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Rodney Cline Carew
Minnesota Twins
Second Base
Born: October 1, 1945, Gatun, Panama
Signed: Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent, June 24, 1964
Major League Teams: Minnesota Twins 1967-78; California Angels 1979-85
Hall of Fame Induction: 1991
One of the greatest hitters of all time, Rod Carew played 19 years in the majors, making the American League All-Star team in an astonishing 18 consecutive seasons between 1967 and 1984. Carew was the 1967 Rookie of the Year, and he'd win his first of seven batting titles in 1969. He eclipsed 200 hits in a season four times, culminating with his 239 hit season in his career year of 1977. During that MVP season, Carew batted .388 while leading the league in runs scored (128), hits, triples (16) and on-base percentage (.449). He'd join the Angels in 1979 via free agency, solidifying his Hall of Fame career with seven more stellar seasons. Carew retired following the 1985 seasons with a .328 batting average (currently 40th all-time), 3,053 hits (currently 28th), including 2,404 singles (currently ninth). He had 353 career stolen bases.
One of the greatest hitters of all time, Rod Carew played 19 years in the majors, making the American League All-Star team in an astonishing 18 consecutive seasons between 1967 and 1984. Carew was the 1967 Rookie of the Year, and he'd win his first of seven batting titles in 1969. He eclipsed 200 hits in a season four times, culminating with his 239 hit season in his career year of 1977. During that MVP season, Carew batted .388 while leading the league in runs scored (128), hits, triples (16) and on-base percentage (.449). He'd join the Angels in 1979 via free agency, solidifying his Hall of Fame career with seven more stellar seasons. Carew retired following the 1985 seasons with a .328 batting average (currently 40th all-time), 3,053 hits (currently 28th), including 2,404 singles (currently ninth). He had 353 career stolen bases.
He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1991. His seven batting titles were second only to Ty Cobb, and in 2016, the American League batting title was officially renamed the Rod Carew American League batting title. Carew's #29 was retired by the Twins in 1987 and by the Angels in 1986. Carew served as the hitting coach for the Angels (1992-99) and Brewers (2000-01).
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.
I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set. It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop. This was the 35th of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 35th of 91 cards for set added overall on the day. Carew was the third of four star cards I'd add from America's Pastime.
The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
This is the exact picture used on Carew's 1968 Topps card, and the picture shows up again on his 1969 Topps Deckle Edge insert card. The back of the card highlights his two All-Star Game appearances to date, and he'd go on to add 16 more. The write-up touches on his early success as "one of the leading batters in the A.L." Carew signed a reprint of this card for the 2018 Topps Heritage set.
Accuracy Index: Carew's card drops to a +1 since collectors had already seen this photo.
Inserts: Carew is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set.
1969 Season
Carew had already won Rookie of the Year honors and been a two-time All-Star, but 1969 was his first true superstar season. Along with winning his first batting title, Carew played in 123 games, collecting 152 hits, including 30 doubles and eight home runs. He had 19 stolen bases on the year, including seven steals of home.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #569
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20): 1967-86
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2025 Topps Heritage 1976 Redefined #76R-9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 2,560 in the Beckett online database as of 11/8/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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Carew had already won Rookie of the Year honors and been a two-time All-Star, but 1969 was his first true superstar season. Along with winning his first batting title, Carew played in 123 games, collecting 152 hits, including 30 doubles and eight home runs. He had 19 stolen bases on the year, including seven steals of home.
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First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #569
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20): 1967-86
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2025 Topps Heritage 1976 Redefined #76R-9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 2,560 in the Beckett online database as of 11/8/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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