John Olerud
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1989-2005)
John Olerud was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 2005 for 5 teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 17 seasons. In 2,234 career games, he hit .295 with 2,239 hits, 255 home runs, and 1,230 RBI. John Olerud was a 2-time All-Star and a 3-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 28,281.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'5" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1989-09-03
- Last Game
- 2005-10-02
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · 3× Gold Glove
Full name: John Garrett Olerud
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,234 | 7,592 | 1,139 | 2,239 | 500 | 13 | 255 | 1,230 | 11 | 1,275 | 1,016 | .295 | .398 | .465 | .863 | 28,281 |
Career AVG .295 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.
Career OBP .398 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.
Career SLG .465 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — +12.4% above league average.
Career OPS .863 vs. league average .747 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | TOR | AL | 6 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 111 | 358 | 43 | 95 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 48 | 0 | 57 | 75 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .324 (+12%) | .385 (+12%) | .710 (+12%) | 938.9 |
| 1991 | TOR | AL | 139 | 454 | 64 | 116 | 30 | 1 | 17 | 68 | 0 | 68 | 84 | .256 | .255 (avg) | .323 (+9%) | .384 (+14%) | .708 (+12%) | 1124.9 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | 138 | 458 | 68 | 130 | 28 | 0 | 16 | 66 | 1 | 70 | 61 | .284 | .255 (+11%) | .322 (+16%) | .377 (+19%) | .699 (+18%) | 1741.5 |
| 1993 | TOR | AL | 158 | 551 | 109 | 200 | 54 | 2 | 24 | 107 | 0 | 114 | 65 | .363 | .265 (+37%) | .332 (+42%) | .403 (+49%) | .735 (+46%) | 5863.6 |
| 1994 | TOR | AL | 108 | 384 | 47 | 114 | 29 | 2 | 12 | 67 | 1 | 61 | 53 | .297 | .269 (+10%) | .338 (+16%) | .424 (+12%) | .763 (+14%) | 1207.9 |
| 1995 | TOR | AL | 135 | 492 | 72 | 143 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 54 | 0 | 84 | 54 | .291 | .266 (+9%) | .337 (+18%) | .417 (-3%) | .755 (+6%) | 1007.5 |
| 1996 | TOR | AL | 125 | 398 | 59 | 109 | 25 | 0 | 18 | 61 | 1 | 60 | 37 | .274 | .269 (+1%) | .340 (+12%) | .426 (+11%) | .767 (+11%) | 1123.6 |
| 1997 | NYN | NL | 154 | 524 | 90 | 154 | 34 | 1 | 22 | 102 | 0 | 85 | 67 | .294 | .266 (+10%) | .336 (+19%) | .419 (+17%) | .756 (+18%) | 2246.3 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 160 | 557 | 91 | 197 | 36 | 4 | 22 | 93 | 2 | 96 | 73 | .354 | .266 (+33%) | .335 (+33%) | .420 (+31%) | .755 (+32%) | 4261.3 |
| 1999 | NYN | NL | 162 | 581 | 107 | 173 | 39 | 0 | 19 | 96 | 3 | 125 | 66 | .298 | .271 (+10%) | .344 (+24%) | .433 (+7%) | .778 (+14%) | 2473.3 |
| 2000 | SEA | AL | 159 | 565 | 84 | 161 | 45 | 0 | 14 | 103 | 0 | 102 | 96 | .285 | .270 (+5%) | .344 (+14%) | .437 (avg) | .782 (+6%) | 1041.1 |
| 2001 | SEA | AL | 159 | 572 | 91 | 173 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 95 | 3 | 94 | 70 | .302 | .263 (+15%) | .332 (+21%) | .426 (+11%) | .758 (+15%) | 2208.0 |
| 2002 | SEA | AL | 154 | 553 | 85 | 166 | 39 | 0 | 22 | 102 | 0 | 98 | 66 | .300 | .261 (+15%) | .331 (+22%) | .416 (+18%) | .747 (+19%) | 2551.4 |
| 2003 | SEA | AL | 152 | 539 | 64 | 145 | 35 | 0 | 10 | 83 | 0 | 84 | 67 | .269 | .264 (+2%) | .332 (+12%) | .422 (-8%) | .754 (+1%) | 421.1 |
| 2004 | SEA | AL | 78 | 261 | 29 | 64 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 40 | 41 | .245 | .266 (-8%) | .335 (+6%) | .427 (-16%) | .762 (-6%) | -187.1 |
| 2004 | NYA | AL | 49 | 164 | 16 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 21 | 20 | .280 | .266 (+5%) | .335 (+10%) | .427 (-7%) | .762 (avg) | -187.1 |
| 2005 | BOS | AL | 87 | 173 | 18 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 37 | 0 | 16 | 20 | .289 | .264 (+9%) | .330 (+4%) | .418 (+8%) | .749 (+6%) | 188.5 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 2,234 | 7,592 | 1,139 | 2,239 | 500 | 13 | 255 | 1,230 | 11 | 1,275 | 1,016 | .295 | — | — | — | — | 28,025 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 237 | 35 | 66 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 34 | 31 | 32 | .278 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ALDS1 | BOS | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .286 |
