Rookie of the Year: Tony Oliva, 1964

Outfielder, Minnesota Twins

Age:  26 (July 20)

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 175

 

Prior to 1964:

A native of Cuba, Pedro Oliva II learned baseball from his father in rural Pinar del Rio province. After initially playing for a neighborhood team, he was signed by the Twins in 1961. Using his brother Antonio’s birth certificate to obtain a passport, he came to be called “Tony” rather than his given name. Held up by visa problems in arriving at Minnesota’s rookie camp, Oliva hit well in his first tryout but looked too unpolished in the outfield and was released. An opening was found with Wytheville of the Class D Appalachian League where he encountered linguistic and cultural difficulties. He batted .410 with 15 doubles, 6 triples, 10 home runs, and 81 RBIs in 64 games, but still had difficulty defensively, where he nevertheless impressed with a strong throwing arm. A teammate helped with teaching him English. Moving on to Charlotte of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1962, he hit .350 with his picturesque swing along with 35 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, and 93 RBIs. He was called up to the Twins for a September audition and batted .444 in nine games. With Dallas-Fort Worth of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1963, Oliva hit .304 with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 23 home runs and 74 RBIs, earning another late season call-up to the Twins. He managed three hits in seven pinch-hitting at bats. Initially anticipated to be a reserve outfielder, he made the Twins to stay in 1964 and was quickly installed in right field.

 

1964 Season Summary

Appeared in 161 games

RF – 154, CF – 9, LF – 2, PH – 2

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 719 [3]

At Bats – 672 [2]

Runs – 109 [1]

Hits – 217 [1]

Doubles – 43 [1]

Triples – 9 [3, tied with Carl Yastrzemski & Jim Fregosi]

Home Runs – 32 [6, tied with Bob Allison]

RBI – 94 [9, tied with Pete Ward]

Bases on Balls – 34

Int. BB – 8 [11, tied with Dick McAuliffe, Woodie Held & Bob Chance]

Strikeouts – 68

Stolen Bases – 12 [11, tied with Ed Charles & Don Buford]

Caught Stealing – 6 [8, tied with Chuck Hinton, Chico Salmon & Mike Hershberger]

Average - .323 [1]

OBP - .359 [17]

Slugging Pct. - .557 [3]

Total Bases – 374 [1]

GDP – 9

Hit by Pitches – 6 [9, tied with six others]

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – 3

 

League-leading runs scored were +8 ahead of runner-up Dick Howser

League-leading hits were +23 ahead of runner-up Brooks Robinson

League-leading doubles were +2 ahead of runner-up Ed Bressoud

League-leading batting average was +.006 ahead of runner-up Brooks Robinson

League-leading total bases were +55 ahead of runner-up Brooks Robinson

 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 19, HR - 18, RBI - 51, AVG - .335, OBP - .367, SLG – .582

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at KC A’s 5/2 – 11 innings, (in 4 AB) at KC A’s 5/3, (in 5 AB) vs. LA Angels 5/7, (in 5 AB) at Boston 9/20

Longest hitting streak – 17 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) at KC A’s 5/2 – 11 innings, (in 5 AB) vs. LA Angels 5/7, (in 4 AB) at Baltimore 6/29, (in 5 AB) vs. Boston 9/4

HR at home – 17

HR on road – 15

Multi-HR games – 4

Most RBIs, game – 6 vs. LA Angels 5/7

Pinch-hitting – 1 of 2 (.500)

 

Fielding

Chances – 324

Put Outs – 313

Assists – 5

Errors – 6

DP - 0

Pct. - .981

 

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star (Started for AL in RF)

4^th in AL MVP voting (99 points, 35% share)

 

 

AL ROY Voting:

Tony Oliva, Min.: 19 of 20 votes, 95% share

Wally Bunker, Balt.: 1 vote, 5% share

 

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The Twins went 79-83 to finish tied for sixth in the AL with the Cleveland Indians, 20 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees, while leading the league in runs scored (737), home runs (221), RBIs (707), OBP (,322, tied with Boston), slugging (.427) & total bases (2395). The heavy-hitting Twins were done in by pitching problems and defensive deficiency, particularly in the infield.

 

 

Aftermath of ‘64:

Oliva followed up on his outstanding rookie season by winning another batting title in 1965. He overcame a slow start and hand and knee injuries to finish up at .321. He again topped the circuit in hits with 185 and contributed 40 doubles, 16 home runs, and 98 RBIs as the Twins won the AL pennant. Oliva placed second in league MVP voting to his teammate and fellow Cuban, shortstop Zoilo Versalles. But he produced only a .192 average in the seven-game World Series loss to the Dodgers. Failing in his bid for a third straight batting title in 1966 due to a September slump, Oliva still placed second to Baltimore’s Triple Crown-winning Frank Robinson with a .307 average. He topped the circuit in hits again with 191, of which there were 32 doubles, 7 triples, and 25 home runs. He also totaled 99 runs scored and 87 RBIs. The right fielder who had originally been a poor fielder also was awarded a Gold Glove. Aggressive at the plate, he developed a reputation as an outstanding “bad ball” hitter. Dealing with nagging injuries in 1967 Oliva hit .289 with a league-leading 34 doubles, along with 6 triples, 17 home runs, and 83 RBIs while the Twins came up short in a wild pennant race. In the pitching-dominated 1968 season, Oliva again batted .289 with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs. Having already missed time due to a leg injury, his season ended at the end of August as the result of a separated shoulder. Oliva returned to form in 1969 by hitting .309, leading the AL with 197 hits and 39 doubles. He also compiled 24 home runs and 101 RBIs. In this first season of division play in major league baseball, the Twins topped the AL West and Oliva batted .385 in the three-game ALCS loss to Baltimore. In 1970 he again led the league in hits (204) and doubles (36) to go along with 23 home runs, 107 RBIs, and a .325 batting average. For the second time in his career he placed second in AL MVP voting. Having already endured two surgeries on his right knee thus far, in 1971 Oliva was hobbled by an injury suffered while making a defensive play that limited him to 126 games and necessitated further surgery in September. He still won his third AL batting title by hitting .337 along with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs. Still hindered by the injury, Oliva appeared in only ten games in 1972 and found himself in left field when he played. His bat was still potent as he batted .321 in his brief action. The Designated Hitter rule provided Oliva with a new role in 1973 and he batted .291 with 16 home runs and 92 RBIs while never taking the field. As a DH and pinch-hitter in 1974 he had four four-hit games and batted .538 (7 for 13) as a pinch-hitter on his way to season totals of .285 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Following a similar season in 1975, Oliva had two more knee surgeries and returned as a player/coach in 1976, his last year, in which he saw most of his action as a pinch-hitter. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Twins, Oliva batted .304 with 1917 hits that included 329 doubles, 48 triples, and 220 home runs. He further scored 870 runs and compiled 947 RBIs, 86 stolen bases, and a .353 on-base percentage. Appearing in 13 postseason games, he hit .314 with three home runs and five RBIs. A three-time batting champ, Oliva was also an eight-time All-Star and finished in the top ten in league MVP balloting five times. He topped the AL in hits five times and doubles on four occasions. An inaugural member of the Twins Hall of Fame, the club retired his #6 and a statue was placed in his honor at Target Field. He served as a coach and hitting instructor for the Twins. With his playing career done at age 38, Oliva accomplished much in a comparatively brief time.

 

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league. 

Revised 8/19/24