#201 Rod Carew Super Veteran

Then and Now:  You can't tell it from the picture but Carew wore #21 when he first came up with the Twins in '67 before switching to his familiar #29.  He went on to win the A.L. Rookie of the Year with 19 of the 20 votes.  Carew has a big grin in the newer picture and he always seemed happy with the Angels after a tumultuous relationship with Twins owner Calvin Griffith.

Career Span:  4/11/67 to 10/5/85.  The Twins had a talented team in the late 60's with stars like Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva in their prime.  Carew also played with older veterans such as Johnny Roseboro and Al Worthington.  

As his career wound down with the Angels Carew played with rookie Devon White who would play until 2001.

All-Star: An 18 time A.L. All-Star, Carew was selected or voted to the team every year but his last.

He played in 15 contests and batted .244 in 41 at bats.  His best game was in '78 when he blasted two triples in four at bats. 

League Leaders:  Led the league in batting average seven times between 1969 and 1978. 

Also led the league in:

Hits- '73, '74, and '77

Runs- '77

Triples- '73, '77

OBP- '74, '75, '77, and '78

Using Baseball Reference's WAR, Carew led positional players three times- '74, '75, and '77.

All Time:  23rd in hits - 3,053

7th in singles- 2,404

34th in batting average- .328

Gold Glove: Nope.  Most advanced metrics show Carew was a plus defender at first base and average to slightly above average at second base.  He wasn't regarded as a reliable fielder with the leather but it was an award he always wanted.  His 33 miscues in '74 didn't help his cause although it was the only time he committed more than 20 in a season.  While errors can be subjective and don't speak of a players range, unjust or not, they cemented an image of a poor fielder.

Silver Slugger: Zilch.  By the time the award came around in 1980 Carew was facing stiff competition from his fellow first basemen. 

Postseason: Carew was never on the winning side of a playoff series.  In four playoff series Carew had just 11 hits in 50 at bats. 

MVP:  Won the MVP in '77, finished in top 10 five other times and received MVP votes in nine different seasons.

Hall of Fame:  Elected in his first year of eligibility in 1991 with 90.5% of the vote.