Outfielder, Minnesota
Twins
Age: 26 (June 29)
8th season
with Senators/Twins
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 195
Prior to 1962:
The son of a
former college football fullback, Killebrew was a native of Payette, Idaho. A
burly and muscular youth who played football and basketball, as well as
baseball, in high school, he was playing in a semipro baseball league at age 17
when he came to the attention of Idaho US Senator Herman Welker, who brought
him to the attention of the Senators. Scouted by Washington, as well as the
Boston Red Sox, Killebrew signed a $6000 contract and $4000 bonus with the
Senators. As a bonus signee at the time, he had to be on the major league
roster for two years before he could be sent down to the minors and spent 1954
and ’55 as a sparsely utilized reserve third baseman for the Senators. He split
the 1956 season between Charlotte of the Class A South Atlantic League, where
he batted .325 with 15 home runs, and the Senators, where he hit .222 in 44
games with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs. Killebrew showed off his power in 1957 with
the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern Association as he slugged 29
home runs. He split 1958 between Chattanooga and Indianapolis of the Class AAA
American Association, batting a combined .281 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs. He
finally got a chance as the starting third baseman for the Senators in 1959 and
made the most of it, leading the AL with 42 home runs (tied with Cleveland’s
Rocky Colavito) in addition to driving in 105 RBIs and hitting .242. Killebrew
was named as an All-Star for the first time and finished fifteenth in league
MVP balloting. An unimpressive fielder and hindered by a leg injury, he split
1960 between third and first base and batted .276 with 31 home runs and 80
RBIs. The Senators moved to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and were rechristened
the Minnesota Twins in 1961 and, while primarily playing at first base (and
still shifting between the two corner infield positions), “Killer” (a monicker
which belied his pleasant nature) belted 46 home runs while hitting .288 with
122 RBIs. Killebrew was moved to left field in 1962.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 155
games
LF – 151, 1B – 4,
PH – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 666 [17]
At Bats – 552
Runs – 85 [20,
tied with Clete Boyer]
Hits – 134
Doubles – 21
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 48 [1]
RBI – 126 [1]
Bases on Balls
– 106 [3]
Int. BB – 6 [20,
tied with Bob Rodgers]
Strikeouts – 142
[1]
Stolen Bases – 1
Caught Stealing
– 2
Average - .243
OBP - .366 [11]
Slugging Pct. -
.545 [2]
Total Bases – 301
[5]
GDP – 14 [18,
tied with six others]
Hit by Pitches
– 4
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 4
League-leading
home runs were +9 ahead of runner-up Norm Cash
League-leading
RBIs were +9 ahead of runner-up Norm Siebern
League-leading
batting strikeouts were +24 ahead of runner-up Ed Bressoud
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 18, RBI – 48, AVG - .231, SLG - .484, OBP – .373
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) vs. NY Yankees 8/13
Longest hitting
streak – 11 games
HR at home – 20
HR on road – 28
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. Cleveland 7/18, (in 4 AB) vs. Cleveland 9/15, (in 5 AB)
vs. Detroit 9/19, (in 5 AB) vs. Baltimore 9/29
Multi-HR games
– 4
Most RBIs, game
– 5 vs. Cleveland 7/18, vs. NY Yankees 8/13, vs. Cleveland 9/15
Pinch-hitting –
1 for 1 (1.000) with 1 RBI & 1 BB
Fielding (OF)
Chances - 240
Put Outs – 227
Assists – 5
Errors – 8
DP – 0
Pct. - .967
Awards & Honors:
3rd in
AL MVP voting (99 points – 1 first place vote, 35% share)
---
The Twins went
91-71 to finish second in the AL, 5 games behind the pennant-winning New York
Yankees, while leading the league in OBP (,338) and fewest stolen bases (33).
The Twins were surprise contenders from the start and stuck close behind the
Yankees through April, May, and June. 7 games back on August 1, they whittled
their way closer until time ran out in September.
Aftermath of 1962:
Killebrew
topped the AL in home runs again in 1963 (45) and 1964 (49), further
establishing himself as a premier power hitter. Minnesota won the AL pennant in
1965, but Killebrew, who went back to splitting his time between first and
third base, was sidelined by a dislocated elbow in August that cost him seven
weeks. He ended up with 25 home runs and 75 RBIs in 113 games while hitting
.269. He batted .286 with a home run and two RBIs in the seven-game World
Series loss to the Dodgers. In 1966 he drew 103 walks on his way to leading the
AL in that category for the first of four occasions in a six-year span.
Killebrew also hit .281 with 39 home runs and 110 RBIs. He tied for the league
lead in home runs in 1967 with 44. A severe hamstring injury suffered during
the 1968 All-Star Game limited Killebrew to 100 games with 17 home runs and 40
RBIs. In 1966 he drew 103 walks on his way to leading the AL in that category
for the first of four occasions in a six-year span. Killebrew also hit .281
with 39 home runs and 110 RBIs. He tied for the league lead in home runs in
1967 with 44. In 1968 a severe hamstring injury suffered during the All-Star
Game limited Killebrew to 100 games with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs. He came back
with a 1969 season in which he was named league MVP, batting .276 while leading
the AL in home runs (49), RBIs (140), walks drawn (145), and OBP (.427). In the
first season of divisional play, the Twins topped the new AL West, losing the
ALCS to the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game sweep. Killebrew followed up in
1970 with his eighth and last 40-home run season, totaling 41 to go along with
113 RBIs and a .271 average. He placed third in AL MVP voting. While his home
run total dropped to 28 in 1971, he still topped the circuit with 119 RBIs. He
stayed with the Twins through 1974 with steadily declining production. Offered
the chance to be a player/coach or manager with Minnesota’s Class AAA Tacoma
franchise for 1975, Killebrew chose to sign with the Kansas City Royals
instead. As a Designated Hitter and pinch hitter in his final major league
season, he batted just .199 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. In his career with
the Senators/Twins he batted .258 with 2024 hits that included 277 doubles, 24
triples, and 559 home runs. He also scored 1258 runs and compiled 1540 RBIs.
Including his season with the Royals, he ended up hitting 573 home runs with
1584 RBIs and a .256 batting average along with an on-base percentage of .376
(a testament to his 1559 walks drawn). An eleven-time All-Star (at three
positions), he finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting on seven occasions. In
13 postseason games he hit .250 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs. The Twins retired
his # 3 and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Killebrew went
into broadcasting for a time following his playing career and suffered major
financial losses in retirement. He died of cancer in 2011 at the age of 74.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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