Al Oliver
Born: 10/14/1946 in Portsmouth, OH, USA
MLB Debut: 1968-09-23 | Final Game: 1985-10-05
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 195 lbs
Full name: Albert Oliver
Biography
Al Oliver was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1968 to 1985. Born in 1946, he made his mark as a versatile position player, primarily serving as an outfielder and first baseman. Over the course of 2,368 games, Oliver achieved an impressive .303 batting average with 2,743 hits, 219 home runs, and 1,326 RBIs. His ability to consistently hit for average and drive in runs helped establish him as a key offensive player during his era. Oliver's career was marked by his smooth left-handed swing and adeptness at the plate, which earned him seven All-Star selections, highlighting his status among the elite players of his time.
Oliver's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, transitioning from the late 1960s through the 1980s, an era characterized by a mix of traditional play and the emergence of new strategies. His contributions extended beyond mere statistics; he was known for his clutch hitting and ability to perform in high-pressure situations. In addition to his offensive prowess, Oliver showcased speed on the base paths, totaling 84 stolen bases. His legacy is remembered not only for his impressive numbers but also for his impact on the game, as he carved out a significant place in the history of Major League Baseball.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2368 | 9049 | 1189 | 2743 | 529 | 77 | 219 | 1326 | 84 | 535 | 756 | 0.303 | 0.344 | 0.451 | 0.795 | 21169.2 |
Career AVG .303 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +18.3% above league average.
Career OBP .344 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career SLG .451 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.
Career OPS 0.795 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — +13.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | PIT | NL | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | PIT | NL | 129 | 463 | 55 | 132 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 70 | 8 | 21 | 38 | 0.285 | .248 (+15%) | .320 (+4%) | .369 (+20%) | .689 (+13%) | 1027.6 |
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 151 | 551 | 63 | 149 | 33 | 5 | 12 | 83 | 1 | 35 | 35 | 0.270 | .253 (+6%) | .325 (avg) | .385 (+7%) | .711 (+4%) | 322.6 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 143 | 529 | 69 | 149 | 31 | 7 | 14 | 64 | 4 | 27 | 72 | 0.282 | .249 (+13%) | .316 (avg) | .365 (+22%) | .682 (+12%) | 890.2 |
| 1972 | PIT | NL | 140 | 565 | 88 | 176 | 27 | 4 | 12 | 89 | 2 | 34 | 44 | 0.312 | .243 (+28%) | .310 (+13%) | .353 (+24%) | .664 (+19%) | 1832.5 |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 158 | 654 | 90 | 191 | 38 | 7 | 20 | 99 | 6 | 22 | 52 | 0.292 | .256 (+14%) | .325 (-3%) | .378 (+22%) | .703 (+11%) | 991.9 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 147 | 617 | 96 | 198 | 38 | 12 | 11 | 85 | 10 | 33 | 58 | 0.321 | .256 (+25%) | .324 (+10%) | .369 (+29%) | .693 (+20%) | 2139.7 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 155 | 628 | 90 | 176 | 39 | 8 | 18 | 84 | 4 | 25 | 73 | 0.280 | .257 (+9%) | .327 (-6%) | .374 (+21%) | .701 (+9%) | 692.1 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 121 | 443 | 62 | 143 | 22 | 5 | 12 | 61 | 6 | 26 | 29 | 0.323 | .255 (+26%) | .320 (+13%) | .360 (+32%) | .681 (+23%) | 1761.1 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 154 | 568 | 75 | 175 | 29 | 6 | 19 | 82 | 13 | 40 | 38 | 0.308 | .264 (+17%) | .329 (+7%) | .401 (+20%) | .730 (+14%) | 1528.5 |
| 1978 | TEX | AL | 133 | 525 | 65 | 170 | 35 | 5 | 14 | 89 | 8 | 31 | 41 | 0.324 | .257 (+26%) | .323 (+11%) | .378 (+29%) | .702 (+21%) | 1884.0 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 136 | 492 | 69 | 159 | 28 | 4 | 12 | 76 | 4 | 34 | 34 | 0.323 | .265 (+22%) | .329 (+11%) | .397 (+18%) | .727 (+15%) | 1409.3 |
| 1980 | TEX | AL | 163 | 656 | 96 | 209 | 43 | 3 | 19 | 117 | 5 | 39 | 47 | 0.319 | .264 (+20%) | .326 (+9%) | .387 (+24%) | .714 (+17%) | 2154.7 |
| 1981 | TEX | AL | 102 | 421 | 53 | 130 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 3 | 24 | 28 | 0.309 | .255 (+21%) | .320 (+9%) | .368 (+11%) | .688 (+10%) | 738.9 |
| 1982 | WSN | NL | 160 | 617 | 90 | 204 | 43 | 2 | 22 | 109 | 5 | 61 | 59 | 0.331 | .261 (+27%) | .324 (+21%) | .388 (+32%) | .712 (+27%) | 3462.0 |
| 1983 | WSN | NL | 157 | 614 | 70 | 184 | 38 | 3 | 8 | 84 | 1 | 44 | 44 | 0.300 | .260 (+15%) | .324 (+7%) | .389 (+5%) | .714 (+6%) | 741.5 |
| 1984 | SFG | NL | 91 | 339 | 27 | 101 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 20 | 27 | 0.298 | .259 (+15%) | .322 (+5%) | .384 (-5%) | .707 (avg) | -8.1 |
| 1984 | PHI | NL | 28 | 93 | 9 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 0.312 | .259 (+20%) | .322 (+12%) | .384 (+1%) | .707 (+6%) | -8.1 |
