Cesar Tovar, baseball player, 1965-1976

Cesar Tovar

Born: 7/3/1940 in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela

Died: 7/14/1994 in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela

MLB Debut: 1965-04-12 | Final Game: 1976-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 155 lbs

Full name: Cesar Leonardo Tovar

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Biography

Cesar Tovar, born in 1940, was a dynamic position player who made significant contributions to Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1976. Known for his versatility on the field, Tovar played multiple positions throughout his career, which included stints with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 1,488 games, amassing 1,546 hits and a commendable batting average of .278. Tovar's offensive prowess was highlighted by his ability to generate runs, as he recorded 46 home runs and 435 RBIs. Additionally, he showcased his speed on the bases, finishing his career with 226 stolen bases, a testament to his aggressive playing style. Tovar's career unfolded during a transitional period in baseball, as the sport was evolving with the introduction of more specialized roles and the increasing importance of speed and defense. His ability to adapt and contribute in various capacities made him a valuable asset to his teams. Tovar's legacy is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his impact as a player who exemplified the spirit of competition and versatility in baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0.00 0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 2.98 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1968 MIN AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 1 1 0.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1488 5569 834 1546 253 55 46 435 226 413 410 0.278 0.335 0.368 0.703 4198.9

Career AVG .278 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OBP .335 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.

Career SLG .368 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.703 vs. league average 0.684 across their career seasons — near 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
1965 MIN AL 18 25 3 5 1 0 0 2 2 2 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1966 MIN AL 134 465 57 121 19 5 2 41 16 44 50 0.260 .248 (+5%) .309 (+5%) .376 (-11%) .685 (-4%) -264.2
1967 MIN AL 164 649 98 173 32 7 6 47 19 46 51 0.267 .242 (+10%) .306 (+6%) .357 (+2%) .663 (+4%) 514.4
1968 MIN AL 157 613 89 167 31 6 6 47 35 34 41 0.272 .236 (+15%) .298 (+9%) .340 (+9%) .638 (+9%) 1036.6
1969 MIN AL 158 535 99 154 25 5 11 52 45 37 37 0.288 .248 (+16%) .320 (+7%) .369 (+12%) .689 (+10%) 983.3
1970 MIN AL 161 650 120 195 36 13 10 54 30 52 47 0.300 .253 (+18%) .325 (+9%) .385 (+15%) .711 (+12%) 1488.7
1971 MIN AL 157 657 94 204 29 3 1 45 18 45 39 0.311 .249 (+25%) .316 (+13%) .365 (+1%) .682 (+6%) 868.1
1972 MIN AL 141 548 86 145 20 6 2 31 21 39 39 0.265 .243 (+9%) .310 (+6%) .353 (-6%) .664 (avg) 78.2
1973 PHI NL 97 328 49 88 18 4 1 21 6 29 35 0.268 .256 (+4%) .325 (+3%) .378 (-6%) .703 (-2%) -83.6
1974 TEX AL 138 562 78 164 24 6 4 58 13 47 33 0.292 .256 (+14%) .324 (+9%) .369 (+2%) .693 (+5%) 670.1
1975 TEX AL 102 427 53 110 16 0 3 28 16 27 25 0.258 .257 (avg) .327 (-7%) .374 (-15%) .701 (-11%) -876.9
1975 OAK AL 19 26 5 6 1 0 0 3 4 3 3 0.231 — — — — -876.9
1976 OAK AL 29 45 1 8 0 0 0 4 1 4 4 0.178 — — — — -215.7
1976 NYY AL 13 39 2 6 1 0 0 2 0 4 3 0.154 — — — — -215.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 28 4 7 0 1 0 1 2 2 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1975 ALCS OAK 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.500
1970 ALCS MIN 3 13 2 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 0.385
1969 ALCS MIN 3 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.077

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 1 0 0
2B 215 180 395 481 28 109
3B 227 187 160 351 38 27
C 1 0 1 0 0 0
OF 945 842 2043 71 44 18
P 1 1 0 0 0 0
SS 77 52 87 139 14 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 MIN 2B 4 1 2 6 2 2
1965 MIN 3B 2 1 0 8 1 0
1965 MIN OF 2 2 3 0 0 0
1965 MIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 MIN 2B 76 73 154 205 8 33
1966 MIN OF 24 21 53 2 0 1
1966 MIN SS 31 27 47 67 6 10
1967 MIN 2B 36 31 69 66 4 11
1967 MIN 3B 70 56 60 101 9 8
1967 MIN OF 74 70 169 5 1 3
1967 MIN SS 9 5 9 12 3 1
1968 MIN 1B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1968 MIN 2B 18 12 29 24 2 6
1968 MIN 3B 75 68 48 147 14 8
1968 MIN C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1968 MIN OF 78 52 138 4 5 1
1968 MIN P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1968 MIN SS 35 20 31 59 5 9
1969 MIN 2B 41 33 78 99 7 25
1969 MIN 3B 20 14 12 26 2 2
1969 MIN OF 113 76 225 9 4 3
1970 MIN 2B 8 6 17 10 2 5
1970 MIN 3B 4 4 2 3 3 0
1970 MIN OF 151 146 370 12 9 1
1971 MIN 2B 2 0 1 4 0 1
1971 MIN 3B 7 5 3 9 2 1
1971 MIN OF 154 150 348 14 5 3
1972 MIN OF 139 134 287 10 5 2
1973 PHI 2B 22 20 39 56 3 24
1973 PHI 3B 46 39 34 56 7 7
1973 PHI OF 24 20 40 1 2 1
1974 TEX OF 135 133 331 13 7 3
1975 TEX 2B 1 1 1 2 0 0
1975 TEX OF 31 30 56 1 5 0
1975 OAK 2B 4 1 1 1 0 0
1975 OAK 3B 3 0 1 1 0 1
1975 OAK SS 1 0 0 1 0 0
1976 OAK OF 20 8 23 0 1 0
1976 NYA 2B 3 2 4 8 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
Catcher 1
First Base 1
Second Base 214
Third Base 232
Shortstop 79
Left Field 394
Center Field 469
Right Field 207
Designated Hitter 90

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 4.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 16.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 9.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 3.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 70.0 280 1