Cesar Tovar was born on Wednesday, July 3, 1940, in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela. Tovar was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 12, 1965, with the Minnesota Twins. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Cesar Tovar baseball stats page.
"Get me Cesar Tovar. I didn't want him back just because I had him before. That'd be foolish sentiment. I wanted him because of his leadership and his hustle and his ability. He's always played for me – given 100 percent – and I know he will. The little guy can beat you so many ways – his bat, his feet, his brains, his hustle." - Texas Rangers Manager Billy Martin in The Sporting News (Merle Heryford, 12/22/1973, "Rangers Get Tovar … Martin Elated", Page 47)
Cesar TovarCesar 'Pepito' Tovar Autograph on a 1974 Topps Baseball Card (#538 | Checklist) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Cesar TovarCesar Tovar Pitching Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1968 | 28 | Twins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
1 Year | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Cesar TovarCesar Tovar Hitting Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1965 | 25 | Twins | 18 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .259 | .240 |
1966 | 26 | Twins | 134 | 465 | 57 | 121 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 44 | 1 | 50 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | .260 | .325 | .335 |
1967 | 27 | Twins | 164 | 649 | 98 | 173 | 32 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 47 | 46 | 0 | 51 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 8 | .267 | .325 | .365 |
1968 | 28 | Twins | 157 | 613 | 89 | 167 | 31 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 47 | 34 | 0 | 41 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 2 | .272 | .326 | .372 |
1969 | 29 | Twins | 158 | 535 | 99 | 154 | 25 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 52 | 37 | 3 | 37 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 7 | .288 | .342 | .415 |
1970 | 30 | Twins | 161 | 650 | 120 | 195 | 36 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 54 | 52 | 5 | 47 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | .300 | .356 | .442 |
1971 | 31 | Twins | 157 | 657 | 94 | 204 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 45 | 5 | 39 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | .311 | .356 | .368 |
1972 | 32 | Twins | 141 | 548 | 86 | 145 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 39 | 6 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 6 | .265 | .329 | .334 |
1973 | 33 | Phillies | 97 | 328 | 49 | 88 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 29 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | .268 | .335 | .357 |
1974 | 34 | Rangers | 138 | 562 | 78 | 164 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 47 | 0 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 3 | .292 | .354 | .377 |
1975 | 35 | Rangers | 102 | 427 | 53 | 110 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 27 | 0 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 8 | .258 | .306 | .316 |
1975 | 35 | Athletics | 19 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | .310 | .269 |
1976 | 36 | Athletics | 29 | 45 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .178 | .275 | .178 |
1976 | 36 | Yankees | 13 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .154 | .250 | .179 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 1,488 | 5,569 | 834 | 1,546 | 253 | 55 | 46 | 1 | 435 | 413 | 23 | 410 | 73 | 34 | 88 | 58 | .278 | .335 | .368 |
Cesar TovarCesar Tovar Fielding Stats |
||||||||||||||||
Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1965 Twins | 2B | 4 | 1 | 42 | 10 | 2.5 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 5.14 |
1965 Twins | 3B | 2 | 1 | 51 | 9 | 4.5 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 4.24 |
1965 Twins | CF | 2 | 2 | 36 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1965 Twins | SS | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1966 Twins | 2B | 76 | 73 | 1,932 | 367 | 4.8 | 359 | 154 | 205 | 8 | 33 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .978 | 5.02 |
1966 Twins | CF | 20 | 17 | 459 | 47 | 2.4 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.76 |
1966 Twins | LF | 4 | 4 | 90 | 9 | 2.3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.70 |
1966 Twins | SS | 31 | 27 | 786 | 120 | 3.9 | 114 | 47 | 67 | 6 | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .950 | 3.92 |
1967 Twins | 2B | 36 | 31 | 810 | 139 | 3.9 | 135 | 69 | 66 | 4 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 4.50 |
1967 Twins | 3B | 70 | 56 | 1,560 | 170 | 2.4 | 161 | 60 | 101 | 9 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .947 | 2.79 |
1967 Twins | CF | 64 | 60 | 1,503 | 144 | 2.3 | 143 | 140 | 3 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 2.57 |
1967 Twins | LF | 10 | 6 | 177 | 21 | 2.1 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.20 |
1967 Twins | RF | 6 | 4 | 114 | 9 | 1.5 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.13 |
1967 Twins | SS | 9 | 5 | 132 | 24 | 2.7 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 4.30 |
