Rod Carew

Rod Carew

Rod Carew (Rodney Cline Carew) was born on October 1st, 1945 and is currently 80 years old. Rod Carew was born in Gatún, Panama Canal Zone.

Rod Carew is a former baseball player and coach. He was a designated hitter, second baseman, and first baseman from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels.

He is the most accomplished contact hitter in Twins history, winning the AL MVP Award in 1977 and set a Twins record with a .388 batting average. He appeared in 18 straight All Star Games and led the AL in hits three times, with 239 hits in 1977 ranking as the 12th most in a season at the time. Rod won 7 AL batting titles, and on July 12, 2016, the AL batting title was renamed as the Rod Carew American League batting title.

He didn’t play baseball for the George Washington High School baseball team. Rod did play for the semi-pro baseball team the Bronx Cavaliers, which is where Rod got discovered by Monroe Katz (Twins scout). Monroe recommended Rod to another Twins scout, named Herb Stein, who arranged a tryout for Rod in April of 1964, and Rod did so well that Sam Mele (manager of the Twins) finished the tryout early so the Yankees wouldn’t see him.

In his first game as a Twin, on April 11, 1967, he hit a single in his first at bat against the Orioles, and finished the game going 2-4.

One Tough Out: Fight Off Life’s Curveballs is an unforgettable story of faith, insight, and inspiration.

For one generation of American League baseball fans, Rod Carew embodied the definition of “batting champion”. An insecure boy from Panama raised by a brutal dad, he ascended to baseball stardom, tormenting pitchers with his smooth swing from his crouched stance and he won 7 batting titles on his way to the Hall of Fame.

It was not until he lost his beautiful 17 year old daughter to a rare and aggressive form of leukemia that he had to re-gather himself and find some new purpose outside of baseball. Then he he had a near fatal heart attack and found that the heart transplant he’d received came from this 29 year old pro football player whom he actually happened to meet years prior.

Now Konrad Reuland’s parents listen to their son’s heart beating strong in Carew’s chest, and Carew works to honor his daughter’s wish for him to “make a difference”.

Rod reflects on the anecdotes, highlights, and friendships from his outstanding career, describing the poverty, abuse, and racism he’s overcome to even get to the majors. He also takes readers through the challenges he has conquered during the second half of his life, from burying his youngest daughter to surviving several nearly lethal battles with heart disease.

Related Authors

Fans of Rod Carew also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
3. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
4. Lisa Gardner, author of the Detective D.D. Warren Series.
5. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.

Rod Carew: F.A.Q