| 2004 | ALCS | NYA | 4 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
| 2004 | ALDS2 | NYA | 4 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .214 |
| 2001 | ALCS | SEA | 5 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | .211 |
| 2001 | ALDS1 | SEA | 5 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | .176 |
| 2000 | ALCS | SEA | 6 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .350 |
| 2000 | ALDS2 | SEA | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .300 |
| 1999 | NLCS | NYN | 6 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | .296 |
| 1999 | NLDS2 | NYN | 4 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | .438 |
| 1993 | ALCS | TOR | 6 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | .348 |
| 1993 | WS | TOR | 5 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | .235 |
| 1992 | ALCS | TOR | 6 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .348 |
| 1992 | WS | TOR | 4 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .308 |
| 1991 | ALCS | TOR | 5 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | .158 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2233 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1129 | 3748 | 545 | 1082 | 134 | 627 | .289 |
| Away | 1104 | 3839 | 594 | 1155 | 121 | 603 | .301 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-10-02 | BOS | NYY | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-10-01 | BOS | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-09-30 | BOS | NYY | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005-09-29 | BOS | TOR | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-09-28 | BOS | TOR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005-09-27 | BOS | TOR | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005-09-25 | BOS | BAL | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005-09-24 | BOS | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-09-23 | BOS | BAL | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-09-21 | BOS | TBR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2053 | 1929 | 16165 | 1418 | 82 | 1581 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | TOR | 1B | 5 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | TOR | 1B | 18 | 15 | 133 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 1991 | TOR | 1B | 135 | 124 | 1120 | 78 | 5 | 77 |
| 1992 | TOR | 1B | 133 | 125 | 1057 | 81 | 7 | 72 |
| 1993 | TOR | 1B | 137 | 137 | 1160 | 97 | 10 | 107 |
| 1994 | TOR | 1B | 104 | 101 | 824 | 68 | 6 | 83 |
| 1995 | TOR | 1B | 133 | 132 | 1099 | 89 | 4 | 103 |
| 1996 | TOR | 1B | 101 | 92 | 781 | 56 | 2 | 107 |
| 1997 | NYN | 1B | 146 | 141 | 1292 | 120 | 7 | 125 |
| 1998 | NYN | 1B | 157 | 149 | 1258 | 116 | 5 | 119 |
| 1999 | NYN | 1B | 160 | 159 | 1344 | 105 | 9 | 127 |
| 2000 | SEA | 1B | 158 | 155 | 1271 | 132 | 5 | 154 |
| 2001 | SEA | 1B | 158 | 149 | 1211 | 121 | 9 | 116 |
| 2002 | SEA | 1B | 152 | 150 | 1169 | 101 | 5 | 122 |
| 2003 | SEA | 1B | 152 | 143 | 1096 | 125 | 3 | 126 |
| 2004 | SEA | 1B | 77 | 71 | 548 | 52 | 1 | 58 |
| 2004 | NYA | 1B | 47 | 47 | 367 | 25 | 1 | 34 |
| 2005 | BOS | 1B | 80 | 38 | 416 | 40 | 1 | 41 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2053 |
| Designated Hitter | 133 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Gold Glove | 1B |
| 2002 | Gold Glove | 1B |
| 2000 | Gold Glove | 1B |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-08-08 |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-09-19 |
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-09-27 |
| 1995 | Player of the Week | Week of 1995-07-15 |
| 1993 | Hutch Award | |
| 1993 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1993 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1993 | Player of the Week | Week of 1993-06-05 |
Salary History
John Olerud's recorded salaries total $68,243,667 over 15 seasons, 1990 to 2004. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Olerud's career ran from 1989 to 2005. No salary is recorded for 1989 and 2005.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | SEA | AL | $7,700,000 |
| 2003 | SEA | AL | $7,700,000 |
