TONY OLIVA

Tony Oliva By The Numbers: 1962-1976, Minnesota. Games: 1676. AB: 6301 R: 870 H: 1917 2B: 329 3B: 48 HR: 220 RBI: 947 BA, .304 SA, .476 OBP, .356

AL All Star 1964-71. Post Season: 1965, 1969, 1970. Batting Titles: 1964 (.323), '65 (.321), '71 (.337). Slugging, 1971 (.546). Hits: 1964-66 (217, 185, 191), '69-'70 (197, 204). Doubles: 1964 (43), '67 (34), '69-'70 (39, 36).

It's easy to assume that if not for a knee injury that basically left him crippled, Tony Oliva would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. Tony sure knew how to come into the league and make a name for himself. In his very first year, 1964, Tony was named Rookie of the Year and won the batting title. He would go on to win a total of three hitting crowns in his career. On his way to winning that first batting title, Tony also set an AL record for most hits in a rookie year with 217. He also topped the majors in total bases with 374, tying Hal Trosky's rookie record. He led the AL in runs scored with 109 and doubles with 43, while smacking 32 homers. As if to prove it was no fluke, Tony took another batting title in his second year. He hit .321, with a league leading 185 hits and 40 doubles. Tony is the only player to ever win batting titles in his first two seasons. He also helped the Twins to their first World Series that year, vs. the LA Dodgers. In 1966, his third year, he finished second to Frank Robinson in the race for the batting title, but still led the league in hits with 191. He lead the AL in hits in each of his first three years.

It didn't stop there. He went on to lead the AL in safeties five times. All through the sixties he was a major offensive force to be reckoned with. He was well on his way to an unbelievable career until his ninth year, when he blew out his knee. By the time he time he tore the cartilage in his right knee diving for a ball in July of '71 he had already undergone two major knee operations, in '66 and again in '67. It is important to understand this was 1971, well before arthroscopic knee surgery was available. By the time he hung up his spikes he would have a total of seven knee operations. He was never the same after '71. After sitting out most of '72, he came back as a DH in 1973. In fact, Twins' owner Calvin Griffith, one of the most conservative men in baseball history, only voted for the adoption of the DH rule at the 1972 Winter Meetings so the Twins could get Tony O. back in the game. In any case, baseball fans were robbed of watching one of the most graceful athletes ever to play. Tony was reduced to pinch-hitting and DH-ing for his final four years.

Tony was selected to eight All Star teams. He was The Sporting News AL Player of the Year three times (1964, 1965, 1971). He was an outstanding hitter, perhaps the premier AL hitter for average during his era after Rod Carew. Oliva was also an excellent fielder before suffering the knee injury in 1971. He won a Gold Glove in 1966 and had a shotgun of an arm. Oliva was a key component of the strong Minnesota teams of the sixties and early seventies, including the championship club of 1965, which had such luminaries as pitchers Mudcat Grant, Jim Kaat and Jim Perry and sluggers Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison, Early Battey and Don Mincher.

Oliva finished fourth in the 1964 MVP voting behind Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson and Elston Howard. The following year (1965) he finished second to his teammate Zoilo Versalles. In 1966 he finished sixth in the voting and almost won it in 1970, just getting beaten out by Boog Powell. He also received votes in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971. As far as entering the Hall of Fame, the closest he ever came was back in 1988 when he garnered 202 of the necessary 321 votes. That was third behind Willie Stargell, who made it, and Jim Bunning, who missed by just four votes and would have to wait for the Veterans' Committee to bring him in.

If Oliva ever does make the Hall, that's the same route he'll have to take, because he never received more than 165 votes after that good 1988 showing and is now off the ballot.

Tony did get a chance to participate in some post season action. Following his second year, the two-time batting champ helped lead the Twins in battle against the mighty L.A. Dodgers. Minnesota lost four games to three and Oliva didn't have a particularly good World Series, going 5-for-26 (.192) with a home run and two RBIs. In those days nobody was doing much against Koufax and Drysdale. Oliva did much better in both the 1969 and 1970 ALCS, but the bad news was the Twins were swept both times. In the '69 series he was 5-for-13 with a homer and a couple of RBIs. He came back in 1970 to hit .500, going 6-for-12 with three extra base hits, including a home run. Combining the '65 World Series and the two ALCS series', Tony was 16-for-51 (.313) in post season competition. He finished with 5 2B, 3 HR, and 5 RBIs.

Tony ended up leading the AL in hits on five different occasions. He also led the league in doubles four different times. In 1964 he led the league in total bases with 374 and in 1971 he was tops in slugging percentage (.546). So does all this mean Tony should go into the Hall of Fame? I believe that his career was unfortunately cut short and that he likewise falls short of Hall of Fame credentials. Three batting titles are impressive, but he had fewer than 2000 hits, and less than 1000 runs scored or driven in. 220 homers is good, but not Hall of Fame material. He put together about as good an eight-year period as anybody ever has, but that's just not long enough to established the greatness needed for Cooperstown.