Tom Oliver

Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1930-1933)

Tom Oliver was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1933 for the Boston Red Sox, a span of 4 seasons. In 514 career games, he hit .277 with 534 hits and 176 RBI.

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 .277
HR 0
RBI 176
H 534
OPS .656
PIV -3,735
Position
Center Fielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 168 lb
Born
1/15/1903 in Montgomery, AL, USA
Died
2/26/1988 in Montgomery, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1930-04-14
Last Game
1933-09-23

Full name: Thomas Noble Oliver

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Career Batting Statistics

Tom Oliver — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
514 1,931 202 534 101 11 0 176 12 105 61 .277 .316 .340 .656 -3,735

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .316 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Career SLG .340 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 14.4% below league average.

Career OPS .656 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — 11.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom 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 BOS AL 154 646 86 189 34 2 0 46 6 42 25 .293 .293 (avg) .354 (-4%) .429 (-18%) .784 (-12%) -1255.1
1931 BOS AL 148 586 52 162 35 5 0 70 4 25 17 .276 .276 (avg) .338 (-9%) .388 (-9%) .726 (-9%) -942.5
1932 BOS AL 122 455 39 120 23 3 0 37 1 25 12 .264 .275 (-4%) .335 (-9%) .391 (-16%) .726 (-13%) -954.8
1933 BOS AL 90 244 25 63 9 1 0 23 1 13 7 .258 .270 (-4%) .329 (-10%) .377 (-20%) .707 (-15%) -582.6
Career · 4 seasons 514 1,931 202 534 101 11 0 176 12 105 61 .277 — — — — -3,735

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 (514 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tom Oliver — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home260954107289096.303
Away25497795245074.251

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tom Oliver — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1933-09-23 BOSNYYL 100000001
1933-09-06 BOSDETL 311100120
1933-09-05 BOSMINL 501000000
1933-09-05 BOSMINL 511000000
1933-09-03 BOSMINL 401000100
1933-09-02 BOSNYYL 501000000
1933-09-01 BOSNYYW 612000100
1933-08-31 BOSNYYW 611000100
1933-08-27 BOSSLAW 010000000
1933-08-25 BOSCHWW 200000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Oliver — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 504 0 1425 45 21 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Oliver — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 BOS OF 154 0 477 9 9 3
1931 BOS OF 148 0 433 15 3 4
1932 BOS OF 116 0 328 12 6 4
1933 BOS OF 86 0 187 9 3 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Oliver — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Center Field 504

Award Voting History

Tom Oliver — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 2.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Al Nixon
    .277 avg, 7 HR
  2. 94
    Dee Miles
    .280 avg, 2 HR
  3. 89
    Tom McBride
    .275 avg, 2 HR
  4. 88
    Jason Tyner
    .275 avg, 1 HR
  5. 84
    Chick Shorten
    .275 avg, 3 HR
  6. 84
    Paul Dade
    .270 avg, 10 HR

Tom Oliver: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 14, 1930 and the final game on September 23, 1933, Tom Oliver built the record summarized on this page. Every season row on the page belongs to the Boston Red Sox, from 1930 through 1933. Born on January 15, 1903, in Montgomery, AL, USA, Oliver is listed as a center fielder and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 0 inches and 168 pounds. Oliver died on February 26, 1988, in Montgomery, AL, USA. The given name on file is Thomas Noble Oliver.

Oliver's career batting table shows 514 games, 1,931 at bats and 534 hits, a .277 average, adding 176 RBI. The on-base percentage is .316 and the slugging percentage .340, for an OPS of .656. Against a .279 league average for those years, Oliver's .277 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .656 to a league .737, 11.0% below average. No season topped the 189 hits of 1930. 1931 brought the most runs batted in, 70. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .293 in 1930, did not top the league's .293.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Oliver

What years did Tom Oliver play?
Tom Oliver played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1933.
Was Tom Oliver a pitcher?
No. Tom Oliver was a position player (Center Fielder).
How many home runs did Tom Oliver hit?
Tom Oliver hit 0 career home runs with 534 hits.
What was Tom Oliver's career batting average?
Tom Oliver batted .277 over his career, with 534 hits in 1,931 at bats.
How many RBI did Tom Oliver have?
Tom Oliver drove in 176 runs in his career.
Is Tom Oliver in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Oliver has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.