Gene Oliver

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1969)

Gene Oliver was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1969 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 11 seasons. In 786 career games, he hit .246 with 546 hits, 93 home runs, and 320 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,132.

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 .246
HR 93
RBI 320
H 546
OPS .742
PIV 3,132
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 225 lb
Born
3/22/1935 in Moline, IL, USA
Died
3/3/2007 in Rock Island, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1959-06-06
Last Game
1969-08-24

Full name: Eugene George Oliver

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Career Batting Statistics

Gene Oliver — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
786 2,216 268 546 111 5 93 320 24 215 420 .246 .315 .427 .742 3,132

Career AVG .246 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .315 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .427 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +14.1% above league average.

Career OPS .742 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Gene 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
1959 SLN NL 68 172 14 42 9 0 6 28 3 7 41 .244 .256 (-5%) .323 (-16%) .392 (+2%) .715 (-6%) -231.2
1961 SLN NL 22 52 8 14 2 0 4 9 0 6 10 .269 .258 (+4%) .328 (+12%) .399 (+35%) .727 (+24%) 223.2
1962 SLN NL 122 345 42 89 19 1 14 45 5 50 59 .258 .257 (avg) .326 (+8%) .393 (+12%) .719 (+10%) 748.3
1963 SLN NL 39 102 10 23 4 0 6 18 0 13 19 .225 .246 (-8%) .308 (avg) .371 (+19%) .680 (+10%) 151.5
1963 ML1 NL 95 296 34 74 12 2 11 47 4 27 59 .250 .246 (+2%) .308 (+4%) .371 (+12%) .680 (+8%) 151.5
1964 ML1 NL 93 279 45 77 15 1 13 49 3 17 41 .276 .250 (+10%) .312 (+2%) .377 (+26%) .690 (+15%) 674.6
1965 ML1 NL 122 392 56 106 20 0 21 58 5 36 61 .270 .245 (+10%) .310 (+8%) .371 (+30%) .682 (+20%) 1402.7
1966 ATL NL 76 191 19 37 9 1 8 24 2 16 43 .194 .248 (-22%) .309 (-18%) .376 (avg) .685 (-8%) -275.9
1967 ATL NL 17 51 8 10 2 0 3 6 0 6 8 .196 .242 (-19%) .306 (-8%) .357 (+15%) .663 (+4%) 28.8
1967 PHI NL 85 263 29 59 16 0 7 34 2 29 56 .224 .242 (-7%) .306 (-2%) .357 (+2%) .663 (avg) 28.8
1968 BOS AL 16 35 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 4 12 .143 — — — — 0.0
1968 CHN NL 8 11 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 .364 — — — — 0.0
1969 CHN NL 23 27 0 6 3 0 0 0 0 1 9 .222 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 786 2,216 268 546 111 5 93 320 24 215 420 .246 — — — — 2,902

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 (785 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Gene Oliver — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home397111313929547170.265
Away388110312925146150.228

