Tony Oliva
Cuban-born Oliva's real name was Pedro, but he used his brother Tony's identity to get himself into the United States, signing with the Minnesota Twins in 1961. He hit .342 in three minor league seasons, winning one batting title and missing another by .0001 of a point. In two short stints with Minnesota, Oliva hit a combined .438 in 1962 and 1963 and then won the batting title and American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1964. Bucking the "sophomore jinx," Oliva won the batting crown again in his second season, the only man to cop the title in his first two years, and later added a third title. He played his entire 15-year career for the Twins, helping them to the post-season three times. He was a hitting machine: finishing in the top three in the league in hitting in seven of his first eight seasons, and pacing the circuit in hits five times.
Played For
Minnesota Twins (1962-1976)
All-Time Rankings
Tony Oliva ranks #20 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1964
As a rookie, he led the AL in hits (217), batting (.323), runs (109), total bases (374), doubles (43), extra-base hits (84), and multi-hit games (71). He probably should have won the MVP, but Brooks Robinson got it with his glove and a career year at the plate.
Factoids
Tony Oliva joined Joe DiMaggio as the only players to be named to the All-Star Game in their first six seasons. Oliva extended that string to eight years, a major league record.
Tony Oliva hit the first home run ever by a designated hitter in a regular season game, on April 6, 1973, against the Oakland A's.
Batting Uphill
Oliva played his career in one of the worst eras for his strength - hitting for average. Year-after-year he was among the two to three best hitters in his league, yet his career batting average of .304 seems modest compared to top hitters from the 1920s, 1930s, 1990s and 2000s. However, Oliva's relative batting average, that is his average compared to his league, is one of the best in baseball history, and one of the top ten since 1930. Had Oliva played in the 1980s and 1990s, for example, he most likely would have had a career average like wade Boggs (.328) or Rod Carew (.333).
Born
Pedro (Lopez) Oliva was born on July 20, 1940, in Pinar Del Rio
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: MIN
Major League Debut
September 9, 1962
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1962
Willie Stargell
Bob Bailey
Ed Kranepool
Cookie Rojas
Tony Oliva
Gaylord Perry
Bob Veale
Dick Radatz
Tommy Harper
Nicknames
Tony O, Pedro
Family Tree
Oliva's son, Pedro, signed with the Twins and played one season in the minor leagues before hurting his knee... Oliva came to the U.S. in 1961 as a 19-year old. Because of the travel restrictions placed on Cuban citizens by the Castro government, he did not see any member of his family again until 1970... Oliva was one of ten children born to his family in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
Similar Players
Carl Furillo, Fred Lynn
Related Players
Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1982 |
BBWAA |
63 |
15.2% |
1983 |
BBWAA |
75 |
20.1% |
1984 |
BBWAA |
124 |
30.8% |
1985 |
BBWAA |
114 |
28.9% |
1986 |
BBWAA |
154 |
36.2% |
1987 |
BBWAA |
160 |
38.7% |
1988 |
BBWAA |
202 |
47.3% |
1989 |
BBWAA |
135 |
30.2% |
1990 |
BBWAA |
142 |
32.0% |
1991 |
BBWAA |
160 |
36.1% |
1992 |
BBWAA |
175 |
40.7% |
1993 |
BBWAA |
157 |
37.1% |
1994 |
BBWAA |
158 |
34.7% |
1995 |
BBWAA |
149 |
32.4% |
1996 |
BBWAA |
170 |
36.2% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1965 World Series
1969 American League Championship Series
1970 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
Oliva excelled in the post-season, batting .314 with a .588 slugging mark, five doubles, three homers and five RBI in 13 games. That includes his frustrating 1965 World Series effort (.192, 5-for-26). Oliva did win Game Two of the '65 Series, lining a game-winning double off Sandy Koufax.
Awards and Honors
1964 AL Rookie of the Year
1966 AL Gold Glove
Batting Feats
Notes
On June 9, 1966, Oliva hit one of five home runs by the Twins in the seventh inning against the A's, an AL record.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Knee injuries hampered Oliva throughout his career, especially in his 30s. He missed a month of the 1968 and 1970 seasons, and all but ten games of the 1972 season, going under the knife for knee surgery. In 1973, when the American League adopted the designated hitter, Oliva was an immediate beneficiary, extending his career by three-and-a-half seasons in that role... Oliva was famous for getting into a groove at the plate, and also for suffering through slumps. Rare for a contact hitter, Oliva was streaky. In his second season, he was hitting just .227 in mid-May, and then hit .394 in July to lift his average over .300 for good. He hit .370 in the last two-and-a-half months of the season to win his second batting title, beating Carl Yastrzemski by nine points... Freak injuries often sidelined the Twins' star even as a minor leaguer. In 1962 he contracted the mumps in spring training, and wasn't back to normal until a month into the minor league season. Twice he suffered injuries (arm and knee) while playing winter ball in the off-season. He excelled in the Winter Leagues, hitting .365 in six seasons... In 1969, Oliva was red-hot, hitting .475 (28-for-59) in a 14-game hitting streak through mid-July, then he got the chicken pox and missed almost a week of action. When he returned he went 6-for-35 (.171). Just prior to the 14-game tear, Oliva had collected eight straight hits in a doubleheader against the Royals, on June 29... In 1970, Oliva enjoyed a 17-game hitting streak, from May 13 to June 2. He batted just .316 (23-for-73) during the skein, but did drive in 13 runs and score nine... In 1971, Oliva was hitting .375 on June 29, leading the league by a wide margin. On that date against the A's, Oliva severely injured his knee diving to stop a ball hit by Joe Rudi. Oliva missed the All-Star Game later that week and played into mid-September on the knee. His average dipped, as he hit .275 in July and was 13-for-61 in September before calling it a year on the 19th. He still won the batting title (at .337) and paced the league in slugging, but the injury stopped him from a monster season.
Hitting Streaks
17 games (1970)
15 games (1969)
Matchup Data
Oliva claimed that the two toughest pitchers he ever faced were Sam McDowell and Nolan Ryan. "They were wild; sometimes they'd throw behind you. You had to buy extra life insurance when you faced them."
All-Star Selections
1964 AL
1965 AL
1966 AL
1967 AL
1968 AL
1969 AL
1970 AL
1971 AL
Replaced
Oliva replaced Bob Allison in Minnesota's outfield in 1964, with Allison shifting to first base. The next season, Allision was back in left field, and Harmon Killebrew was shifted from left to third base.
Replaced By
Craig Kusick, who was an All-American linebacker in college, and whose son (Craig Jr.) went on to play professional arena football.
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting for average.
Largest Weakness as a Player
The inability to stay healthy.
Learn More about Tony Oliva
Search Amazon.com for Books about Tony Oliva ⇒
Search for Tony Oliva at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
