PHILADELPHIA, PA – CIRCA 1972: Al Oliver #16 of the PIttsburgh Pirates bats against the Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1972 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Oliver played for the Pirates from 1968-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Happy Birthday to the great Al Oliver. In a career that lasted 18 seasons, Oliver established himself as a “Professional Hitter,” most notably for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos, as well as the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays. 

Career Statistics/Accolades (1968-1985):

.303 BA 2,743 HITS 219 HR 1,326 RBI 1,189 RUNS .344 OBP

  • 7x All-Star
  • 3x Silver Slugger
  • 1971 World Series Champion
  • Batting Title (1982)

I say, “Professional Hitter,” because he could hit. As a Left-Handed hitter, Oliver batted over .300 eleven times, as well as .303 lifetime throughout 9,000+ At Bats. While Oliver wasn’t known for being a Slugger, only driving in 100 RBIs twice, he did win three Silver Sluggers and averaged 91 RBIs. In 1982, he finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting, leading the league in Hits (204), Doubles (43), Runs Batted In (109), and Batting Average (.331).

Defensively, he was in Centerfield for 7,246.1 Innings, First Base for 6,036.1 Innings, and Left Field for 3,940 Innings. Overall, he was an average to below-average fielder.

I’ve stated that Al Oliver got a raw deal on the BBWAA ballot. When you consider that Oliver only made the playoffs five times in an 18-year career and played well on many mediocre or below teams, Oliver was a great hitter. As a left-handed hitter, he hit his fair share of Doubles. Nine times in his career, Oliver finished top-10 in Hits and Batting Average. Again, he is also a lifetime hitter above .300 throughout 9,000 plus at-bats. Even at the end of his career, Oliver was an average to above-average hitter, and had he played another two or three years; he would’ve easily gotten to 3,000 Hits. However, Oliver wasn’t able to hang on. In 1995, it ruled in Court that there was collusion in the mid-1980s among baseball owners, preventing guys like Oliver from playing. While Oliver was awarded by a judge $680,031.05, he never got to finish his career. There’s no debate that if Oliver had 3,000 Hits, he’d be in the Hall of Fame. Oliver is a compiler but maintained a lifetime average above .300. I would put Oliver in the Hall of Fame for that reason. It’s still possible that Oliver can one day be enshrined with the Executive Committee. 

References:

  1. Al Oliver via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Oliver#
  2. Al Oliver Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/oliveal01.shtml