Saturday, February 13, 2021

ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1970 ROD CAREW

Next up in my on-going "On-Card All-Star" parade is a small "fix" for Hall of Famer Rod Carew's 1970 card, celebrating what was his third straight All-Star nod as a Big Leaguer since coming into the league in 1969:


Carew of course would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.
The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.
Of course 1969 would be significant in that Carew would take home the first of what would be seven batting titles, hitting .332 for the Minnesota Twins, a 29-point increase from the year before.
It also helped the Twins take first place in the newly formed West division races, with the Baltimore Orioles taking first in the East.
What really needs to be said about the greatest hitter of his generation?
The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???
3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

He was a God to me growing up!


 

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER...

@wthballs
Everything baseball: cards, events, history and more.