Rich Rollins obit

Former All-Star Twins third baseman Rich Rollins dies at 87

Rollins helped Minnesota win its first-ever pennant in 1965. 

He was not on the list.

Rich Rollins, a former Minnesota Twins third baseman who helped the team win its first pennant, has died. He was 87.

Rollins debuted during the Twins' first season in Minnesota in 1961 after their relocation from Washington. He was their everyday third baseman a year later, earned an All-Star nod and finished eighth in American League MVP voting. In 1965, Rollins was the starting third baseman for Minnesota when the team won its first-ever American League championship.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Twin, Rich Rollins," the Twins said on X, formerly Twitter.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Twin, Rich Rollins.

Rich was a member of the Twins in 1961-68 including an All-Star season in 1962. pic.twitter.com/DsE4t8kB6g

 

—    Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 14, 2025

He spent eight seasons with Minnesota before being selected by the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969, their lone year of existence before they became the Milwaukee Brewers the following season. Rollins finished his career with the Cleveland Indians.

Rollins led the major leagues in triples with 10 in 1964 and played more than 135 games in four of his eight seasons with the Twins. Over his 10-year MLB career, Rollins slashed .269/.388/.717 with 125 doubles, 77 home runs and 399 RBIs.

Rollins was born on April 16, 1938, in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The family moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area, where Rollins attended Parma High School. Rollins played baseball in high school as well as for an American Legion team. He accepted a baseball scholarship to Kent State University, where he played for the Golden Flashes from 1958 to 1960. He had a .429 batting average in 1959, and a .358 batting average his senior year, with a career batting average of .3891. He was named three times to the All-Mid-American Conference team. He played second base, with future major league player and manager Gene Michael at shortstop.

Rollins was signed for $6,000 as an undrafted free agent by the then Washington Senators prior to the start of the 1960 season. He was assigned to the Wilson Tobs in the class-B Carolina League, under future major league manager Jack McKeon. He hit into a triple play in his first professional game, which left a significant impact on his baseball career. As a result, despite the embarrassment, it was the main motivation for Rollins to become a better ballplayer.

After hitting .341 with eight home runs and 43 RBI in 62 games, in 1961, Rollins was promoted to Syracuse Chiefs in the Triple-A International League (IL). A few weeks into the season, after playing only three games, he was assigned to the Single-A Charlotte Hornets in the South Atlantic League. He hit .270 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 36 early-season games at Charlotte, playing four games in the outfield and then being shifted to third base.