1968 Twins | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1968 Twins | 2B | 18 | 12 | 291 | 55 | 3.1 | 53 | 29 | 24 | 2 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 4.92 |
1968 Twins | 3B | 75 | 68 | 1,635 | 209 | 2.8 | 195 | 48 | 147 | 14 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 3.22 |
1968 Twins | C | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1968 Twins | CF | 36 | 29 | 807 | 86 | 2.4 | 85 | 81 | 4 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 2.84 |
1968 Twins | LF | 37 | 15 | 480 | 39 | 1.1 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .897 | 1.97 |
1968 Twins | P | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1968 Twins | RF | 11 | 8 | 219 | 21 | 1.9 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.59 |
1968 Twins | SS | 35 | 20 | 555 | 95 | 2.7 | 90 | 31 | 59 | 5 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .947 | 4.38 |
1969 Twins | 2B | 41 | 33 | 948 | 184 | 4.5 | 177 | 78 | 99 | 7 | 25 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 5.04 |
1969 Twins | 3B | 20 | 14 | 402 | 40 | 2.0 | 38 | 12 | 26 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .950 | 2.55 |
1969 Twins | CF | 69 | 65 | 1,653 | 187 | 2.7 | 183 | 177 | 6 | 4 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 2.99 |
1969 Twins | LF | 40 | 3 | 357 | 31 | 0.8 | 31 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.34 |
1969 Twins | RF | 8 | 8 | 231 | 19 | 2.4 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.22 |
1970 Twins | 2B | 8 | 6 | 168 | 29 | 3.6 | 27 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .931 | 4.34 |
1970 Twins | 3B | 4 | 4 | 117 | 8 | 2.0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .625 | 1.15 |
1970 Twins | CF | 132 | 125 | 3,123 | 334 | 2.5 | 326 | 316 | 10 | 8 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 2.82 |
1970 Twins | LF | 45 | 21 | 729 | 44 | 1.0 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 1.59 |
1970 Twins | RF | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1971 Twins | 2B | 2 | 0 | 30 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.50 |
1971 Twins | 3B | 7 | 5 | 135 | 14 | 2.0 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .857 | 2.40 |
1971 Twins | CF | 42 | 33 | 711 | 84 | 2.0 | 83 | 81 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 3.15 |
1971 Twins | LF | 104 | 81 | 2,241 | 195 | 1.9 | 192 | 186 | 6 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 2.31 |
1971 Twins | RF | 47 | 36 | 993 | 87 | 1.9 | 86 | 81 | 5 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 2.34 |
1972 Twins | CF | 5 | 2 | 63 | 5 | 1.0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.14 |
1972 Twins | LF | 41 | 38 | 1,005 | 67 | 1.6 | 67 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.80 |
1972 Twins | RF | 100 | 94 | 2,514 | 232 | 2.3 | 227 | 218 | 9 | 5 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .978 | 2.44 |
1973 Phillies | 2B | 22 | 20 | 393 | 98 | 4.5 | 95 | 39 | 56 | 3 | 24 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 6.53 |
1973 Phillies | 3B | 46 | 39 | 999 | 97 | 2.1 | 90 | 34 | 56 | 7 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .928 | 2.43 |
1973 Phillies | CF | 3 | 2 | 63 | 9 | 3.0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.86 |
1973 Phillies | LF | 6 | 2 | 99 | 4 | 0.7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .750 | 0.82 |
1973 Phillies | RF | 16 | 16 | 321 | 34 | 2.1 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .941 | 2.69 |
1974 Rangers | CF | 88 | 84 | 2,040 | 201 | 2.3 | 198 | 190 | 8 | 3 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 2.62 |
1974 Rangers | LF | 68 | 41 | 1,227 | 122 | 1.8 | 118 | 117 | 1 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 2.60 |
1974 Rangers | RF | 12 | 8 | 246 | 26 | 2.2 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.85 |
1975 Rangers | 2B | 1 | 1 | 27 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
1975 Rangers | CF | 6 | 6 | 168 | 21 | 3.5 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 3.21 |
1975 Rangers | LF | 25 | 23 | 588 | 41 | 1.6 | 37 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .902 | 1.70 |
1975 Rangers | RF | 1 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1975 Athletics | 2B | 4 | 1 | 33 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.64 |
1975 Athletics | 3B | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 0.7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.57 |
1975 Athletics | SS | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1976 Athletics | CF | 2 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.70 |
1976 Athletics | LF | 14 | 5 | 195 | 15 | 1.1 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 1.94 |
1976 Athletics | RF | 4 | 3 | 84 | 7 | 1.8 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1976 Yankees | 2B | 3 | 2 | 48 | 12 | 4.0 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 6.75 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
CF Totals | 469 | 425 | 10,656 | 1,124 | 2.4 | 1,105 | 1,072 | 33 | 19 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 2.80 | |
