Top Blue Jays Player #10: John Olerud
Position: First
base
Seasons With the
Jays: 8 (1989-1996)
All-Star Game
Selection: 1993
Stats: Games Played 920 Batting Average .293
Base Hits 910 Runs
Scored 464
Home Runs 109 RBIs 471
Doubles
213 Triples 6
Stolen Bases 3 Walks 471
There was never anything flashy
about John Olerud. No bat flips, for chest-thumping or standing at the plate to
admire his home runs. No staring down the pitcher after a homer, yapping at
umpires or opponents. No bulletin board material in the newspaper. What you got
with Olerud was a solid player on defense as well as at the plate, who went
about his business without trying to draw attention to himself, and just doing
what he could to help his team win.
While playing college ball at
Washington State, Olerud experienced numerous migraines and was diagnosed with
a brain aneurysm. It was surgically removed and Olerud recovered fully to
finish his final year with the Cougars and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the
third round of the 1989 Amateur Draft. Olerud will always be remembered for
wearing a batting helmet while playing in the field, a precaution to prevent
any concussions that could further cause any damage to his brain.
Olerud never played any
professional games at the minor league level and jumped right to the Jays in
the 1989 season. He only played six games in 1989, but managed three hits in
eight at bats. In 1990, he played in 111 games, primarily as a designated
hitter, but he also spent time at first base, backing up slugger Fred McGriff. He
batted .265 that year and hit 14 home runs and added 48 RBIs.
After the season, McGriff was
traded to the San Diego Padres and Olerud was given the starting job at first
base for the 1991 season. He responded by batting .256, while improving his
power numbers (17 homers, 68 RBIs) while playing a solid first base. In the
ALCS against Minnesota, he batted a dismal .158 in the five-game series.
Olerud improved significantly in
1992, as his batting average jumped to .284, while hitting 16 home runs and
adding 66 RBIs. Toronto advanced to the postseason for the second straight year
and eventually won their first World Series Championship. In the ALCS against
Oakland, Olerud impressed with a .348 batting average, one home run and four
RBIs. In the World Series against Atlanta, he batted .308 in four games.
But his career year was 1993.
Olerud appeared zeroed in on the ball as he flirted with a .400 batting average
as late as August 24th. But he tailed off a bit in September but
still finished with an American League-leading .363 average (three Jays
finished at the top of the batting title race with Paul Molitor finishing
second and Roberto Alomar third). Olerud also topped 20 home runs (24) and 100
RBIs (107) for the first time in his career, while also leading the AL in
doubles (54) and on-base percentage (.473) as a result of his 200 hits and 114
walks.
In the ALCS against the White
Sox, he batted .348 with three RBIs. In the World Series victory over
Philadelphia, he struggled with a .235 average but still bashed a home run,
scored five runs and played solid defense at first base.
He would never have as high a
batting average again. In the strike-shortened season of 1994, it dropped to
.297 and in 1995 to .291. His power numbers dropped as well (12 home runs in
1994 and only eight in 1995). While his home run total jumped to 18 in 1996,
his average continued to fall (.274). The Jays, as a team, were also struggling
during these years and needed to shake things up on the roster. In December of
1996, he was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Robert Person.
He played with the Mets for
three years, then joined the Seattle Mariners for the 2000 season. During his
four and a half season on the West Coast, Olerud would finally be recognized
for this defensive abilities by winning the Gold Glove Award in 2000, 2002 and
2003. He was released by the Mariners at the end of July in 2004 and quickly
signed by the New York Yankees for the rest of the year. He played one final
year (with Boston) in 2005 before retiring at the age of 36.
Follow us on Twitter at @topofthethird
No comments:
Post a Comment