| César Tovar | |
|---|---|
 Tovar in 1974 | |
| Utility player | |
| Born:(1940-07-03)July 3, 1940 Caracas, Venezuela | |
| Died: July 14, 1994(1994-07-14) (aged 54) Caracas, Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1965, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1976, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 46 |
| Runs batted in | 435 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2003 |
César Leonardo Tovar (July 3, 1940 – July 14, 1994), nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professionalbaseball player andcoach.[1] He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1965 to1976, most notably as theleadoff hitter for theMinnesota Twins teams that won two consecutiveAmerican League Western Division titles in 1969 and 1970. He later played for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Texas Rangers,Oakland Athletics, andNew York Yankees.[1]
Although Tovar began his career as asecond baseman, he was an extremely versatileutility player who could play anydefensive position. In1968, he became only the second player in MLB history to play all nine field positions during a single game, a feat first accomplished byBert Campaneris, in 1965.[2] Although he was a small player, listed at 5-feet-9 and 150 pounds, he was muscular and tough-bodied. Tovar played baseball with such speed and aggressiveness that managerBilly Martin considered him one of his favorite players.[3] He was also a very good contacthitter, striking out only 7% of the time he appeared at the plate as a major league player.[3] He led theAmerican League (AL) in doubles (36) and in triples (13) in1970, and in hits (204) in1971.[1]
Tovar also had a prolific career in theVenezuelan Professional Baseball League (VPBL), where he played 26 seasons – second only to the 30 seasons played byVic Davalillo.[3] He was inducted into the Venezuelan Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and theVenezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2003.[3] In 2022, Tovar was inducted into theMinnesota Twins Hall of Fame, and in 2024 he was inducted into theCaribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.[4][5]
Tovar was born and raised inCaracas,Venezuela, where as a child, he shined shoes to earn extra income for his family.[3] At the age of 15, he befriendedGus Gil, another Venezuelan who went on to play in Major League Baseball.[3] In January 1959, Cincinnati Reds General Manager,Gabe Paul, attempted to sign Gil to a contract however, Gil insisted that Paul should also have Tovar sign a contract. Paul relented in order to make Gil agree to sign.[3]
Tovar began hisprofessional baseball career when he was assigned to theGeneva Redlegs in theNew York–Penn League. He hit .252 in 87 games as an infielder for Geneva in 1959.[6] That winter, he returned to Venezuela to play for theLeones del Caracas, and won the league'srookie of the year award.[3]
In 1960, he played with theMissoula Timberjacks of thePioneer League where he produced a promising .304batting average along with 12home runs and 68runs batted in.[6] After being selected to the league's All-Star team, he was rewarded by getting to play two games at the top level of the Reds'minor league system with theSeattle Rainiers.[3] Tovar was sent back to Geneva in 1961, where he batted .338 with 19 home runs and 78 runs batted in.[6] He stole 88 bases in 100 attempts to lead the league while setting a new league record for stolen bases.[3] In 1962, he played for theRocky Mount Leafs of theCarolina League, and led the league in batting with a .329 batting average along with 10 home runs and 78 runs batted in.[7]
The Reds had a promisingsecond baseman inPete Rose, who would win the 1963 National LeagueRookie of the Year Award, with future Gold GloverCookie Rojas on the bench and second basemenBobby Klaus and Gus Gil in their minor league system, there was little room left for Tovar to progress.[3] The Reds sent him on loan to play for the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliate, theDallas-Fort Worth Rangers.[6] Tovar first met his future manager Billy Martin atspring training in 1963 where Martin was working as a minor-league instructor.[3] Martin took a liking to Tovar's aggressiveness on the base paths and took him under his wing.[3] He also met futureHall of Fame memberTony Oliva in 1963 and the two became friends and later became roommates for seven years while playing for the Twins.[3]
In 1964, Tovar returned to the Reds organization, where he played for theSan Diego Padres of thePacific Coast League.[6] He helped the Padres win the league championship by hitting for a .275 average with 7 home runs and 52 runs batted in, while playing as athird baseman,shortstop, second baseman, and as anoutfielder.[6]
Before the start of the1965 season, the Twins traded pitcherGerry Arrigo to the Reds for Tovar.[1] The Twins had originally sought to getTommy Helms from the Reds, but they refused to trade him and the Twins settled for Tovar.[3] At the age of 24, Tovar made his major league debut on April 12, 1965, becoming the ninth Venezuelan to play in Major League Baseball.[1][3] At that time, the only other Venezuelan players in MLB wereLuis Aparicio and Vic Davalillo.[3] However, he would soon be sent back to the minor leagues with theDenver Bears, where he hit for a .328 average. Tovar received a September call-up and played in a total of 18 games in the season however, he would be left off the postseason roster and would watch the Twins' seven-gameWorld Series loss to theLos Angeles Dodgers from home.[3]
