'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 16: Al Oliver provided plenty of hits for Lumber Company Pirates - TribLIVE

gubukdadan.blogspot.com

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 16: Al Oliver

Thanks to his knack for plucking balls out of the dirt at first base, Al Oliver was given an appropriate nickname that followed throughout an 18-year major-league career:

Scoop.

Although the moniker was apropos, it doesn’t pay homage to what Oliver did best during his 10 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the time he spent with six other teams over the remainder of his career.

Simply put, Oliver was one of baseball’s top contact hitters through the 1970s and mid-80s. He left the game with 2,743 hits, which ranks 58th on the all-time list and is an oft-cited statistic whenever Oliver’s Hall of Fame candidacy is discussed.

It was Oliver’s ability to collect base hits hit during his decade in Pittsburgh that earned him the distinction of being the best athlete to wear No. 16 in the city’s sports history.

Oliver batted .303 overall and he ranks among the top 100 players in total bases (83rd), doubles (43rd), singles (63rd) and RBIs (100th). He also is No. 102 in career extra-base hits. Oliver did so while never striking out more than 73 times in any season.

Oliver was a seven-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and the 1982 National League batting champion for the Montreal Expos when he batted .331 and led the league in hits, doubles and RBIs. He also was flashy with the glove whether it was at first base or in the outfield during his tenure with the Pirates.

The foundation of Oliver’s career was built in Pittsburgh. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1970. The next year, he played center field between Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente for the World Series champions.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Al Oliver and Bob Robertson, members of the Pirates’ 1971 World Series championship team, take part in a ceremony before a game against the Brewers on Sept. 3, 2016, at PNC Park. The Pirates recognized the 45th anniversary of the championship.

In 1976, Oliver batted. 323, the first of nine consecutive seasons that he hit .300 or better. The Pirates traded Oliver to Texas in a four-team blockbuster deal after the 1977 season when they acquired Bert Blyleven and John Milner, who each would contribute to another World Series title two years later.

The hits kept coming for Oliver in four years with Texas, two with Montreal and stops with San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Oliver reluctantly left baseball after the 1985 season when he didn’t receive an offer in free agency. He believed that collusion by the MLB owners forced him out of the game prematurely at age 39 and cost him a shot at 3,000 hits. An arbitrator agreed and awarded Oliver a $680,000 settlement in 1995.

Falling short of the 3,000-hit milestone impacted Oliver’s Hall of Fame candidacy. He generated only 4.3% of the vote in 1991, his first year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Because he didn’t get the necessary 5%, Oliver was removed from future ballots.

Oliver received consideration from the Veterans Committee without any success, and he was bypassed in 2019 as a finalist when Ted Simmons was selected from the Modern Era period. Oliver’s next shot at appearing on that ballot won’t come until December 2022.

Other Pirates players to shine while wearing No. 16 included third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had 34 homers and 112 RBIs for a 100-loss team in 2001, and Frankie Gustine, who played second base, shortstop and third base for the franchise from 1939-48.

Charlie Batch sported No. 16 during his 11 seasons with the Steelers. He earned Super Bowl rings after the 2005 and 2008 NFL seasons, and he made nine starts in 33 appearances with the franchise. Len Dawson also wore No. 16 when he began his NFL career with the Steelers in 1957. It wasn’t until after Dawson left the Steelers in 1959 that he embarked on a Hall of Fame career and won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Enforcer Jay Caufield is the most prominent Penguins player to wear No. 16. In five seasons with the Penguins, beginning in 1988, Caufield protected franchise center Mario Lemieux. Caufield was a part of two Stanley Cup championship teams and totaled three goals, 10 points and 714 penalty minutes in 194 career games with the Penguins.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Search

'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 16: Al Oliver provided plenty of hits for Lumber Company Pirates - TribLIVE

0 Response to "'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 16: Al Oliver provided plenty of hits for Lumber Company Pirates - TribLIVE"

Post a Comment

'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 16: Al Oliver provided plenty of hits for Lumber Company Pirates - TribLIVE

Related Posts :

0 Response to "'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 16: Al Oliver provided plenty of hits for Lumber Company Pirates - TribLIVE"

Post a Comment