John Olerud, baseball player, 255 home runs, 1989-2005

John Olerud

Born: 8/5/1968 in Seattle, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1989-09-03 | Final Game: 2005-10-02

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: John Garrett Olerud

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Biography

John Olerud, born in 1968, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player who had a career spanning from 1989 to 2005. Known for his exceptional hitting ability and defensive prowess, Olerud played a primary role as a position player over 2,234 games. He finished his career with an impressive .295 batting average, collecting 2,239 hits, including 255 home runs and driving in 1,230 RBIs. Olerud also showcased his speed on the bases with a total of 11 stolen bases throughout his career. His contributions to the game earned him two All-Star selections, highlighting his status among the elite players of his era. Olerud's playing style was characterized by his disciplined approach at the plate and a remarkable ability to hit for both average and power. He was particularly known for his unique batting stance and exceptional plate discipline, which allowed him to maintain a high on-base percentage. Throughout his career, he played for several teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom he won two World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. Olerud's impact on the game was felt not only through his statistics but also through his professionalism and sportsmanship, making him a respected figure in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2234 7592 1139 2239 500 13 255 1230 11 1275 1016 0.295 0.398 0.465 0.863 28253.6

Career AVG .295 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OBP .398 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.

Career SLG .465 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — +12.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.863 vs. league average 0.747 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1989 TOR AL 6 8 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.375 — — — — 0.0
1990 TOR AL 111 358 43 95 15 1 14 48 0 57 75 0.265 .257 (+3%) .324 (+12%) .385 (+12%) .710 (+12%) 938.9
1991 TOR AL 139 454 64 116 30 1 17 68 0 68 84 0.256 .255 (avg) .323 (+9%) .384 (+14%) .708 (+12%) 1124.9
1992 TOR AL 138 458 68 130 28 0 16 66 1 70 61 0.284 .255 (+11%) .322 (+16%) .377 (+19%) .699 (+18%) 1741.5
1993 TOR AL 158 551 109 200 54 2 24 107 0 114 65 0.363 .265 (+37%) .332 (+42%) .403 (+49%) .735 (+46%) 5863.6
1994 TOR AL 108 384 47 114 29 2 12 67 1 61 53 0.297 .269 (+10%) .338 (+16%) .424 (+12%) .763 (+14%) 1207.9
1995 TOR AL 135 492 72 143 32 0 8 54 0 84 54 0.291 .266 (+9%) .337 (+18%) .417 (-3%) .755 (+6%) 1007.5
1996 TOR AL 125 398 59 109 25 0 18 61 1 60 37 0.274 .269 (+1%) .340 (+12%) .426 (+11%) .767 (+11%) 1123.6
1997 NYN NL 154 524 90 154 34 1 22 102 0 85 67 0.294 .266 (+10%) .336 (+19%) .419 (+17%) .756 (+18%) 2246.3
1998 NYN NL 160 557 91 197 36 4 22 93 2 96 73 0.354 .266 (+33%) .335 (+33%) .420 (+31%) .755 (+32%) 4261.3
1999 NYN NL 162 581 107 173 39 0 19 96 3 125 66 0.298 .271 (+10%) .344 (+24%) .433 (+7%) .778 (+14%) 2473.3
2000 SEA AL 159 565 84 161 45 0 14 103 0 102 96 0.285 .270 (+5%) .344 (+14%) .437 (avg) .782 (+6%) 1041.1
2001 SEA AL 159 572 91 173 32 1 21 95 3 94 70 0.302 .263 (+15%) .332 (+21%) .426 (+11%) .758 (+15%) 2208.0
2002 SEA AL 154 553 85 166 39 0 22 102 0 98 66 0.300 .261 (+15%) .331 (+22%) .416 (+18%) .747 (+19%) 2551.4
2003 SEA AL 152 539 64 145 35 0 10 83 0 84 67 0.269 .264 (+2%) .332 (+12%) .422 (-8%) .754 (+1%) 421.1
2004 SEA AL 78 261 29 64 13 1 5 22 0 40 41 0.245 .266 (-8%) .335 (+6%) .427 (-16%) .762 (-6%) -214.1
2004 NYY AL 49 164 16 46 7 0 4 26 0 21 20 0.280 .266 (+5%) .335 (+10%) .427 (-7%) .762 (avg) -214.1
2005 BOS AL 87 173 18 50 7 0 7 37 0 16 20 0.289 .264 (+9%) .330 (+4%) .418 (+8%) .749 (+6%) 188.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
66 237 35 66 10 0 9 34 31 32 0.278

