John Henry Oliver

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records

John Henry Oliver was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Memphis Red Sox, the Birmingham Black Barons, and the Louisville Black Caps. In 34 career games, he hit .167 with 20 hits and 7 RBI. John Henry Oliver was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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 .167
HR 0
RBI 7
H 20
OPS .437
PIV -342
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 165 lb
Born
11/10/1906 in Montgomery, AL, USA
Died
3/7/1976 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
Awards
All-Star
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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

John Henry Oliver — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
46.0 42.0 8.0 8.0 1.0 0 0 2.0 4.0 0 0 .190 .261 .214 .475

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

John Henry Oliver — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
Listed seasons · 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — —

Career Batting Statistics

John Henry Oliver — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
34 120 12 20 2 1 0 7 3 10 0 .167 .237 .200 .437 -342

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 39.9% below league average.

Career OBP .237 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 30.4% below league average.

Career SLG .200 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 49.2% below league average.

Career OPS .437 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — 40.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Henry Oliver — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1930 MRS NNL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 BBB NSL 14 49 5 7 1 0 0 3 2 5 0 .143 — — — — -342.4
1932 LVB NSL 9 35 3 8 1 1 0 3 1 2 0 .229 — — — — -342.4
1945 BBB NAL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1945 MRS NAL 9 31 4 5 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 .161 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 34 120 12 20 2 1 0 7 3 10 0 .167 — — — — -685

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 (13 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

John Henry Oliver — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home4113201.182
Away9305601.200

Last 10 Games — Batting

John Henry Oliver — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-07-23 MEMKCML 421100110
1945-07-22 MEMKCML 311000000
1945-07-22 MEMKCML 300000000
1945-07-19 MEMCAGL 400000000
1945-07-18 MEMCAGL 400000000
1945-07-17 MEMCAGL 211000020
1945-07-16 MEMCAGW 522000110
1945-07-15 MEMCAGL 401000000
1945-07-02 MEMBIRL 311000000
1945-06-17 MEMCIAW 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Henry Oliver — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 12 12 37 39 4 4
3B 1 1 0 3 0 0
C 1 0 1 2 1 0
OF 20 19 28 0 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Henry Oliver — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 MRS C 1 0 1 2 1 0
1932 BBB 2B 7 7 23 23 2 2
1932 BBB 3B 1 1 0 3 0 0
1932 BBB OF 6 6 3 0 1 0
1932 LVB 2B 3 3 8 10 0 0
1932 LVB OF 6 6 13 0 0 0
1945 BBB OF 1 1 3 0 0 0
1945 MRS 2B 2 2 6 6 2 2
1945 MRS OF 7 6 9 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Henry Oliver — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 1
Second Base 12
Third Base 1
Left Field 7
Center Field 7
Right Field 6

John Henry Oliver: the record in brief

The season rows for John Henry Oliver begin in 1930. Oliver played for the Memphis Red Sox (1930 to 1945), the Birmingham Black Barons (1932 to 1945), and the Louisville Black Caps (1932). Oliver, born on November 10, 1906, in Montgomery, AL, USA, is listed as a second baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Oliver's listed size is 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. The bio records the death on March 7, 1976, in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

Across 34 games at the plate, Oliver's career line reads 20 hits in 120 at bats for a .167 average, plus 7 runs batted in. Oliver got on base at a .237 rate and slugged .200 (.437 OPS). Set against a .277 league average for the same years, Oliver's .167 average sits 39.9% below it. By OPS the gap is 40.5% below league average (.437 against .733). The hits column peaks at 8, in 1932. The best average in the busiest seasons was .229, in 1932.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Henry Oliver

Was John Henry Oliver a pitcher?
No. John Henry Oliver was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did John Henry Oliver hit?
John Henry Oliver hit 0 career home runs with 20 hits.
What teams did John Henry Oliver play for?
John Henry Oliver played for 3 teams: the Memphis Red Sox (1930, 1945), the Birmingham Black Barons (1932, 1945), and the Louisville Black Caps (1932).
Did John Henry Oliver win an MVP award?
No. John Henry Oliver did not win the MVP award.
What awards did John Henry Oliver win?
John Henry Oliver was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were John Henry Oliver's career stats?
In 34 games, John Henry Oliver had 20 hits, 7 RBI, 12 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .167 batting average.
What position did John Henry Oliver play?
John Henry Oliver played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Henry Oliver and how much did he weigh?
John Henry Oliver was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
What was John Henry Oliver's career batting average?
John Henry Oliver batted .167 over his career, with 20 hits in 120 at bats.
How many RBI did John Henry Oliver have?
John Henry Oliver drove in 7 runs in his career.
Is John Henry Oliver in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Henry Oliver has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did John Henry Oliver make?
John Henry Oliver was selected to 1 All-Star Game.