Rod Carew

Rodney Cline Carew, born October 1, 1945, is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach who appeared in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1985 as a second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter. He played for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and ranks as the most accomplished contact hitter in Twins history. In 1977 he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, setting a Twins record with a .388 batting average. That same season he collected 239 hits to lead the league, a total that ranked as the 12th most in a season at the time and the 16th most as of 2024, tying Willie Keeler's 239 hits from 1897.

Carew appeared in 18 consecutive All-Star Games and led the AL in hits three times. He won seven AL batting titles, the second most in league history behind Ty Cobb; on July 12, 2016, the AL batting title was renamed the Rod Carew American League batting title. In 1977 he received the 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. His 3,053 career hits rank 27th all time, and his career batting average of .328 ranks 34th all time.