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2005 ALDS1 BOS 3 7 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.286
2004 ALCS NYA 4 12 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 0.167
2004 ALDS2 NYA 4 14 2 3 2 0 0 0 1 2 0.214
2001 ALCS SEA 5 19 2 4 0 0 1 3 2 4 0.211
2001 ALDS1 SEA 5 17 1 3 0 0 0 1 3 5 0.176
2000 ALCS SEA 6 20 3 7 3 0 1 2 2 2 0.350
2000 ALDS2 SEA 3 10 2 3 0 0 1 2 2 1 0.300
1999 NLCS NYN 6 27 4 8 0 0 2 6 2 3 0.296
1999 NLDS2 NYN 4 16 3 7 0 0 1 6 3 2 0.438
1993 ALCS TOR 6 23 5 8 1 0 0 3 4 1 0.348
1993 WS TOR 5 17 5 4 1 0 1 2 4 1 0.235
1992 ALCS TOR 6 23 4 8 2 0 1 4 2 5 0.348
1992 WS TOR 4 13 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.308
1991 ALCS TOR 5 19 1 3 0 0 0 3 3 1 0.158

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2053 1929 16165 1418 82 1581

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1989 TOR 1B 5 1 19 2 0 0
1990 TOR 1B 18 15 133 10 2 10
1991 TOR 1B 135 124 1120 78 5 77
1992 TOR 1B 133 125 1057 81 7 72
1993 TOR 1B 137 137 1160 97 10 107
1994 TOR 1B 104 101 824 68 6 83
1995 TOR 1B 133 132 1099 89 4 103
1996 TOR 1B 101 92 781 56 2 107
1997 NYN 1B 146 141 1292 120 7 125
1998 NYN 1B 157 149 1258 116 5 119
1999 NYN 1B 160 159 1344 105 9 127
2000 SEA 1B 158 155 1271 132 5 154
2001 SEA 1B 158 149 1211 121 9 116
2002 SEA 1B 152 150 1169 101 5 122
2003 SEA 1B 152 143 1096 125 3 126
2004 SEA 1B 77 71 548 52 1 58
2004 NYA 1B 47 47 367 25 1 34
2005 BOS 1B 80 38 416 40 1 41

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2053
Designated Hitter 133

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2003 Gold Glove 1B
2002 Gold Glove 1B
2000 Gold Glove 1B
1998 Player of the Week Week of 1998-08-08
1998 Player of the Week Week of 1998-09-19
1997 Player of the Week Week of 1997-09-27
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-07-15
1993 Hutch Award
1993 Player of the Month April
1993 Player of the Month June
1993 Player of the Week Week of 1993-06-05

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2004 SEA AL $7,700,000
2003 SEA AL $7,700,000
2002 SEA AL $6,950,000
2001 SEA AL $6,700,000
2000 SEA AL $6,350,000
1999 NYN NL $4,250,000
1998 NYN NL $3,750,000
1997 NYN NL $6,500,000
1996 TOR AL $6,500,000
1995 TOR AL $5,750,000
1994 TOR AL $3,750,000
1993 TOR AL $1,562,500
1992 TOR AL $387,500
1991 TOR AL $293,667
1990 TOR AL $100,000
Total Career Earnings $68,243,667

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington State University Pullman WA 1987, 1988, 1989

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1998 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 38.0 448 0
1993 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 198.0 392 0
1990 Rookie of the Year AL 4th 13.0 140 0