Rick Renick, a versatile infielder/outfielder for the Minnesota Twins from 1968-72, passed away last Saturday at age 81. The news was picked up by several media outlets late last night after it was announced on the Facebook page of Renick’s son. (What the media is doing, creeping on the Facebook pages of families of former major leaguers, is a question for another article.)
Former Twins player, coach Rick Renick dead at 81 https://t.co/fTcgDMnhHF
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) February 3, 2026
Former Twins Infielder Rick Renick Dies at 81
Renick, a right-handed batter, played primarily on the left side of the infield in the majors and also saw action at first base and the corner outfield spots. In 276 games, he hit .221/.302/.373, 20 HR, 71 RBI, and 89 OPS+ for his career. After three and one-half seasons in the Twins minor league system, he was called up to the majors at age 24 on July 11, 1968, to make his major league debut against the eventual World Series champion Detroit Tigers and their eventual World Series MVP Mickey Lolich. Starting at shortstop, in his first major league plate appearance, Renick hit a home run off the portly left-hander Lolich.
Renick was part of the Twins’ American League West Division winners in 1969 and 1970. Unfortunately, their run of success coincided with the Baltimore Orioles’ mini-dynasty of 1969-71. Those Orioles had more 20-game winners and Gold Glove awardees than Carter had Little Liver Pills. Thus, Baltimore swept Minnesota in the AL Champions Series in both years. Renick started Game 2 of the 1970 ALCS at third base against Baltimore’s Dave McNally, going 1-for-4 against the left-hander and handling four chances in the field flawlessly.
Chasing the Dream
Although his major league playing career was over after the 1972 season, Renick kept chasing the dream. He played four more seasons with Minnesota’s Triple-A team in Tacoma, and two more with the Montreal Expos’ Triple-A affiliate in Denver. He hit 97 home runs over those six seasons. Four of those seasons, however, were spent in the Pacific Coast League, where power numbers are inflated. In any event, he never got another call to the majors.
Renick retired as a player after the 1978 season and began his coaching career. In the majors, he was a coach for the Kansas City Royals (1981), Expos (1985-86, 2001), Twins (1987-90), Pittsburgh Pirates (1997-2000), and Florida Marlins (2002). During the gaps in that resume, he was a minor league coach or manager. He earned a World Series ring with the Twins in 1987 when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals.
A Remembrance
The Pirates hired Gene Lamont as their manager in 1997. Lamont hired Renick to be his bench coach. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Pirates and their $9 million payroll – $1 million less than the Chicago White Sox were paying Albert Belle – stayed in the National League Central Division race until the final four games of the season, thanks to a weak division and a handful of wildly improbable wins. The Pirates were the talk of Pittsburgh when I brought my two older kids to a team autograph session at Three Rivers Stadium on June 28.
When I was a kid, I had a dice baseball board game that included players from the 1968 season. Each player had a card with his picture on the front. On the back were the results of the dice roll. The pictures had the logos air-brushed off the players’ caps. That was an indication that the game wasn’t officially sanctioned Major League Baseball merchandise. I brought my Rick Renick card, sans Twins logo, to the session.
“Where Did You Get That?”
As the attendees crowded around the players’ tables, Renick sat alone at his. We walked over and I told him I remembered when he played for the Twins. He said, “If you remember me, you must have been a pretty good fan.” Whether he was skeptical, I don’t know, but I was telling the truth. I was a big fan of Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew in my youth, so I tried not to miss the NBC Game of the Week when the Twins were playing. Also, I remembered Renick playing in that ALCS game.
I showed him his card and asked if he’d ever seen one. He hadn’t. He looked surprised and asked, “Where did you get that?” When I explained, he asked, “Do you want me to sign it?” I said I’d love it.
He flipped the card over and saw that it wasn’t loaded with hits and said something about not being much of a player. I said, “It wasn’t easy to crack that lineup. In the infield, you had Carew and Killebrew, and your shortstop had been an MVP. You had Bob Allison and Tony Oliva in the outfield.” Killebrew had played a lot of third base in those days. But my memory failed me regarding the Twins’ MVP-winning shortstop, Zoilo Versalles. Versalles was the AL MVP in 1965. The Twins traded him before Renick joined the team. Renick didn’t point that out. Too nice a guy, I guess.
The Last Word
By then, I reached the limits of my kids’ patience for Dad talking to an old coach. So, my restless kids and I took leave of Renick and proceeded to the players’ tables. Meanwhile, he was happy to have been remembered. Next time you’re at a major league team’s autograph session, instead of worrying about meeting that middle reliever whose autograph won’t be worth a bottle of Carter’s Little Liver Pills after his two-year career, go visit the coaches. You might be surprised at who you meet and make a nice memory in the process.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images
Autographed Rick Renick card from author’s personal collection