Carew, Rodney C.
Baseball
b. Oct. 1, 1945, Gatun, Panama
A right-handed thrower and left-handed hitter with excellent speed, Carew won seven American League batting titles. His .388 average in 1977 was the highest in the major leagues since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941 (Williams also batted .388 in 1957).
Carew joined the Minnesota Twins in 1967 as a second baseman and won his first batting championship with a .332 mark in 1969. He batted .366 the following year, but didn't qualify for the championship because an injury limited him to only 191 at-bats.
Four of his titles came in consecutive seasons, with averages of .318 in 1972, .350 in 1973, .364 in 1974, and .359 in 1975. He slipped to .331 in 1976, when he began playing primarily at first base. Carew then had his finest season, winning the AL's most valuable player award by leading the league in batting average at .388, runs scored with 128, hits with 239, and triples with 16.
Carew's final batting championship came in 1978, when he hit .333. He was then traded to the California Angels. Although he hit over .300 the next five seasons, he didn't manage to win another batting title. Injuries limited him in 1984, when he batted only .295, and he retired after a .280 season in 1985.
In 2,469 games, Carew had 3,053 hits, including 445 doubles, 112 triples, and 92 home runs. He stole 353 bases, scored 1,424 runs, and drove in 1,015.