Al Oliver: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox MLB player |
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|name=Al Oliver |
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|position=[[Outfielder]] / [[First baseman]] |
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|bats=Left |
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|throws=Left |
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|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|10|14}} |
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|birth_place=[[Portsmouth, Ohio]] |
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|debutdate=September 23 |
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|debutyear=1968 |
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|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |
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|finaldate=October 5 |
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|finalyear=1985 |
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|finalteam=Toronto Blue Jays |
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|stat1label=[[Batting average]] |
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|stat1value=.303 |
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|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]] |
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|stat2value=2,743 |
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|stat3label=[[Home run]]s |
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|stat3value=219 |
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|stat4label=[[Runs batted in]] |
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|stat4value=1,326 |
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|teams= |
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*[[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{By|1968}}–{{By|1977}}) |
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*[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{By|1978}}–{{By|1981}}) |
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*[[Montreal Expos]] ({{By|1982}}–{{By|1983}}) |
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*[[San Francisco Giants]] ({{By|1984}}) |
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*[[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{By|1984}}) |
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*[[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{By|1985}}) |
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*[[Toronto Blue Jays]] ({{By|1985}}) |
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|highlights= |
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*7× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972]], [[1975 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1975]], [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976]], [[1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1980]]–[[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1983]]) |
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*[[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1971}}) |
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*3× [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1980–1982) |
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*[[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|NL batting champion]] (1982) |
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*[[List of Major League Baseball RBI champions|NL RBI champion]] (1982) |
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}} |
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'''Albert Oliver, Jr.''' (born October 14, 1946 in [[Portsmouth, Ohio]]) is a former [[Major League Baseball]] player. Over the course of his 18-year career, he played for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (1968–77), [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] (1978–81), [[Montreal Expos]] (1982–83), [[San Francisco Giants]] (1984), [[Philadelphia Phillies]] (1984), [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] (1985) and [[Toronto Blue Jays]] (1985). Nicknamed "Scoop", Oliver batted and threw left-handed. |
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Oliver was a [[center fielder]] who also played left and right as well as [[First baseman|first base]]. He was signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1964. From 1970 to 1976 he played on five Pirates division champions, including the team that defeated the [[Baltimore Orioles|Orioles]] in the [[1971 World Series]]. |
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==Pittsburgh Pirates== |
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Oliver was called to the Major Leagues on September 14, 1968, which was the day his father, Al Oliver, Sr., died.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-oliver.com/bio.htm |title=Al Oliver BIO |accessdate=2009-01-20|publisher=The Official Al Oliver website| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090304032913/http://www.al-oliver.com/bio.htm| archivedate= 4 March 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> He appeared in 4 games that season. In his official rookie season, Oliver batted .285 with 17 [[home run]]s and drove in 70 [[run (baseball)|runs]], placing second in the {{By|1969}} [[National League]] [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] voting. The following season, 1970, Oliver hit .270 and was fifth in the NL with seven sacrifice flies. He also finished second in the league with the 14 times he was [[hit by pitch|hit by a pitch]] (the previous year he was plunked 12 times, fourth in the league). The Pirates won the [[National League East]] title for their first trip to the postseason since winning the {{wsy|1960}} [[World Series]]. However, they lost to the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in the [[1970 National League Championship Series]]. |
