Tony Oliva, baseball player, 220 home runs, 1962-1976

Tony Oliva

⭐ Hall of Fame 2022

Born: 7/20/1938 in Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba

MLB Debut: 1962-09-09 | Final Game: 1976-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Tony Pedro Oliva

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Biography

Tony Oliva, born in 1938, was a prominent Major League Baseball player who made his mark primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins from 1962 to 1976. Known for his exceptional hitting ability, Oliva finished his career with a .304 batting average over 1,676 games, amassing 1,917 hits, 220 home runs, and 947 RBIs. His impressive offensive skills made him a key player during the 1960s and 1970s, a time when the game was evolving with an emphasis on power hitting and batting averages. Additionally, Oliva demonstrated speed on the bases, stealing 86 bases throughout his career. Oliva's contributions to the game were recognized with multiple accolades, including Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie Player of the Year honors. He was selected as an All-Star eight times, showcasing his consistent performance and popularity among fans. After retiring, Oliva's legacy was solidified when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, further cementing his status as one of the greatest players in Twins history and a respected figure in baseball lore. His career remains a testament to the talent and skill that characterized an era of competitive baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1676 6301 870 1917 329 48 220 947 86 448 645 0.304 0.353 0.476 0.830 23858.7

Career AVG .304 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +21.6% above league average.

Career OBP .353 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.

Career SLG .476 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — +28.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.830 vs. league average 0.687 across their career seasons — +20.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1962 MIN AL 9 9 3 4 1 0 0 3 0 3 2 0.444 — — — — 0.0
1963 MIN AL 7 7 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.429 — — — — 0.0
1964 MIN AL 161 672 109 217 43 9 32 94 12 34 68 0.323 .250 (+29%) .312 (+15%) .377 (+47%) .690 (+33%) 4016.9
1965 MIN AL 149 576 107 185 40 5 16 98 19 55 64 0.321 .245 (+31%) .310 (+22%) .371 (+32%) .682 (+27%) 2988.0
1966 MIN AL 159 622 99 191 32 7 25 87 13 42 72 0.307 .248 (+24%) .309 (+14%) .376 (+33%) .685 (+25%) 2826.3
1967 MIN AL 146 557 76 161 34 6 17 83 11 44 61 0.289 .242 (+19%) .306 (+13%) .357 (+30%) .663 (+22%) 2199.0
1968 MIN AL 128 470 54 136 24 5 18 68 10 45 61 0.289 .236 (+22%) .298 (+19%) .340 (+40%) .638 (+30%) 2491.0
1969 MIN AL 153 637 97 197 39 4 24 101 10 45 66 0.309 .248 (+25%) .320 (+11%) .369 (+34%) .689 (+23%) 2690.0
1970 MIN AL 157 628 96 204 36 7 23 107 5 38 67 0.325 .253 (+28%) .325 (+12%) .385 (+33%) .711 (+24%) 2747.6
1971 MIN AL 126 487 73 164 30 3 22 81 4 25 44 0.337 .249 (+35%) .316 (+16%) .365 (+50%) .682 (+34%) 2850.2
1972 MIN AL 10 28 1 9 1 0 0 1 0 2 5 0.321 — — — — 0.0
1973 MIN AL 146 571 63 166 20 0 16 92 2 45 44 0.291 .256 (+13%) .325 (+6%) .378 (+8%) .703 (+7%) 820.8
1974 MIN AL 127 459 43 131 16 2 13 57 0 27 31 0.285 .256 (+11%) .324 (avg) .369 (+12%) .693 (+7%) 461.9
1975 MIN AL 131 455 46 123 10 0 13 58 0 41 45 0.270 .257 (+5%) .327 (+5%) .374 (+1%) .701 (+3%) 357.4
1976 MIN AL 67 123 3 26 3 0 1 16 0 2 13 0.211 .255 (-17%) .320 (-27%) .360 (-28%) .681 (-27%) -590.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 51 7 16 5 0 3 5 2 10 0.314

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1970 ALCS MIN 3 12 2 6 2 0 1 1 0 1 0.500
1969 ALCS MIN 3 13 3 5 2 0 1 2 1 3 0.385
1965 WS MIN 7 26 2 5 1 0 1 2 1 6 0.192

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1178 1172 2332 71 61 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1962 MIN OF 2 2 3 0 0 0
1964 MIN OF 159 159 313 5 6 0
1965 MIN OF 147 147 284 10 11 3
1966 MIN OF 159 157 335 9 10 3
1967 MIN OF 146 145 286 8 4 2
1968 MIN OF 126 126 227 7 4 1
1969 MIN OF 152 151 311 14 6 3
1970 MIN OF 157 156 351 12 12 4
1971 MIN OF 121 120 216 6 7 3
1972 MIN OF 9 9 6 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 10
Center Field 42
Right Field 1137
Designated Hitter 406

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-06-28
1971 TSN All-Star OF
1971 TSN Player of the Year
1970 TSN All-Star OF
1966 Gold Glove OF
1966 TSN All-Star OF
1965 TSN All-Star OF
1965 TSN Player of the Year
1964 Rookie of the Year
1964 TSN All-Star OF
1964 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 36.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 157.0 336 5
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 21.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 5.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 6.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 71.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 174.0 280 1
1964 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 99.0 280 0
1964 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 19.0 20 19