Tom Oliver (baseball)
| Tom Oliver | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: January 15, 1903 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | |
| Died: February 26, 1988 (aged 85) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1930, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 23, 1933, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .277 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 176 |
| Teams | |
Thomas Noble Oliver (January 15, 1903 – February 26, 1988) was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1930 through to 1933 for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 168 pounds (76 kg), Oliver batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
Oliver was a slap hitter who rarely tried to drive the ball. As an outfielder, his arm and speed were already well above average, while his graceful style prompted baseball historian Fred Lieb to compare him to Joe DiMaggio and Tris Speaker.[citation needed]
In his rookie season for Boston, Oliver led the
In a four-season career, Oliver was a .277 hitter with 202 runs and 176 RBI in 514 games, including 191 doubles, 11 triples, 12 stolen bases, and a .316 on-base percentage without home runs. In 504 games at center field, he collected 1,425 outs with 45 assists and made 14 double plays, while committing 21 errors in 1,491 chances for a .986 fielding percentage.
Oliver holds the modern major league baseball record by going 1,931 at-bats without a home run in his career.
Oliver coached for the Philadelphia Athletics and Baltimore Orioles from 1951 to 1954. He also scouted for the Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins. He died at the age of 85 in Montgomery.
A member of an athletic family, Oliver was the uncle of William Oliver "Whitey" Overton who ran track in the 1948 Olympics and the great uncle of William Oliver "Bill" Overton Jr. who played representative rugby for five separate years for the Texas Rugby Union and club rugby for the Austin Huns Rugby Football Club from 1975 to 1984.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- Tom Oliver Baseball Biography - Baseballbiography.com
- Retrosheet