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On September 1, {{by|1971}}, the Pirates fielded what is believed to be the first all-black lineup in the history of the league. Oliver played first base, joining [[second baseman]] [[Rennie Stennett]], center fielder [[Gene Clines]], [[right fielder]] [[Roberto Clemente]], [[left fielder]] [[Willie Stargell]], [[catcher]] [[Manny Sanguillén]], [[third baseman]] [[Dave Cash (baseball)|Dave Cash]], [[shortstop]] [[Jackie Hernández]] and [[pitcher]] [[Dock Ellis]] in the starting lineup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/oliveal01.php |title=Al Oliver Facts |accessdate=2009-01-20 |publisher=The Baseball Page.com| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081220123946/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/oliveal01.php| archivedate= 20 December 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Oliver ended the season with a .282 average, including 31 [[double (baseball)|doubles]] (8th in the NL), seven [[triple (baseball)|triples]] (10th), 10 sacrifice flies (2nd), and five hit-by-pitches (good for 9th in the league). After beating the [[San Francisco Giants]] in the [[1971 National League Championship Series]], the Pirates won the [[1971 World Series|World Series]], beating the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in seven games with Oliver as their regular center fielder. |
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In {{by|1972}}, Oliver raised his [[batting average]] to .312, good for sixth in the league. He hit 12 home runs with 89 RBI (10th in the NL). He scored 88 runs (8th in the league) and totalled 176 hits, which was also 8th in the NL. Oliver was named to his first All-Star game while finishing seventh in the NL MVP voting. In 1973, Oliver hit 20 home runs and drove in 99 runs (7th in the NL) while batting .292. Again he was among the league-leaders in hits (191, fifth in the NL), total bases (303, fifth in NL), doubles (38, second in NL), triples (7, eighth in NL), sacrifice flies (nine, 3rd in NL) and extra-base hits with 65, which put him in the top ten for the first of his five times in the league's top ten in that category. The Pirates won their third consecutive NL East title, however, they lost to the Reds 3 games to 2 in the NLCS. The Pirates offense led the National League in batting average with a .274 average and led the NL with 1505 [[hit (baseball)|hits]]. |
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In {{by|1974}}, Oliver hit .321 with 198 hits, which were second and fourth in the National League respectively. He also hit 38 doubles and 12 triples, which were both second best in the NL. Oliver was seventh in NL MVP voting for the second time in three years. About Oliver, [[Willie Stargell]] said, "When it came to hitting ... all he ever did was crush the ball. Al was the perfect number three hitter because you knew he was going to make contact". He had a 23-game [[hitting streak]] in 1974 and another streak of 21 games where he got at least one hit. The Pirates won the NL East but lost to the Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the NLCS. The Pirates offense, known as the "Pittsburgh Lumber Company" again led the NL in hitting with 1560 hits and a .274 team batting average. |
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Oliver's 90 runs in 1975 was tenth in the NL as he hit .280 with 18 home runs and 84 RBI and played in the All-Star game for the second time. He tied a personal mark with 65 extra base hits, which was good for 5th in the NL, 39 of which were doubles, which put him third in the NL in that category. He was named as an outfielder on [[The Sporting News]] 1975 NL All-Star Team. The Pirates won the NL East again, but were swept by the Cincinnati Reds 3 games to none in the NLCS. |
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In {{By|1976}} Oliver hit .323; this was his first of nine straight .300+ seasons. He played in the All-Star game once again, batting .360 at break, but an inner ear infection sidelined him in the second half, and prevented him from finishing in the top 10 in batting categories. He was voted the National League Player of the Month for June. In 1977, as part of the so-called "Pittsburgh Lumber Company", Oliver hit .308 (tenth in the NL) with 19 home runs and 82 RBI. His 175 hits were 10th in the NL. he also stole a career-high 13 bases, although he was thrown out 16 times along the way. His 8 sacrifice flies were fifth in the league as well. |
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==Texas Rangers== |
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On December 8, 1977, he was traded as part of a 4-team trade by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Nelson Norman to the Texas Rangers. The [[Atlanta Braves]] sent [[Willie Montañez]] to the [[New York Mets]]. The Texas Rangers sent [[Adrian Devine]], Tommy Boggs, and Eddie Miller to the Atlanta Braves. The Texas Rangers sent a player to be named later and [[Tom Grieve]] to the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers sent [[Bert Blyleven]] to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Mets sent [[Jon Matlack]] to the Texas Rangers. The New York Mets sent [[John Milner]] to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Texas Rangers later sent [[Ken Henderson]] to the New York Mets to complete the trade. |
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In 1978 Oliver was second in the AL with a .324 batting average, and his 170 hits here good for eighth in the league, and his 35 doubles were sixth in the league. The next season, 1979, Oliver hit .323, good for fifth in the league (the fifth time he had finished among his league's top ten in batting. |
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Wearing the number 0 on his uniform, Oliver played in all of Texas's 163 games in {{By|1980}}, and reached career highs in hits (209, fourth in the AL), doubles (43, second in the AL) and RBI (117, fourth in the AL) while batting .319, which was eighth in the American League. He was voted to the AL All-Star team for the first time. Oliver was the outfielder on [[The Sporting News]] 1980 AL [[Silver Slugger]] Team. On August 17 at [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], he established an [[American League]] record with 21 [[total bases]] in a doubleheader (four home runs, a [[Double (baseball)|double]] and a [[Triple (baseball)|triple]]). |