| 2002 | SEA | AL | $6,950,000 |
| 2001 | SEA | AL | $6,700,000 |
| 2000 | SEA | AL | $6,350,000 |
| 1999 | NYN | NL | $4,250,000 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | $3,750,000 |
| 1997 | NYN | NL | $6,500,000 |
| 1996 | TOR | AL | $6,500,000 |
| 1995 | TOR | AL | $5,750,000 |
| 1994 | TOR | AL | $3,750,000 |
| 1993 | TOR | AL | $1,562,500 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | $387,500 |
| 1991 | TOR | AL | $293,667 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | $100,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $68,243,667 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State University | Pullman | WA | 1987, 1988, 1989 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 38.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1993 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 198.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1990 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 4th | 13.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Olerud (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare John Olerud
John Olerud: the record in brief
September 3, 1989 and October 2, 2005 bracket John Olerud's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Toronto Blue Jays (1989 to 1996), the New York Mets (1997 through 1999), the Seattle Mariners (2000 to 2004), the New York Yankees (2004), and the Boston Red Sox (2005). Listed as a first baseman, Olerud threw and hit left-handed. Olerud is listed at 6'5" and 205 pounds. Olerud was born on August 5, 1968, in Seattle, WA, USA. The bio lists the given name John Garrett.
In 2,234 games and 7,592 at bats, Olerud batted .295 with 2,239 hits, plus 255 homers and 1,230 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .398 clip and slugging .465, Olerud finished with a .863 OPS. Olerud's .295 average ran 11.6% above the .264 that the league posted over the same seasons. No season beat the 24 home runs Olerud hit in 1993. Olerud collected a career-high 200 hits in 1993.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Olerud
- What years did John Olerud play?
- John Olerud played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 2005.
- Was John Olerud a pitcher?
- No. John Olerud was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Olerud hit?
- John Olerud hit 255 career home runs with 2,239 hits.
- What teams did John Olerud play for?
- John Olerud played for 5 teams: the Toronto Blue Jays (1989–1996), the New York Mets (1997–1999), the Seattle Mariners (2000–2004), the New York Yankees (2004), and the Boston Red Sox (2005).
- Did John Olerud win an MVP award?
- No. John Olerud did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did John Olerud win?
- John Olerud won 3 Gold Gloves (2000, 2002, and 2003). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were John Olerud's career stats?
- In 2,234 games, John Olerud had 2,239 hits, 255 home runs, 1,230 RBI, 1,139 runs, and 11 stolen bases, with a .295 batting average.
- How much did John Olerud earn in his career?
- John Olerud's recorded salaries total $68,243,667 over 15 seasons, 1990 to 2004. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Olerud's career ran from 1989 to 2005. No salary is recorded for 1989 and 2005.
- What was John Olerud's salary?
- John Olerud's last recorded salary was $7,700,000, in 2004. His highest recorded salary was $7,700,000, in 2003, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2004.
- What position did John Olerud play?
- John Olerud played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Olerud and how much did he weigh?
- John Olerud was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 205 pounds.
- How many home runs did John Olerud hit each season?
- John Olerud's home runs by season: 0 in 1989, 14 in 1990, 17 in 1991, 16 in 1992, 24 in 1993, 12 in 1994, 8 in 1995, 18 in 1996, 22 in 1997, 22 in 1998, 19 in 1999, 14 in 2000, 21 in 2001, 22 in 2002, 10 in 2003, 9 in 2004, and 7 in 2005. His most in one season was 24, in 1993.
- What was John Olerud's career batting average?
- John Olerud batted .295 over his career, with 2,239 hits in 7,592 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Olerud have?
- John Olerud drove in 1,230 runs in his career.