Gregg Olson, baseball player, 1988-2001

Gregg Olson

Born: 10/11/1966 in Scribner, NE, USA

MLB Debut: 1988-09-02 | Final Game: 2001-06-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Greggory William Olson

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Biography

Gregg Olson, born in 1966, was a prominent pitcher whose career spanned from 1988 to 2001. He made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, a time marked by a transition in pitching styles and the increasing importance of relief pitchers. Olson was known for his power pitching and ability to close games, finishing his career with a record of 40-39 and an impressive 3.46 ERA. He recorded a total of 588 strikeouts and notched 217 saves, showcasing his capability as one of the leading relief pitchers of his time. In addition to his statistical achievements, Olson was recognized for his talent early in his career when he was named the Rookie of the Year. He was selected as an All-Star once, further solidifying his reputation within the league. Olson's contributions to the teams he played for, including the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals, were pivotal during a competitive era in baseball, where the role of the closer was evolving into a highly specialized position. His performance on the mound left a lasting legacy, influencing future generations of pitchers in the major leagues.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
40 39 622 0 0 0 217 672.0 598 258 46 330 588 3.46 0

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 4.26 across their career seasons — 18.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1988 BAL AL 1 1 10 0 0 0 0 11.0 10 4 10 9 3.27 3.73 (+12%) -360.5
1989 BAL AL 5 2 64 0 0 0 27 85.0 57 16 46 90 1.69 3.71 (+54%) 2710.0
1990 BAL AL 6 5 64 0 0 0 37 74.3 57 20 31 74 2.42 3.86 (+37%) 2164.4
1991 BAL AL 4 6 72 0 0 0 31 73.7 74 26 29 72 3.18 3.91 (+19%) 3013.9
1992 BAL AL 1 5 60 0 0 0 36 61.3 46 14 24 58 2.05 3.75 (+45%) 1620.8
1993 BAL AL 0 2 50 0 0 0 29 45.0 37 8 18 44 1.60 4.19 (+62%) 1894.9
1994 ATL NL 0 2 16 0 0 0 1 14.7 19 15 13 10 9.20 4.51 (-104%) -369.9
1995 CLE AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2.7 5 4 2 0 13.50 — 0.0
1995 KCR AL 3 3 20 0 0 0 3 30.3 23 11 17 21 3.26 4.45 (+27%) -
1996 DET AL 3 0 43 0 0 0 8 43.0 43 24 28 29 5.02 4.61 (-9%) -1137.7
1996 HOU NL 1 0 9 0 0 0 0 9.3 12 5 7 8 4.82 4.61 (-5%) 0.0
1997 MIN AL 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 8.3 19 17 11 6 18.36 — 0.0
1997 KCR AL 4 3 34 0 0 0 1 41.7 39 14 17 28 3.02 4.39 (+31%) -
1998 AZ NL 3 4 64 0 0 0 30 68.7 56 23 25 55 3.01 4.43 (+32%) -
1999 AZ NL 9 4 61 0 0 0 14 60.7 54 25 25 45 3.71 4.71 (+21%) -
2000 LAD NL 0 1 13 0 0 0 0 17.7 21 10 7 15 5.09 4.77 (-7%) -
2001 LAD NL 0 1 28 0 0 0 0 24.7 26 22 20 24 8.03 4.42 (-82%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
622 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 3 0.250 0.400 1.000 1.400 0.0

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career OBP .400 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +20.3% above league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — +144.7% above league average.

Career OPS 1.400 vs. league average 0.741 across their career seasons — +88.9% 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
1988 BAL AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 BAL AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 BAL AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 BAL AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 BAL AL 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 BAL AL 50 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1994 ATL NL 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1995 CLE AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 KCR AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 DET AL 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 HOU NL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 MIN AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 KCR AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 AZ NL 64 2 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1999 AZ NL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2000 LAD NL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2001 LAD NL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1999 NLDS2 ARI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 0.3 0 0 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1999 NLDS2 ARI 0 0 2 0 0 0.3 0 0 1 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 622 0 44 80 6 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1988 BAL P 10 0 1 2 0 0
1989 BAL P 64 0 5 12 1 0
1990 BAL P 64 0 4 4 0 1
1991 BAL P 72 0 6 11 3 0
1992 BAL P 60 0 5 9 0 2
1993 BAL P 50 0 2 7 0 0
1994 ATL P 16 0 0 0 0 0
1995 CLE P 3 0 0 0 0 0
1995 KCA P 20 0 1 5 0 0
1996 DET P 43 0 3 3 0 0
1996 HOU P 9 0 3 0 0 0
1997 MIN P 11 0 0 2 0 0
1997 KCA P 34 0 4 4 1 0
1998 ARI P 64 0 4 7 0 0
1999 ARI P 61 0 4 9 0 0
2000 LAN P 13 0 2 2 0 0
2001 LAN P 28 0 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 622

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1989 Rookie of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2001 LAN NL $1,750,000
2000 LAN NL $1,250,000
1999 ARI NL $850,000
1998 ARI NL $650,000
1997 KCA AL $210,000
1997 MIN AL $400,000
1996 DET AL $400,000
1995 CLE AL $750,000
1994 ATL NL $1,900,000
1993 BAL AL $2,300,000
1992 BAL AL $1,450,000
1991 BAL AL $505,000
1990 BAL AL $270,000
1989 BAL AL $70,000
Total Career Earnings $12,755,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Auburn University Auburn AL 1986, 1987, 1988

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1989 Cy Young Award AL 6th 3.0 140 0
1989 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 35.0 392 0
1989 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 136.0 140 26