LF Totals | 394 | 239 | 7,188 | 588 | 1.5 | 570 | 556 | 14 | 18 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.14 | |
3B Totals | 227 | 187 | 4,920 | 549 | 2.4 | 511 | 160 | 351 | 38 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .931 | 2.80 | |
2B Totals | 215 | 180 | 4,722 | 904 | 4.2 | 876 | 395 | 481 | 28 | 109 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 5.01 | |
RF Totals | 207 | 178 | 4,755 | 436 | 2.1 | 428 | 408 | 20 | 8 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 2.43 | |
SS Totals | 77 | 52 | 1,482 | 240 | 3.1 | 226 | 87 | 139 | 14 | 20 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .942 | 4.12 | |
1B Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
C Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
P Totals | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 | |
12 Years | 1,592 | 1,262 | 33,732 | 3,843 | 2.4 | 3,718 | 2,679 | 1,039 | 125 | 173 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .967 | 2.98 |
Cesar TovarCesar Tovar Miscellaneous Stats |
||||||||||||
Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1965 Twins | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 5 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.3 | 12.5 | - | - | - |
1966 Twins | 16 | 6 | .727 | 2 | 5 | n/a | 232.5 | 9.3 | 11.3 | - | - | - |
1967 Twins | 19 | 11 | .633 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 108.2 | 12.7 | 13.8 | - | - | - |
1968 Twins | 35 | 13 | .729 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 102.2 | 15.0 | 13.0 | 1.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 |
1969 Twins | 45 | 12 | .789 | 11 | 13 | n/a | 48.6 | 14.5 | 10.3 | - | - | - |
1970 Twins | 30 | 15 | .667 | 3 | 1 | n/a | 65.0 | 13.8 | 12.0 | - | - | - |
1971 Twins | 18 | 14 | .563 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 657.0 | 16.8 | 14.6 | - | - | - |
1972 Twins | 21 | 10 | .677 | 3 | 1 | n/a | 274.0 | 14.1 | 17.7 | - | - | - |
1973 Phillies | 6 | 4 | .600 | 17 | 1 | n/a | 328.0 | 9.4 | 15.6 | - | - | - |
1974 Rangers | 13 | 9 | .591 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 140.5 | 17.0 | 9.7 | - | - | - |
1975 Rangers | 16 | 11 | .593 | 4 | 1 | 66 | 142.3 | 17.1 | 15.3 | - | - | - |
1975 Athletics | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | - | - | - |
1976 Athletics | 1 | 2 | .333 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | - | - | - |
1976 Yankees | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 19.5 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 226 | 108 | .677 | 75 | 31 | 90 | 121.1 | 13.6 | 12.8 | 1.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 |
Cesar TovarCesar Tovar Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
||||
Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1965 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $6,000.00 | - | - |
1966 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $7,500.00 | - | - |
1967 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $10,000.00 | - | - |
1968 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $17,000.00 | - | - |
1969 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $30,000.00 | - | - |
1970 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1971 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $50,000.00 | - | - |
1972 Minnesota Twins | 12 | $55,000.00 | - | - |
1973 Philadelphia Phillies | 12 | $55,000.00 | - | - |
1974 Texas Rangers | 12 | $59,000.00 | - | - |
1975 Texas Rangers | 12 | $65,000.00 | - | - |
1975 Oakland Athletics | 3 | " " | - | - |
1976 Oakland Athletics | 2, 3 | $65,000.00 | - | - |
1976 New York Yankees | 26 | " " | - | - |
Cesar Tovar Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Cesar Tovar is one of only five players in Major League history to play all nine positions during a single game (09-22-1968)? The other four are Bert Campaneris (09-08-1965), Scott Sheldon (09-06-2000), Shane Halter (10-01-2000) and Andrew Romine (09-30-2017).
Cesar Tovar | The Alamogordo Daily News | September 23, 1968 | Page 2
On May 20, 1970, Rod Carew became the first player in a Minnesota Twins uniform to hit for the cycle. On September 19, 1972, Cesar Tovar became the first right-handed hitter in a Twins uniform to hit for the cycle. When the franchise was located in Washington (1901-1960), Otis Clymer, Goose Goslin, Joe Cronin and Mickey Vernon each had a cycle, they wore a Senators uniform.
Cesar Tovar completed his cycle with a walk-off home run, just the second instance in Major League history at that point, behind Ken Boyer (September 14, 1961).
Cesas Tovar was not a hitter you would want to see at the plate if you were a pitcher who was close to finishing off a no-hitter: On April 30, 1967, Tovar had the only hit against Barry Moore. On May 15, 1969, Tovar broke up a no-hit bid being tossed by Dave McNally (who also had to settle for a 1-hitter). That same year, on August 10, 1969, Tovar had a ninth-inning single (the only hit in the game) which broke up Mike Cuellar's no-no. The following year, Tovar spoiled a Dick Bosman (August 13, 1970) close-bid (1-hitter) then ended one more before hanging up his cleats, a Catfish Hunter 1-hitter on May 31, 1975. Five pitchers, five 1-hitters, Cesar "The No Hit Ender" Tovar.