With rosters set to expand on September 1, MLB.com published an article that identified each team’s best September callup in history. Upon seeing the name of the Twins player in the article, it’s no surprise that he performed at an elite level as a September callup.
MLB says Hall-of-Fame outfielder Tony Oliva is best September callup in Minnesota Twins history
MLB is right, as the Twins called Oliva, a Cuban native, up in September on two separate occasions, and both times the now Hall-of-Famer proved he belonged at the big-league level.
Oliva’s first September callup came in 1962, and the Twins legend went 4-for-9 with three walks, one double and three RBIs. The Twins promoted Oliva again in September 1963, and he went 3-for-7 with an RBI.
Oliva became an everyday player in 1964 as a 25-year-old, slashing .323/.359/.557 with a career-high 32 home runs and 94 RBIs en route to winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award. He led the league in hits (217), doubles (43) and runs (109) that year.
Oliva ended up playing 15 years in the major leagues and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Era Committee in 2022. In his career, Oliva posted 43.1 bWAR and a .304/.353/.476 (131 OPS+) slash line while collecting 1917 hits (220 home runs).
He made eight straight All-Star game appearances (1964-71), won three batting titles and earned one Gold Glove Award. He regressed after the 1971 season due to knee injuries, which is why it took so long for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He played in 13 playoff games, slashing .314/.340/.588 with three home runs and five doubles in 53 plate appearances.
With September approaching, Twins fans are hoping the next Tony Oliva will emerge. That is extremely unlikely, considering Oliva is one of a short list of former Twins in the Hall of Fame and Minnesota likely will want its best prospects, such as Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez, to remain in the minor leagues for the rest of the season. Still, one can hope.
