Rod Allen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rod Allen |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 5, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 7, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| NPB: April 8, 1989, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 2, 1988, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| NPB: October 28, 1991, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .220 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 3 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .288 | ||
| Home runs | 45 | ||
| Runs batted in | 133 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Roderick Bernet Allen (born October 5, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. After his playing career, Rod Allen became a well-known baseball analyst. He currently works for the Miami Marlins on Bally Sports Florida. He also worked for the Detroit Tigers and Fox Saturday Baseball.
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Rod Allen's Baseball Journey
Playing Baseball
Rod Allen started his baseball journey when he was picked by the Chicago White Sox. This happened in the sixth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. He was a talented young player.
Early Career and MLB Debut
Rod Allen made his first appearance in Major League Baseball in 1983. He played for the Seattle Mariners. He was 23 years old at the time. In 1984, he joined the Detroit Tigers. He played well, hitting .296 in 15 games. The Tigers won the 1984 World Series that year. However, Rod was not on the team during the postseason games. He later had another short time in the MLB with the Cleveland Indians in 1988.
Playing in Japan
Rod Allen spent the last three years of his playing career in Japan. He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the NPB. While in Japan, he showed his power as a hitter. He hit two home runs in the 1991 Japan Series. He also set a Japanese league record. He hit four home runs in four straight times at bat.
Coaching Young Players
After playing, Rod Allen became a coach. He worked as a hitting instructor for the Florida Marlins team. This was from 1992 to 1995. In 1994 and 1995, he was the hitting coach for the Kane County Cougars. This team was a Single-A affiliate of the Marlins. He helped many young players improve their hitting. Some of these players became famous, like Mike Redmond and Kevin Millar.
Becoming a Broadcaster
Rod Allen then moved into broadcasting. He started talking about baseball on TV and radio.
Talking Baseball for the Diamondbacks
From 1998 to 2002, Rod Allen worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was a television and radio analyst. He helped explain the games to fans. In 2001, he was a color commentator for the Diamondbacks' radio broadcasts. This included their exciting 2001 World Series win. They beat the New York Yankees in that series.
Announcing for the Detroit Tigers
Rod Allen became a regular color commentator for the Detroit Tigers. He worked with play-by-play announcer Mario Impemba. They were a popular duo for many years. Rod Allen won Michigan Emmys in 2006 and 2007. These awards were for his great analysis of Tigers baseball. His time with the Tigers ended in 2018.
On National TV and with the Marlins
Besides his team work, Rod Allen also did commentary for Fox Saturday Baseball. This allowed him to share his baseball knowledge with a wider audience. In March 2022, it was announced that Rod Allen would join Bally Sports Florida. He now works as an analyst for the Miami Marlins telecasts.
Family Life
Rod Allen is married to Adrian. They have four children together: Rhonda, Rod, Jr., Andrew, and Rachel. The Allen family lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Rod, Jr. also played baseball. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2004. Andrew, another son, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007.