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In 1981 Oliver was ninth in the AL with a .309 average, sixth in hits with 130, second in doubles with 29 while playing in the All-Star game (his 5th). He also won his second consecutive [[Silver Slugger Award]] as the best hitter at his position, which in 1981 was designated hitter. |
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==Montreal Expos== |
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On March 31, 1982, after he became the Rangers' all-time leading hitter (.319) and reached the club's top ten in virtually every offensive category he was traded to the Montreal Expos for [[Larry Parrish]] and [[Dave Hostetler]]. |
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In 1982 with the Expos, Oliver hit a career-high .331 batting average to win the National League batting crown. He also led the NL in hits (204), doubles (43), [[Extra base hit|extra bases]] (67), and total bases (317), and tied with [[Dale Murphy]] for the RBI lead with 109. His doubles tied his 1980 career-high, and his 67 extra base hits was also a career-high as well has his 22 home runs, breaking his 1973 personal best. In addition to playing in his sixth All-Star game he was 3rd in the NL MVP voting and won his 3rd consecutive [[Silver Slugger Award]], this time as a first baseman. He was also the first baseman on [[The Sporting News]] NL All-Star Team. He was voted the [[Montreal Expos Player of the Year]] at the end of the season. |
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In 1983 Oliver led the NL in doubles with 38 and was fourth in the NL in hits with 184. He hit .300 once again and topped the 2500 career hit level (August 10, 1983, off Mets' pitcher Carlos Diaz). and Oliver was selected for his seventh [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] game, starting at first base in the 1983 Classic. |
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==Giants, Phillies, Dodgers & Blue Jays (1984–85)== |
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On February 27, 1984, Oliver was traded to the San Francisco Giants for [[Fred Breining]] and [[Max Venable]]. The San Francisco Giants later sent [[Andy McGaffigan]] to the Montreal Expos to complete the trade. Later that same year, on August 20, 1984, he was again traded, this time with [[Renie Martin]] to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley. |
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In the {{By|1985}} offseason, Oliver was traded by the Phillies to the Los Angeles Dodgers for [[Pat Zachry]]. Then, on July 9, 1985, he was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Toronto Blue Jays for [[Len Matuszek]]. With the Blue Jays, Oliver delivered two game-winning hits in the first four games of the [[1985 American League Championship Series]] against Kansas City. However, the Royals rallied to win the last three games. (In the seventh and deciding game, the lefty Oliver started as the DH against right-hander [[Bret Saberhagen]]. But after pitching three scoreless innings, Saberhagen departed the game in favour of lefty [[Charlie Leibrandt]], thus giving the Royals the platoon advantage. Right-handed batter [[Cliff Johnson (baseball)|Cliff Johnson]] pinch hit for Oliver, and struck out, ending a Blue Jays rally. Oliver was caught by TV cameras angrily scowling in the dugout, knowing his night—and as it turned out, his season and career—were over.) Oliver batted .375 for the series. |
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Oliver claims that he was forced to retire due to collusion. Courts ruled that there was collusion among baseball owners in the mid-1980s, but a direct effect on Oliver has not been proven. Several players, including [[Kirk Gibson]], were allowed to file for free agency a second time because of the court order based on the "collusion" finding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-oliver.com/stats.htm |title=Al Oliver Career Stats|accessdate=2009-01-20|publisher=The Official Al Oliver website| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090302103055/http://www.al-oliver.com/stats.htm| archivedate= 2 March 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> [[Andre Dawson]] said, "Al, as a lifetime .300 hitter after 18 seasons, I feel is deserving of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. There is no question in my mind had he not been forced out of the game by collusion, had he been given an all out honest attempt to achieve 3,000 hits, he would have done it. He was pushed out of the game when he was still a .300 hitter. I feel he deserves a place in baseball today." |
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==Career stats== |
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<div> |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|Games |
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|[[Plate appearances|PA]] |
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|[[At-bat|AB]] |
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|[[Run (baseball)|Runs]] |
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|[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]] |
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|[[double (baseball)|2B]] |
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|[[triple (baseball)|3B]] |
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|[[Home runs|HR]] |
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|[[Runs batted in|RBI]] |
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|SB |
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|[[Walk (baseball)|BB]] |
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|[[Strikeout|SO]] |
