The World of Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) has produced elite hitters throughout its history. There are a handful of hitters who were simply extraordinary with the bat. One of those hitters is Rod Carew. He played 19 seasons in MLB (Minnesota Twins 1967-1978, California Angels 1979-1985).

Rod Carew was born in Panama on October 1, 1945. He starred at George Washington High School in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Carew made his MLB debut in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins. He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year award. Carew would become one of the premier hitters in MLB for the next decade plus.

Carew won his first AL batting title in 1969, hitting .332. He won four consecutive AL batting titles from 1972 to 1975. Carew had his best season in 1977. He won the AL batting title, hitting an amazing .388. He led the AL with runs scored (128), on-base percentage (.449), and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.019). Carew won the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Carew led the AL in wins above replacement three times (1974, 1975, 1977). He led the AL in hits three times (1973, 1974, 1977). Carew led the AL in on-base percentage four times (1974, 1975, 1977, 1978). He won 7 AL batting titles (1969, 1972-1975, 1977, 1978).

Carew finished with over 3,000 career hits (3,053). He made 18 All-Star teams. Carew has a career batting average of .328. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Rod Carew is one of the purest hitters of the 20th Century.