Tony Oliva

Tony Oliva
Birthdate 07/20/1940
Death Date
Debut Year 1962
Year of Induction 2022
Teams Twins
Positions Designated Hitter, Right Field

The 1964 American League Rookie of the Year, Tony Oliva was an eight-time All Star, three-time batting champ, and a Gold Glove winner.

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Oliva's Rookie of the Year campaign was one of the best

Oliva's Rookie of the Year campaign was one of the best

Tony Oliva had a rookie year to remember. The Minnesota right fielder led the league in batting average, hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. He received all but one of the first-place votes in Rookie of the Year balloting. The season was no fluke. He followed it up in ’65 by winning his seco
Tony Oliva's knee injury delayed his arrival to Cooperstown

Tony Oliva's knee injury delayed his arrival to Cooperstown

If not for bad knees, Tony Oliva is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. The Rookie of the Year in 1964, Oliva was the AL batting champ. The rookie season was outstanding. Oliva also paced AL hitters in runs, hits, and total bases. From 1964-1971 Oliva won three batting crowns, topping the .320 mark four time
Oliva routinely finished in the AL's top three in batting average

Oliva routinely finished in the AL's top three in batting average

The 1964 Rookie of the Year, Tony Oliva was purely dominant for his first eight seasons before injuries slowed him. Shown here is a 1966 batting leaders card featuring and signed by Frank Robinson, Oliva, and Al Kaline. Robinson hit .316 to win his only batting crown and the AL Triple Crown. Three-t
Like many, Oliva's on-field success did not translate to endorsements off of it

Like many, Oliva's on-field success did not translate to endorsements off of it

The Major League Baseball Players Association sent out questionnaires like this one to its players to determine what endorsements each man had. Today’s players compliment their baseball salary with off field endorsement but that wasn’t always the case. This document filled out by Tony Oliva on

One response to “Tony Oliva”

  1. Thom Eis says:

    2 words: Harold Baines.

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