Most Major League Baseball players are unique, whether by nature of their physical gifts or the mental fortitude required to make it to the Show. Even among this rarified group, Rod Carew is a special player with a special story.

Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew was born in a train in Gatún, a town situated in what was then the Panama Canal Zone. The train was racially segregated, but a white, Jewish doctor named Rodney Cline came to aid Carew's Panamanian mother. She named her baby in his honor. The family later emigrated to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, but Carew never played high school baseball there. Regardless, he managed to attract the attention of a Twins scout through his play with the semi-pro Bronx Cavaliers.

Carew made his debut with the Twins on April 11, 1967. He was an instant success, winning that year's Rookie of the Year Award and making the All Star team. That first All Star selection would begin a string of 18 consecutive appearances, one for every season but his final year.

By his third year, Carew led the AL in batting, posting a .332 average. Though Carew never had stellar power numbers, he had only 92 career home runs, he was a reliable doubles hitter, and would go on to led the AL in batting a total of seven times. The 1977 season marked his greatest. Carew batted .388 with 239 hits, 16 triples, 128 runs, and a .449 on base percentage, all league best, and was named the MVP.

Although Carew never played in a World Series, his impressive career numbers are the equal of many great players. He amassed 3053 hits with a .328 lifetime average, and had his number retired by both the Twins and the Angels, where he played the final seven years of his career after being traded for outfielder Ken Landreaux, catcher/first baseman Dave Engle, and pitchers Paul Hartzell, and Brad Havens in 1979.

Rod Carew was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.