Bob Oliver

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1975)

Bob Oliver was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1975 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. In 847 career games, he hit .256 with 745 hits, 94 home runs, and 419 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 301.

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

AVG .256
HR 94
RBI 419
H 745
OPS .696
PIV 301
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 205 lb
Born
2/8/1943 in Shreveport, LA, USA
Died
4/19/2020 in Rio Linda, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1965-09-10
Last Game
1975-07-03

Full name: Robert Lee Oliver

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Career Batting Statistics

Bob Oliver — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
847 2,914 293 745 102 19 94 419 17 156 562 .256 .295 .400 .696 301

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career SLG .400 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.

Career OPS .696 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Oliver Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1965 PIT NL 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1969 KCA AL 118 394 43 100 8 4 13 43 5 21 74 .254 .248 (+2%) .320 (-8%) .369 (+7%) .689 (avg) -125.9
1970 KCA AL 160 612 83 159 24 6 27 99 3 42 126 .260 .253 (+2%) .325 (-5%) .385 (+17%) .711 (+7%) 622.4
1971 KCA AL 128 373 35 91 12 2 8 52 0 14 88 .244 .249 (-2%) .316 (-13%) .365 (-4%) .682 (-8%) -548.1
1972 KCA AL 16 63 7 17 2 1 1 6 1 2 12 .270 .243 (+11%) .310 (-6%) .353 (+8%) .664 (+1%) -8.7
1972 CAL AL 134 509 47 137 20 4 19 70 4 27 97 .269 .243 (+10%) .310 (-1%) .353 (+23%) .664 (+12%) -8.7
1973 CAL AL 151 544 51 144 24 1 18 89 1 33 100 .265 .256 (+3%) .325 (-4%) .378 (+9%) .703 (+3%) 147.5
1974 CAL AL 110 359 22 89 9 1 8 55 2 16 51 .248 .256 (-3%) .324 (-14%) .369 (-6%) .693 (-10%) -666.1
1974 BAL AL 9 20 1 3 2 0 0 4 1 0 5 .150 — — — — -666.1
1975 NYA AL 18 38 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 1 9 .132 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 847 2,914 293 745 102 19 94 419 17 156 562 .256 — — — — -1,254

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (847 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Oliver — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home424143714734841209.242
Away423147714639753210.269

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Oliver — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1975-07-03 NYYCLEL 300000001
1975-07-02 NYYCLEL 100000000
1975-06-30 NYYMILL 400000000
1975-06-29 NYYBOSL 401000001
1975-06-28 NYYBOSW 411000011
1975-06-20 NYYDETL 100000001
1975-06-14 NYYCHWL 101000000
1975-06-05 NYYMINW 100000001
1975-06-03 NYYMINW 000000000
1975-05-29 NYYTEXW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Oliver — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 423 368 3367 195 32 323
3B 152 140 128 261 23 22
OF 224 205 436 21 10 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Oliver — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 PIT OF 3 0 3 0 0 0
1969 KCA 1B 12 8 72 6 0 6
1969 KCA 3B 8 5 5 8 3 0
1969 KCA OF 98 89 199 11 5 4
1970 KCA 1B 115 110 1020 65 8 100
1970 KCA 3B 46 46 57 80 6 11
1971 KCA 1B 68 44 470 31 6 53
1971 KCA 3B 2 0 2 3 1 0
1971 KCA OF 48 44 94 3 1 0
1972 KCA OF 16 16 45 1 1 0
1972 CAL 1B 127 124 1079 54 7 93
1972 CAL OF 8 8 12 0 2 0
1973 CAL 1B 32 31 282 14 4 21
1973 CAL 3B 49 48 37 103 7 5
1973 CAL OF 47 46 77 4 0 0
1974 CAL 1B 57 44 373 18 6 40
1974 CAL 3B 46 40 27 65 6 6
1974 CAL OF 4 2 6 2 1 0
1974 BAL 1B 4 3 32 5 1 1
1975 NYA 1B 8 4 39 2 0 9
1975 NYA 3B 1 1 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Oliver Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 423
Third Base 152
Left Field 15
Center Field 48
Right Field 165
Designated Hitter 17

College History

Bob Oliver — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
American River College Sacramento CA 1962

Award Voting History

Bob Oliver — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 1.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bob Oliver (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Todd Benzinger
    .257 avg, 66 HR
  2. 91
    Zack Cozart
    .247 avg, 87 HR
  3. 87
    Butch Hobson
    .248 avg, 98 HR
  4. 86
    Mike Shannon
    .255 avg, 68 HR
  5. 81
    John Ellis
    .262 avg, 69 HR
  6. 80
    Max Alvis
    .247 avg, 111 HR

Bob Oliver: the record in brief

The profile opens with Bob Oliver's first major league game on September 10, 1965; the last one listed came on July 3, 1975. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1965), the Kansas City Royals (1969 through 1972), the California Angels (1972 to 1974), the Baltimore Orioles (1974), and the New York Yankees (1975). The bio lists Oliver as a first baseman who both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 205 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. The birth record reads February 8, 1943, in Shreveport, LA, USA. Oliver died on April 19, 2020, in Rio Linda, CA, USA. Bob Oliver was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Lee.

Oliver finished with 745 hits from 2,914 at bats in 847 games, which works out to .256, plus 94 homers and 419 runs batted in. Oliver got on base at a .295 rate and slugged .400 (.696 OPS). Against a .252 league average for those years, Oliver's .256 average was near the norm. 1970 was Oliver's biggest home run year, with 27.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Oliver

What years did Bob Oliver play?
Bob Oliver played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1975.
Was Bob Oliver a pitcher?
No. Bob Oliver was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Bob Oliver hit?
Bob Oliver hit 94 career home runs with 745 hits.
What was Bob Oliver's career batting average?
Bob Oliver batted .256 over his career, with 745 hits in 2,914 at bats.
How many RBI did Bob Oliver have?
Bob Oliver drove in 419 runs in his career.
Is Bob Oliver in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bob Oliver has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.