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|[[Batting average|Avg.]] |
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|[[Slugging percentage|Slg.]] |
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|[[On-base percentage|OBP]] |
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|OPS |
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|[[fielding percentage|Fld%]] |
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|- |
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|2368 |
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|9778 |
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|9049 |
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|1189 |
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|2743 |
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|529 |
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|77 |
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|219 |
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|1326 |
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|84 |
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|535 |
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|756 |
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|.303 |
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|.451 |
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|.344 |
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|.795 |
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|.986 |
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|} |
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</div> |
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Al Oliver batted .300 or more eleven times. His 2,743 career [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] rank 45th on the all-time list. He also ranks among all-time top 50 in games played (2368), total bases (4083), RBI (1326) and extra-base hits (825). He was among the league's top ten in doubles nine times and among the league's top ten in hits nine times as well and finished in the top ten in batting average nine times. Five times he was among the league's top ten in total bases and four times he was in the top ten in RBIs. Because of these feats, his name has been mentioned more than once as a possible inductee into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]. |
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He hit the last home run at [[Forbes Field]]. His shot came off [[Milt Pappas]] in the sixth inning of the last game played at the stadium, the second game of a June 28, 1970, [[doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] against the [[Chicago Cubs]]. He also drove in the first run ever scored at [[Three Rivers Stadium]]. His first-inning double off [[Gary Nolan (baseball)|Gary Nolan]] drove in [[Richie Hebner]] in that stadium's inaugural game, on July 16 of that same 1970 season. However, the [[Cincinnati Reds]] defeated the Pirates 3–2 .<ref>{{cite web |url=http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1970/B07160PIT1970.htm|title=Retrosheet Boxscore: Cincinnati Reds 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2|accessdate=2009-01-20|publisher=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> |
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==Personal== |
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His son, [[Aaron Oliver]], played football for the [[Texas A&M University]] team that won the 1998 [[Big 12 Conference]] Championship. Aaron, a four-year letterman and three-year starter, caught the first touchdown pass in Big 12 history. Aaron teaches at the KIPP TRUTH Academy in Dallas, Texas.<ref>http://www.kipptruth.org/site_res_view_template.aspx?id=7074bd1d-5fb7-4669-b007-613e8a0c9ffc</ref> |
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On April 22, 2013, the Portsmouth City Council unanimously passed a resolution recognizing and appointing Al Oliver as "Mr. Ambassador" for the City of Portsmouth in recognition of his various efforts on behalf of the community and southern Ohio.<ref>http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/21967660/article-Councilman--name-Al-Oliver-%E2%80%9CMr--Ambassador%E2%80%9D</ref> |
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The resolution reads: Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr. was born in Portsmouth, Ohio on October 14, 1946, and graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1964, and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr. was an unqualified success for 18 years as a baseball player of renowned abilities and achievements, including being on the 1971 World Series Pittsburgh Pirates championship team, and Whereas, the community agrees with Frank Lewis of the Portsmouth Daily Times when he wrote, "I can tell you, one day there will be a Genuine Friend Hall of Fame, and when they form it, he is a first ballot inductee," and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr. returned to his home of Portsmouth, Ohio where, with his wife Patricia, he resides today, and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr. founded the Al Oliver Foundation for the purpose of furthering moral standards, self-esteem and community enrichment via his public speaking, and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr., via his public speaking, is an advocate for Senior Citizens, the Senior Olympics, war veterans and our youth, and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr. has for quite some time been recognized by the sobriquet, and has earned the respectful title of, "Mr. Ambassador" by those involved, far and wide, in business, community, economic development, political, and social groups and organizations, and Whereas, Albert Oliver, Jr., as "Mr. Ambassador," has opened doors and gained the support of many in and outside our community for the betterment of Portsmouth, Ohio and the entirety of southern Ohio. Therefore, be it resolved that the Portsmouth City Council hereby recognizes and appoints Albert Oliver, Jr. as Ambassador of and for our fair city, and, Furthermore, so long as he is able and willing, Albert Oliver, Jr. shall be known as Mr. Ambassador, and Furthermore, Ambassador Albert Oliver, Jr. is hereby entrusted by the City of Portsmouth to represent the goals, aspirations and best wishes of all residents of the City of Portsmouth to the best of his abilities. |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of major league players with 2,000 hits]] |