The peak of Tovar's playing career came between 1966 and 1972.[3] Starting in1966, the Twins began to make ample use of Tovar's ability to play a variety of defensive positions. Although he was known as a utility player, he averaged 153 games per year during his tenure with the Twins.[3] As a leadoff hitter, he averaged 92 runs scored a year while batting ahead of power hitters Tony Oliva andHarmon Killebrew in the Twins'batting order.[3]
Whenrookie second basemanRod Carew arrived in 1967, the Twins began to use Tovar predominately as anoutfielder and a third baseman.[3] The1967 season was memorable for the tight, four-waypennant race between the Twins, theBoston Red Sox, theDetroit Tigers, and theChicago White Sox, with all four teams still in contention entering the final week of the season.[8] The Twins were in first place with two games left in the season, but lost their final two games to the Red Sox and finished the season in second place.[9]
Tovar played an integral role as a utility player during the Twins' 1967 pennant run, dividing his playing time between third base (70 games),center field (64), second baseman (36),left field (10), shortstop (9) andright field (5). He set anAmerican League record of 164games played (the Twins had two tie games in the 1967 season) and led the league with 726plate appearances and 649at-bats.[10] He was also among the top 10 batters inruns,hits,doubles,triples,stolen bases,hit by pitch andsacrifice hits.[10] At the end of the 1967 season, theTriple Crown winner,Carl Yastrzemski, received all but one vote for the American LeagueMost Valuable Player Award; the lone dissenting ballot (cast byMinneapolis Star sports writer Max Nichols) was marked in favor of Tovar, who would finish 7th in the MVP voting.[11]
On September 22,1968, Tovar became the second player afterBert Campaneris (Kansas City Athletics,1965) to play all nine fielding positions in a game. The two were later joined byScott Sheldon (Texas Rangers,2000),Shane Halter (Detroit Tigers,2000), andAndrew Romine (Detroit Tigers,2017) as the only five players in MLB history to have accomplished the feat.[2][12][13][14] Tovar started the game on the mound against Oakland andpitched one scoreless inning in which he struck outReggie Jackson. As fate would have it, the first batter he faced was Campaneris.
“The little guy can beat you so many ways – his bat, his feet, his brains, his hustle.”
Billy Martin became the Twinsmanager in1969 and he extolled Tovar's leadership and motivation among his teammates.[3] During a game against theDetroit Tigers on May 18, 1969, Tovar combined with Rod Carew to set a major league record for moststeals by a club in oneinning with five. In the third inning against the Detroitbattery ofMickey Lolich andBill Freehan, Tovar stole third base andhome. Carew followed by stealing second base, third base and home.[14][15] The two steals of home in the same inning also tied a record. He ended the year with a career-high 45 stolen bases.[1] Tovar returned to Venezuela during the off-season to play for theNavegantes del Magallanes team that won the 1969-1970Venezuelan Professional Baseball League title and went on to win the1970 Caribbean Series, marking the first time a Venezuelan team had won the tournament since its inception in 1949.[16]
In1970, Tovar ended the season with a .300 batting average and posted career highs in doubles (36), triples (13), runs (120),on-base percentage (.356),slugging percentage (.442), andon-base plus slugging (.798).[1] His 36 doubles and 13 triples led the American League and his 120 runs scored ranked second behind Carl Yastrzemski (125).[17] His 195 hits ranked third in the league behind teammate Tony Oliva (204) andAlex Johnson (202) of theCalifornia Angels.[17]
The Twins won theAmerican League Western Division title in both 1969 and 1970, but each time were swept in three games by theBaltimore Orioles during theplay-offs. Tovar hit for only a .077 batting average in the1969 American League Championship Series, but improved with a .385 average and scored two runs in the1970 American League Championship Series.[18]
As he improved at the plate, Tovar also moved less around the diamond – playing primarily center field in 1970, left field in 1971, and right field in 1972. He improved his hitting through1971, when he hit for a .311batting average and led the league with a career-high 204 hits, the highest one-year total by a Venezuelan player in MLB untilMagglio Ordóñez had 216 hits in2007.[3][19]
In 1971,SPORT magazine polled major league players to identify the game's most competitive player. Pete Rose won; the runners-up wereFrank Robinson,Bob Gibson, and César Tovar. On September 19,1972, Tovar hit awalk-off home run to hit for thecycle.[20] Only five other players in major league baseball history have completed a cycle with a game-ending homer:Ken Boyer (1961),[21]George Brett (1979),[22]Dwight Evans (1984),[23]Carlos González (2010)[24] andNolan Arenado (2017).[25]
