 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 54.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 70.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 83.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 16.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 30.0 336 0
1967 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 19.0 20 19