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* [[List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter|AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter]] |
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* [[List of NL Silver Slugger Winners at First Base|NL Silver Slugger Winners at First Base]] |
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* [[List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield|AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield]] |
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* [[List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball RBI champions]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions]] |
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* [[List of Major League Baseball doubles champions]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Baseballstats | br=o/oliveal01 | fangraphs=1009773 | cube=Al-Oliver|brm=oliver001alb}} |
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*[http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081126&content_id=10241&vkey=hof_news Baseball Hall of Fame: Oliver a Hit With All His Teams] |
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*{{Wayback |date=20070423155253 |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2007/election/vc/oliver.htm |title=2007 Hall of Fame candidate profile }} |
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*[http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/O/Oliver_Al.stm BaseballLibrary] |
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*[http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/oliveal01.php Baseball Page] |
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*[http://www.al-oliver.com/300club.htm Al Oliver homepage] |
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* [http://www.kipptruth.org Aaron Oliver's Work Place ( KIPP TRUTH Academy)] |
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{{s-start}} |
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{{succession box | before = [[George Foster (baseball)|George Foster]]<br>[[Tim Wallach]] | title = [[Player of the Month|National League Player of the Month]]| years = June 1976<br>June 1982| after = [[George Foster (baseball)|George Foster]]<br>[[Mike Schmidt]]}} |
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{{s-end}} |
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{{NL batting title}} |
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{{NL RBI champions}} |
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{{AL OF Silver Slugger Award}} |
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{{AL DH Silver Slugger Award}} |
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{{NL 1B Silver Slugger Award}} |
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{{1971 Pittsburgh Pirates}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| NAME =Oliver, Al |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Baseball player |
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| DATE OF BIRTH =October 14, 1946 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH =Portsmouth, Ohio |
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| DATE OF DEATH = |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Al}} |
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[[Category:1946 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:Baseball players from Ohio]] |
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[[Category:Major League Baseball center fielders]] |
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[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]] |
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[[Category:Major League Baseball designated hitters]] |
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[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]] |
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[[Category:Texas Rangers players]] |
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[[Category:Montreal Expos players]] |
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[[Category:San Francisco Giants players]] |
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[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]] |
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[[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players]] |
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[[Category:Toronto Blue Jays players]] |
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[[Category:National League All-Stars]] |
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[[Category:American League All-Stars]] |
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[[Category:National League batting champions]] |
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[[Category:National League RBI champions]] |
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[[Category:People from Portsmouth, Ohio]] |
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[[Category:African-American baseball players]] |
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[[Category:Gastonia Pirates players]] |
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[[Category:Raleigh Pirates players]] |
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[[Category:Macon Peaches players]] |
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[[Category:Florida Instructional League Pirates players]] |
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[[Category:Columbus Jets players]] |
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Revision as of 12:20, 12 November 2014
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