After a subpar season in1972, the Twins traded Tovar to thePhiladelphia Phillies forKen Sanders,Ken Reynolds andJoe Lis on December 1.[26] Tovar would then spend the1973 seasonplatooning with a youngMike Schmidt at third base.[3]
When Billy Martin became the manager of the Texas Rangers in 1973, he requested that the team purchase Tovar's contract from the Phillies, which they did on December 7, 1973.[1][3] Tovar's career experienced a brief resurgence as Martin's leadoff hitter for the Rangers in1974, hitting .292 with a .354 on-base percentage.[1][3] After the Rangers released Martin in July1975, they sold Tovar's contract to the Oakland Athletics in August 1975.[1][3]
The Athletics were in first place in the American League Western Division and went on to win the division title. Tovar appeared in two games of the1975 American League Championship Series, getting one hit in two at-bats and scoring two runs.[18] He was apinch hitter and defensive replacement for the Athletics in1976, before breaking his wrist while making a diving catch on May 31.[3] He was activated in mid-August, only after a complaint from theMajor League Baseball Players Association.[3] The Athletics' temperamental owner,Charlie Finley, then released Tovar on August 25.[3]
Less than one week after being released by the Athletics, Tovar was signed as afree agent by the New York Yankees on September 1, once again with the assistance of Billy Martin who was then the Yankees manager.[1][3] His signing made him the first Venezuelan to play for the Yankees.[3] He appeared in 13 games for them before playing in his final major league game on September 29,1976, at the age of 35.[1] He joined the club too late to be eligible for thepostseason.[3] The Yankees released him in December 1976.[1]
In his 12-year major league career, Tovar played in 1,448games with 1,546hits in 5,569at bats for a .278 batting average along with 46home runs, 435RBI, 834 runs, 253 doubles, 55 triples, 226 stolen bases and a .335on-base percentage.[1][27][28]
Along with former Reds center fielderEddie Milner, Tovar is regarded as the major league's all-time leader in breaking upno-hit attempts with five.[14][29][30] On April 30, 1967, Tovar's single was the only hit against theWashington Senators'Barry Moore.[31] On May 15, 1969, he broke up the no-hit bid of Baltimore pitcher,Dave McNally.[32] Later that same season on August 10, 1969,Mike Cuellar of theBaltimore Orioles extended his streak of consecutive batters retired to 35 before surrendering a ninth-inning single to Tovar, which also broke up Cuellar's bid for a no-hitter.[33] Tovar was responsible for spoiling two other no-hitters during his career: against the Washington'sDick Bosman (August 13, 1970) and the Yankees'Jim "Catfish" Hunter (May 31, 1975).[34][35] He had the opportunity to break up a sixth no-hitter, but recorded the last out inVida Blue’s no-hitter on September 21, 1970.[3]
After retiring from the major leagues, Tovar played in theMexican League where he hit .345 in 121 games for thePericos de Puebla.[3] In 1978, he appeared in only 31 games for theOlmecas de Tabasco with a .336 batting average.[3] In 1979, Tovar played in the short-livedInter-American League for the Caracas Metropolitanos and hit .285 for managerJim Busby.[36]
Tovar also continued to play in the Venezuelan Winter League. He was a player-coach for theÁguilas del Zulia team that won the 1984 league championship before going on to win the1984 Caribbean Series. He retired as a player at the age of 45 after two final games in the winter of 1985–86. Over a 26-season career in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, Tovar appeared in 1,116 games posting a .286 batting average, along with 23 home runs and 399 runs batted in.[3] His 1,224 career hits and 1,116 games played ranks fourth in league history.[3] As of 2014, he ranked second in runs scored (635) and stolen bases (146), and third in doubles (191).[3]
After his playing career, Tovar continued to serve with the Águilas del Zulia as a coach where his protégé was future MLB player,Carlos Quintana who called him his "second father".[3] He helped support children's charities in Venezuela by collecting baseball uniforms and equipment.[3] He also worked as asoftball coach for the Venezuelan Horse Racing Authority, which sponsored recreation for its workers and their families.[3] In August 1990, he managed the Venezuelan team to a 1–7 last place finish in theBaseball World Cup, which was held inEdmonton,Alberta, Canada.[3]
Tovar died on July 14, 1994, ofpancreatic cancer in Caracas at age 54.[37] The level of pride and admiration with which the Venezuelan public held for Tovar's playing career was such that the nation's president,Rafael Caldera, attended his funeral.[3] He was inducted into the Venezuelan Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 as part of its inaugural class.[3] Tovar was posthumously inducted into theMinnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2022.[4]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle September 19, 1972 | Succeeded by |