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Eugene George Oliver
Chicago Cubs
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 (#460) 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.
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 (#460) 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.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #240
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
Oliver returned from knee surgery in 1969, and played sparingly with the Cubs throughout the season. In his final 23 games in the majors, Oliver batted .222 (6 for 27) with three doubles. He was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter, making only three starts behind the plate in August. Oliver also had a brief stint with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, playing in 12 games and batting .259 (7 for 27). The Cubs released him on September 2nd, making him a minor league coach.
Phillies Career
On June 6, 1967, the Braves traded Oliver to the Phillies for catcher Bob Uecker in the hopes that Uecker would be able to provide steadier defense and better catch Phil Niekro's (#355) 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 fifth place Phillies. Looking to upgrade again defensively, the Phillies traded Oliver to the Red Sox on December 15th with Dick Ellsworth (#605) for catcher Mike Ryan (#28) and cash. For his half season in Philadelphia, Oliver never appeared on any Phillies baseball cards.
Other Notable 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
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 49 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 163rd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.
The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Oliver is wearing a Braves uniform on this card, with an unknown player or coach making a cameo appearance behind him. The write-up on the back mentions Oliver's biggest thrill as being his home run hit on September 30, 1962 against the Dodgers. Oliver's solo home run in the eighth inning off Dodgers' pitcher Johnny Podres (#659) would give the Cardinals a 1-0 win and force the Dodgers to face off against the Giants in a league playoff series. The cartoon celebrates his three home runs hit on July 30, 1966 against the Giants. Oliver hit the home runs off Bob Priddy (#248) (twice) and Ray Sadecki (#125).
Accuracy Index: It's another -8 given the Braves uniform (-5) and blank hat (-3).
1969 Season
Oliver returned from knee surgery in 1969, and played sparingly with the Cubs throughout the season. In his final 23 games in the majors, Oliver batted .222 (6 for 27) with three doubles. He was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter, making only three starts behind the plate in August. Oliver also had a brief stint with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, playing in 12 games and batting .259 (7 for 27). The Cubs released him on September 2nd, making him a minor league coach.
On June 6, 1967, the Braves traded Oliver to the Phillies for catcher Bob Uecker in the hopes that Uecker would be able to provide steadier defense and better catch Phil Niekro's (#355) 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 fifth place Phillies. Looking to upgrade again defensively, the Phillies traded Oliver to the Red Sox on December 15th with Dick Ellsworth (#605) for catcher Mike Ryan (#28) and cash. For his half season in Philadelphia, Oliver never appeared on any Phillies baseball cards.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #135
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1959-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA Quad City Cubs #31
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 49 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#246 Joe Coleman - Washington Senators / #248 Bob Priddy - Chicago White Sox
Uncorrected error in biography on card. He hit 36 homeruns for Portland in 1961, not 1964.
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