Minnesota Twins Greatest Offensive Season #47: Bob Allison 1967

Bob Allison's 1967 Season

AB: 496
Hits: 128
Doubles: 21
Triples: 6
Home Runs: 24 (7th in AL)
RBI: 75
BB: 74 (7th in AL)
K: 114 (6th in AL)
BA: .258
OBP: .356 (10th in AL)
SLG: .470 (7th in AL)
OPS: .826 (9th in AL)
OPS+: 135 (47th best in team history)


Involved in one of the closest pennant races of all time the Minnesota Twins finished second one game behind the Boston Red Sox with a 91-71 record in 1967. The statistics right handed batter Bob Allison put up in 1967 may not seem that remarkable in the offense orientated era baseball currently finds itself in, but they stand out in Twins' history. The Twins as a team in 1967 batted .240 and that was third best in the American League behind Detroit at .243 and Boston with .255. The average American League team batting average in 1967 was .236, a far cry from the AL average of .267 for 2009. 1967 was close to the bottoming out for hitters or the pinnacle for pitchers depending on how you look at it. In 1968 the American League average for batting was .230 and the result was the mound was lowered to reduce some of the advantage pitchers had and the strike zone was reduced. All of these considerations need to be looked at when analyzing Bob Allison's terrific 1967 season. Bob Allison retired after the 1970 season and unfortunately later contracted ataxia, a neurological disorder that affects muscle coordination. He died in 1995 at 60 years of age. Following his death, the Minnesota Twins created the Bob Allison Award for the Twins player who best exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field.