| 1985 | LAD | NL | 35 | 79 | 1 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 0.253 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-9%) | .390 (-19%) | .714 (-15%) | -200.4 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | 61 | 187 | 20 | 47 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0.251 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-13%) | .390 (-4%) | .714 (-8%) | -200.4 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | ALCS | TOR | 5 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.375 |
| 1975 | NLCS | PIT | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.182 |
| 1974 | NLCS | PIT | 4 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.143 |
| 1972 | NLCS | PIT | 5 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0.250 |
| 1971 | NLCS | PIT | 4 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| 1971 | WS | PIT | 5 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0.211 |
| 1970 | NLCS | PIT | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.250 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 733 | 694 | 5904 | 433 | 67 | 499 |
| OF | 1376 | 1351 | 3136 | 65 | 64 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | PIT | OF | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | PIT | 1B | 106 | 97 | 869 | 49 | 8 | 87 |
| 1969 | PIT | OF | 21 | 20 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | PIT | 1B | 77 | 64 | 582 | 48 | 7 | 68 |
| 1970 | PIT | OF | 80 | 79 | 136 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1971 | PIT | 1B | 25 | 21 | 192 | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| 1971 | PIT | OF | 116 | 112 | 305 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 1972 | PIT | 1B | 3 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1972 | PIT | OF | 138 | 136 | 332 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1973 | PIT | 1B | 50 | 48 | 454 | 31 | 4 | 42 |
| 1973 | PIT | OF | 109 | 108 | 238 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| 1974 | PIT | 1B | 49 | 48 | 418 | 23 | 3 | 28 |
| 1974 | PIT | OF | 98 | 96 | 284 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 1975 | PIT | 1B | 4 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1975 | PIT | OF | 153 | 148 | 380 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 1976 | PIT | 1B | 3 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1976 | PIT | OF | 106 | 105 | 301 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 1977 | PIT | OF | 148 | 147 | 305 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1978 | TEX | OF | 107 | 107 | 219 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | TEX | OF | 119 | 115 | 260 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| 1980 | TEX | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | TEX | OF | 157 | 155 | 314 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| 1981 | TEX | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | MON | 1B | 159 | 159 | 1286 | 92 | 19 | 96 |
| 1983 | MON | 1B | 153 | 152 | 1207 | 118 | 13 | 93 |
| 1983 | MON | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | SFN | 1B | 82 | 80 | 665 | 55 | 11 | 50 |
| 1984 | PHI | 1B | 19 | 17 | 149 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| 1984 | PHI | OF | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | LAN | OF | 17 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985 | TOR | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 733 |
| Left Field | 486 |
| Center Field | 840 |
| Right Field | 80 |
| Designated Hitter | 200 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-08-13 |
| 1982 | Silver Slugger | 1B |
| 1982 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1981 | Player of the Week | Week of 1981-05-29 |
| 1981 | Silver Slugger | DH |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-09-19 |
| 1980 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-07-28 |
| 1976 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1976 | Player of the Week | Week of 1976-06-11 |
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-07-04 |
| 1975 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1974 | Player of the Week | Week of 1974-08-16 |
| 1973 | Player of the Week | Week of 1973-04-20 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | LAN | NL | $750,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $750,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 175.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 8.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 31.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 26.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 30.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1974 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 87.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 23th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 52.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1969 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 2nd | 3.0 | 24 | 3 |
