in full Rodney Cline Carew born Oct. 1, 1945, Gatún, Pan. Panamanian-born U.S. baseball player. Carew moved from Panama to New York City in 1962, where he learned sandlot ball. Playing for the Minnesota Twins (1967-78), he became one of the great hitters of the modern era and led the American League in batting seven times between 1969 and 1978. His highest average was .388, in 1977. He was traded in 1979 to the California (later Anaheim) Angels and retired in 1986 with a lifetime batting average of .328