Rod Allen
Rod Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roderick Bernet Allen October 5, 1959 |
| Occupation | baseball analyst |
| Notable credit(s) | Fox Sports Detroit (for the Detroit Tigers 2003-present) Fox Sports Arizona and KTAR (for the Arizona Diamondbacks 1998-2002) Fox Saturday Baseball (1998-present) |
| Rod Allen | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| April 7, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 2, 1988, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .220 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 3 |
| Teams | |
Roderick Bernet "Rod" Allen (born October 5, 1959 in Los Angeles, California) is a baseball analyst, currently for the Detroit Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit. He also analyzes for other games on Fox Saturday Baseball when the Tigers don't play on Fox Sports Detroit. His former positions include analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and before that a baseball player, and later a coach.
Baseball
Playing career
Allen was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He enjoyed a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1983. He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 7, 1983. He hit .296 in 27 at bats during a 15 game stint as an outfielder and designated hitter with the World Champion Detroit Tigers in 1984. He enjoyed another brief stint in the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1988. Allen spent the last three years of his playing career with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan's Central League. He hit a pair of home runs against Seibu Lions in the 1991 Japan Series and set a Japanese regular season record with four home runs in four consecutive at bats during his time in the league. He is infamous for charging the mound after Kazuhiko Daimon from the Yokohama Taiyo Whales hit him in the back with a pitch, and subsequently chasing the pitcher across the entire field with both teams' benches in tow.
Coaching career
Prior to his work as a broadcaster, Allen spent four seasons as a hitting instructor in the Florida Marlins organization from 1992 through 1995. In 1994 and 1995, he was the hitting coach for the Kane County Cougars, the Marlins Single-A affiliate in the Midwest League. Some of the notable players he coached include Mike Redmond, Kevin Millar, and Luis Castillo. During his time in the Marlins organization, Allen worked under Dave Dombrowski, who would later become the Tigers President, CEO, and General Manager.
Broadcasting
Arizona Diamondbacks
From 1998-2002 he spent five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a television (Fox Sports Arizona) and radio (KTAR) analyst. He served as the color commentator on the Diamondbacks radio broadcasts during the 2001 postseason, including the World Series win against the New York Yankees.
Detroit Tigers
Currently, Allen is the regular color commentator on Detroit Tigers telecasts for Fox Sports Detroit.[1] The 2011 baseball season is Allen's ninth season of broadcasting Tigers games, while Mario Impemba does play-by-play. Allen won Michigan Emmys in 2006 and 2007 for his analysis of Detroit Tigers baseball. As a former hitting coach, he provides expert analysis of hitters' swings and batting stances.
Rod is a longtime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association founded in 1948 by legendary Tigers broadcaster Ty Tyson.
Fox Saturday Baseball
In addition to his work for the Tigers he has contributed to Fox Saturday Baseball.
Family life
Allen and his wife, Adrian, have four children: Rhonda, 31; Rod, Jr., 25; Andrew, 18; and Rachel, 16. The Allens live in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Rod, Jr. was selected by the New York Yankees in the 12th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft after a collegiate career at Arizona State University. He played the 2004 season with the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League, and he is currently on the roster of the Class A Winston-Salem Warthogs. Andrew was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 43rd round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He attended Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona.[2]
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Rod Allen on Facebook
- Q&A interview with Rod Allen - In Play! Magazine August,2010
- 1959 births
- Living people
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- American sports announcers
- Arizona Diamondbacks broadcasters
- African American baseball players
- Cleveland Indians players
- Detroit Tigers broadcasters
- Detroit Tigers players
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Evansville Triplets players
- Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
- Major League Baseball announcers
- Baseball players from California
- Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California
- Seattle Mariners players