Last 10 Games — Batting

Gene Oliver — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1969-08-24 CHCHOUW 100000000
1969-08-22 CHCHOUL 400000002
1969-08-20 CHCATLL 402100000
1969-08-19 CHCATLW 000000000
1969-08-17 CHCSFGW 300000000
1969-08-10 CHCLADL 000000000
1969-07-26 CHCLADW 000000010
1969-07-25 CHCLADL 101100000
1969-06-27 CHCSTLL 100000001
1969-06-22 CHCWSNL 101100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Gene Oliver — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 200 177 1533 97 26 126
C 382 325 2057 172 34 30
OF 91 78 103 1 5 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Gene Oliver — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 SLN 1B 5 5 39 2 0 1
1959 SLN C 9 2 24 2 1 0
1959 SLN OF 42 35 62 1 3 0
1961 SLN C 15 12 75 6 0 4
1961 SLN OF 1 1 2 0 1 0
1962 SLN 1B 3 1 14 1 0 2
1962 SLN C 98 88 494 46 5 7
1962 SLN OF 8 7 6 0 0 0
1963 SLN C 35 28 197 14 4 1
1963 ML1 1B 55 53 440 19 7 39
1963 ML1 C 2 0 2 0 1 0
1963 ML1 OF 35 33 29 0 1 0
1964 ML1 1B 76 64 622 34 12 50
1964 ML1 C 1 1 3 1 0 0
1965 ML1 1B 52 49 374 37 7 30
1965 ML1 C 64 58 376 34 10 7
1965 ML1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 ATL 1B 5 1 19 4 0 3
1966 ATL C 48 43 286 22 3 3
1966 ATL OF 2 1 3 0 0 0
1967 ATL C 14 12 79 11 3 4
1967 PHI 1B 2 2 11 0 0 1
1967 PHI C 79 70 425 30 6 3
1968 BOS C 10 7 58 3 1 0
1968 BOS OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1968 CHN 1B 2 2 14 0 0 0
1968 CHN C 1 1 10 1 0 0
1968 CHN OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1969 CHN C 6 3 28 2 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Gene Oliver Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 381
First Base 200
Left Field 88
Right Field 6

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Ozzie Virgil
    .243 avg, 98 HR
  2. 86
    Welington Castillo
    .254 avg, 98 HR
  3. 82
    Rick Wilkins
    .244 avg, 81 HR
  4. 79
    Bob Brenly
    .247 avg, 91 HR
  5. 76
    Ryan Jeffers
    .242 avg, 82 HR
  6. 74
    Stephen Vogt
    .239 avg, 82 HR

Gene Oliver: the record in brief

The profile opens with Gene Oliver's first major league game on June 6, 1959; the last one listed came on August 24, 1969. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1959 to 1963), the Milwaukee Braves (1963 through 1965), the Atlanta Braves (1966 through 1967), the Philadelphia Phillies (1967), the Boston Red Sox (1968), and the Chicago Cubs (1968 to 1969). At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Oliver is listed as a catcher. The bio says Oliver threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is March 22, 1935, in Moline, IL, USA. Oliver died on March 3, 2007, in Rock Island, IL, USA. Oliver's full given name, per the bio, is Eugene George Oliver.

Oliver's career batting table shows 786 games, 2,216 at bats and 546 hits, a .246 average; the totals also include 93 home runs, 320 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .315 and .427 give Oliver a career OPS of .742.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gene Oliver

What years did Gene Oliver play?
Gene Oliver played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1969.
Was Gene Oliver a pitcher?
No. Gene Oliver was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Gene Oliver hit?
Gene Oliver hit 93 career home runs with 546 hits.
What teams did Gene Oliver play for?
Gene Oliver played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1959, 1961–1963), the Atlanta Braves (1963–1967), the Philadelphia Phillies (1967), the Boston Red Sox (1968), and the Chicago Cubs (1968–1969).
What were Gene Oliver's career stats?
In 786 games, Gene Oliver had 546 hits, 93 home runs, 320 RBI, 268 runs, and 24 stolen bases, with a .246 batting average.
What position did Gene Oliver play?
Gene Oliver played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Gene Oliver and how much did he weigh?
Gene Oliver was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 225 pounds.
How many home runs did Gene Oliver hit each season?
Gene Oliver's home runs by season: 6 in 1959, 4 in 1961, 14 in 1962, 17 in 1963, 13 in 1964, 21 in 1965, 8 in 1966, 10 in 1967, 0 in 1968, and 0 in 1969. His most in one season was 21, in 1965.
What was Gene Oliver's career batting average?
Gene Oliver batted .246 over his career, with 546 hits in 2,216 at bats.
How many RBI did Gene Oliver have?
Gene Oliver drove in 320 runs in his career.
Is Gene Oliver in the Hall of Fame?
No. Gene Oliver has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.