 |
 |
Eugene George Oliver
Milwaukee Braves
First Base-Catcher
Born: March 22, 1935, Moline, IL
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1959, 1961-1963; Milwaukee Braves 1963-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1967; Philadelphia Phillies 1967; Boston Red Sox 1968; Chicago Cubs 1968-1969
Died: March 3, 2007, Rock Island, IL (age 71)
Primarily a back-up catcher and first baseman throughout his decade in the major leagues, Gene Oliver appeared in over 100 games three times during his career - in 1963 with the Cardinals and Braves, in 1965 with the Braves and in 1967 with the Braves and Phillies. His best season came in 1965 when he backed-up Joe Torre (#200) and hit .270 with a career-high 21 home runs. Oliver admittedly struggled with his defensive skills and despite his role as a back-up he still managed to finish in the top ten for errors in the National League in three different seasons, and in the top five for passed balls twice. In 786 games, Oliver compiled a lifetime batting average of .246 with 93 home runs and 320 RBIs. Following his playing days, Oliver served as a coach in the minor league systems of the Cubs and Phillies in the 1980s.
December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #205
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged. I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart. This Oliver card was only $1 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois. I didn't notice it at the time, but there's what looks like a small water stain on the back of this card which I'm willing to live with.
The Card / Braves Team Set
If not for the different background and more pine tar on the bat, I would have sworn the photo used here was the same used for Oliver's 1964 Topps card. Flipping to the back, Oliver's minor league home run triumphs are celebrated and his SABR biography notes he would have been an ideal candidate for a designated hitter had that position existed 10 years earlier. In the minors, Oliver hit 40 home runs in 1956, 30 home runs in 1957 and 36 home runs in 1961.
1965 Season
Oliver appeared in 122 games with the Braves, making 58 starts behind the plate to Torre's 96. He also could be considered the Braves' regular first baseman that season, making 49 starts at that position to Felipe Alou's (#383) 47 and Torre's 46. Oliver's 21 home runs allowed the Braves to set a National League record with six players having at least 20 home runs - Eddie Mathews (#500), Hank Aaron (#170), Mack Jones (#241), Torre, Alou and Oliver. Oliver batted .270 with a career-high 106 hits to go along with 58 RBIs.
On June 6, 1967, the Braves traded Oliver to the Phillies for catcher Bob Uecker (#519) in the hopes that Uecker would be able to provide steadier defense and better catch Phil Niekro's (#461) knuckle balls. Oliver appeared in 85 games for the Phillies and while his defense was adequate, he slumped badly offensively. He hit just .224 with 7 home runs and 34 RBIs, although he did have a few big game-winning hits for the 5th place Phillies. Looking to upgrade again defensively, the Phillies traded Oliver to the Red Sox on December 15th with Dick Ellsworth (#165) for catcher Mike Ryan (#573) and cash. For his half season in Philadelphia, Oliver never appeared on any Phillies baseball cards.
|
|
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #135
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1959-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA Quad City Cubs #31
47 - Oliver non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/25/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #105 Chico Salmon - Cleveland Indians
Next Card: #107 Phillies Rookie Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment