{"id":552848,"date":"2026-02-03T20:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T20:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/552848\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T20:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T20:16:17","slug":"former-twins-infielder-rick-renick-passes-away-at-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/552848\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Twins Infielder Rick Renick Passes Away at 81"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rick Renick<\/a>, 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\u2019s son. (What the media is doing, creeping on the Facebook pages of families of former major leaguers, is a question for another article.)<\/p>\n

Former Twins player, coach Rick Renick dead at 81 https:\/\/t.co\/fTcgDMnhHF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Twins Infielder Rick Renick Dies at 81<\/p>\n

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<\/a> and their eventual World Series MVP Mickey Lolich<\/a>. Starting at shortstop, in his first major league plate appearance, Renick hit a home run off the portly left-hander Lolich.<\/p>\n

Renick was part of the Twins\u2019 American League West Division winners in 1969 and 1970. Unfortunately, their run of success coincided with the Baltimore Orioles\u2019 mini-dynasty<\/a> 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\u2019s Dave McNally<\/a>, going 1-for-4 against the left-hander and handling four chances in the field flawlessly.<\/p>\n

Chasing the Dream<\/p>\n

Although his major league playing career was over after the 1972 season, Renick kept chasing the dream. He played four more seasons with Minnesota\u2019s Triple-A team in Tacoma, and two more with the Montreal Expos\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A Remembrance<\/p>\n

The Pirates hired Gene Lamont<\/a> 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 \u2013 $1 million less than the Chicago White Sox were paying Albert Belle<\/a> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 caps. That was an indication that the game wasn\u2019t officially sanctioned Major League Baseball merchandise. I brought my Rick Renick card, sans Twins logo, to the session.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere Did You Get That?\u201d<\/p>\n

As the attendees crowded around the players\u2019 tables, Renick sat alone at his. We walked over and I told him I remembered when he played for the Twins. He said, \u201cIf you remember me, you must have been a pretty good fan.\u201d Whether he was skeptical, I don\u2019t know, but I was telling the truth. I was a big fan of Rod Carew<\/a> and Harmon Killebrew<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

I showed him his card and asked if he\u2019d ever seen one. He hadn\u2019t. He looked surprised and asked, \u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d When I explained, he asked, \u201cDo you want me to sign it?\u201d I said I\u2019d love it.
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He flipped the card over and saw that it wasn\u2019t loaded with hits and said something about not being much of a player. I said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy to crack that lineup. In the infield, you had Carew and Killebrew, and your shortstop had been an MVP. You had Bob Allison<\/a> and Tony Oliva<\/a> in the outfield.\u201d Killebrew had played a lot of third base<\/a> in those days. But my memory failed me regarding the Twins\u2019 MVP-winning shortstop, Zoilo Versalles<\/a>. Versalles was the AL MVP in 1965. The Twins traded him before Renick joined the team. Renick didn\u2019t point that out. Too nice a guy, I guess.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/p>\n

By then, I reached the limits of my kids\u2019 patience for Dad talking to an old coach. So, my restless kids and I took leave of Renick and proceeded to the players\u2019 tables. Meanwhile, he was happy to have been remembered. Next time you\u2019re at a major league team\u2019s autograph session, instead of worrying about meeting that middle reliever whose autograph won\u2019t be worth a bottle of Carter\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Mandatory Photo Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Autographed Rick Renick card from author\u2019s personal collection<\/p>\n

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