A little bit more. That’s what we all wanted to see from Tony Oliva to make him a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Certainly a little bit more is what Oliva would have liked from his 1960s-1970s career with the Minnesota Twins, too, but his knees wouldn’t let him be himself during the waning years of his career.
If you are going to hold, or be close to claiming Major League records, you want them to be good ones. Oliva might be the big-league record-holder (or at least be in the picture), for the player with the worst knees of all time. And as any athlete will tell you, being weak-kneed is the pits. It holds you back from doing anything at your best.
The native of Cuba, who is now 73, had a wonderful left-handeded swing. At his best, Oliva was a superstar performer. At his worst he could barely hobble around the bases. Both Oliva and his fans were cheated by knee injuries that let him down and now in a final insult will likely be his biggest obstacle to being voted into the Hall of Fame when the Golden Era Veterans Committee meets to review 10 candidates on Dec. 5.
There is a lot to recommend Oliva. His lifetime batting average is .304. He won three American League batting crowns, led the league in hits five times, and in runs once. He drove in runs (80 or more seven times) and he stole bases (six times 10 or more in a season when he was still mobile) and was an eight-time All-Star. Oliva earned one Gold Glove as a right fielder, too. That’s pretty good stuff. But is it enough? Borderline. From an historic standpoint, amassing just 220 home runs and 947 RBIs with 1,917 hits is a hole in his Hall candidacy.
Oliva left Cuba to follow his Major League dream just as dictator Fidel Castro was locking the doors. Soon Castro refused to allow baseball players to migrate to the United States, so Oliva stayed in this country, missing his extended family.
Oliva signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1961, but struggled in the low minors at first and was even released before being re-signed. A late bloomer, Oliva made his Major League debut in 1962 when he played in nine games. In 1963, he got into just seven games. Boy, Oliva was more than ready when he got his big chance in 1964. Still an official rookie, Oliva led the league in hitting with a .323 average, 217 hits and 43 doubles. He was already 25 when he won the rookie of the year award. At that time Twins shortstop Zoilo Versalles said Oliva was going to be the next Ty Cobb.
Oliva maintained his star rating through the 1971 season when he hit .337. But a year later he was on the downslide, active in just 10 games, and he never hit .300 again before retiring at 37 with a .211 average in 1976. He coaxed parts of 15 seasons out of his body, though besides those first two cameo-type years Oliva had a third season with just 67 games played. Oliva’s knee woes turned him into a designated hitter for his final four seasons.
Near the end of his career, Oliva, who later became the Twins’ hitting coach, roomed on the road with Hall of Famer Rod Carew. Carew once said that his friend frequently woke in the middle of the night groaning in tremendous pain because of the mess his knees were in. Oliva’s long commitment to the Twins organization has made him a beloved figure in Minnesota. His uniform number is retired and there is a statue of him standing outside of Target Field that was unveiled earlier this year.
Oliva was the real goods, one of the finest players in the American League during his prime. He is popular in his community and was a valuable long-time member of the Minnesota organization. You have to feel badly for Oliva, but production longevity is scrutinzed by Hall of Fame voters and it is probable his career totals will hold him back and prevent him from mustering the number of votes he needs for selection in a year when many first-rate candidates are under consideration.