John Garrett Olerud, Jr. (; born August 5, 1968), nicknamed "Johnny O", is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
as a
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
from through , most notably as a member of the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
team that won two consecutive
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...
championships in and . He also played for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...
,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...
,
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
and the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
.
A two-time
All-Star, Olerud was a patient, productive hitter throughout his career,
winning the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...
batting title in
1993, and finishing as runner-up for the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
batting title in
1998. Olerud was also an excellent defensive first baseman, and won three
Gold Glove Awards. In 1999, he appeared on the cover of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'' titled "The Best Infield Ever?" along with
Edgardo Alfonzo,
Rey Ordóñez, and
Robin Ventura, when he played for the
Mets.
Olerud was notable for wearing a helmet while on defense, due to him suffering from a
brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
in college.
Early life
Olerud was born to Lynda and John E. Olerud, a
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
dermatologist and baseball player from
Lisbon, North Dakota.
The elder Olerud played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program co ...
as a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...
and was the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the team which advanced to the semifinals of the
College World Series in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...
.
An
All-American,
he was selected by the
California Angels in the
1965 amateur draft and spent the next seven years studying medicine and playing
minor league baseball.
At
Interlake High School in
Bellevue, Washington, east of
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, the junior Olerud played varsity
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
and baseball for three years. As a senior in 1986, he led the Saints to a state high school baseball championship as both a pitcher and a first baseman. On June 2nd, 1986, at the age of 17, he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 27th round of the 1986 amateur draft. But he chose to go commit to his scholarship to Washington State University instead.
College baseball
Like his father, Olerud played college baseball for the Washington State University Cougars in
Pullman under head coach
Chuck "Bobo" Brayton.
1987
As a true freshman in 1987, he hit .414 with five home runs and 20
RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 8–2 with a 3.00
ERA and was an All-American. Washington State finished third in the six-team
West I regional of the
NCAA tournament.
1988
In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 home runs, 81 runs batted in, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season,
with a 2.49 ERA and 113 strikeouts. He was a consensus All-American as both a first baseman and pitcher and was named the
''Baseball America'' College Player of the Year.
Washington State University again finished third in the six-team
West I regional of the
NCAA tournament.
1989
Prior to his junior season in 1989, Olerud was running indoors on campus on January 11 when he collapsed; hospitalized in Pullman, he was airlifted to Spokane later in the day, accompanied by his father.
He was diagnosed with a
subarachnoid hemorrhage, which caused bleeding into the spinal column. He remained in the hospital for about two weeks after the seizure and lost , but was back in class by the end of January.
A few weeks later in Seattle, further examinations revealed a
brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
,
and he underwent surgery in late February.
From 1989 onward, he wore a batting helmet while on defense.
Olerud returned to action for the Cougars in mid-April;
he hit .359 with five home runs and 30 runs batted in during 78 plate appearances. On the mound, he posted a 3–2 record with a 6.68 ERA. He was a
Pac-10 North All-League designated hitter. The Cougars again won the Pac-10 North title, but lost their first two games of the North tournament in blustery Spokane to end their year early.
In June, the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
selected him in the third round of the
1989 draft.
Intending to return to the Cougars for his senior season,
he again played
summer ball with the
Palouse
The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primar ...
Empire team in the
Alaska League,
while the Blue Jays negotiated a contract. He told teams prior to the draft that a very large bonus would be necessary for him to forego his senior year at Washington State.
In late August, he signed with Toronto.
Professional career
In a 17-season career through 2005 spanning 2,234 games, Olerud posted a .398
on-base percentage, 500 doubles, 255 home runs, 1,275 walks, 1,408 runs scored, 1,230 RBIs, 3,602 times on base, 96 sacrifice flies, and 157 intentional walks. He was also hit by pitches 88 times and grounded into 232 double plays during his career. He is one of only 26 players to ever
hit for the cycle multiple times in their careers. Defensively, in 2,053 games at first base, he recorded a career .995
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...
. He is a two-time
All-Star and a member of two
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...
-winning teams with the Blue Jays (
1992–
93).
Olerud jumped
directly to the majors after a stellar career at Washington State, where he was a pitcher noted for his performance from 1987 to 1989. He had originally intended to return to Washington State for his senior year but agreed to sign with the Blue Jays only after they promised that he would report directly to Toronto.
He was known for wearing a
batting helmet in the field as a precaution, due to the aneurysm he suffered at age twenty.
Toronto Blue Jays
Olerud broke into MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays in , without ever playing in the minors. Prior to the season, he was named the #3 prospect in MLB by ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
''. He was
platooned by Jays'
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activitie ...
Cito Gaston for the first few years of his career, until , when he became the team's full-time first baseman. In , his breakout season, he led the American League in batting average (.363), intentional walks (33),
times on base
In baseball statistics, the term times on base (TOB), is the cumulative total number of times a batter has reached base as a result of a hit, base on balls, or hit by pitch. This statistic does not include times reaching base by way of an error ...
(321),
on-base percentage (.473),
OPS
In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea.
Iconography
In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...
(1.072), and
doubles
Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including;
* Beach volleyball
* Doubles badminton
* Doubles curling
* Footvolley
* Doubles pickleball
* Doubles squash
* Doubles table tennis
* Doubles te ...
(54, also a career-high), while posting career-highs in home runs (24), RBIs (107),
runs (109), and
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...
(200). He flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the season, with his average staying higher than .400 as late as August 2.
Despite putting up solid numbers over the next several years, he failed to meet the high expectations placed upon him following his breakout performance in 1993. After the
1996 season, Olerud was battling veteran
Joe Carter
Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue ...
and up-and-comer
Carlos Delgado for a spot at either
first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
or
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...
. Delgado was young, had a bright future and a low salary, while Gaston preferred Carter to Olerud, feeling the latter wasn't aggressive enough at the plate. Therefore, Olerud was traded, along with cash, to the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...
on December 20 for
Robert Person
Robert Alan Person (born October 6, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played nine seasons in Major League Baseball: two for the New York Mets, two and a half for the Toronto Blue Jays, three and a half for the Philade ...
.
New York Mets
With the Mets, he set a team record in
1998 by reaching base at least twice in 12 straight starts. Olerud set team single-season records for batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.447) and runs created (138) in 1998. He was in the race for the National League batting title until the final day of the season, when
Larry Walker edged him out with a .363 average. In the
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
campaign, Olerud appeared on the cover of the September 6 issue of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'', along with fellow Mets infielders
Edgardo Alfonzo,
Rey Ordóñez, and
Robin Ventura. The magazine raised the debate as to whether the four talented fielders comprised the best defensive infield in major league history.
He set Mets records for most walks (125) and times on base (309) in a season that year.
Seattle Mariners
Following the 1999 season, Olerud returned home, agreeing to a three-year, $20 million contract with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...
. In
2000, he amassed 45 doubles, 102 walks, 10 sacrifice flies and 11 intentional walks. He was an important part of the Mariners' historic
2001 season in which they tied the record for most wins in a major league baseball season with 116. Olerud contributed to the effort with a .401 on-base percentage, 94 walks, 272 times on base and 19 intentional walks in 159 games. In
2002, he recorded a .403 on-base percentage, 39 doubles, 98 walks, 269 times on base and led the American League with 12 sacrifice flies. In
2003, he collected another 84 walks. Olerud also earned all three of his Gold Glove Awards while playing first base for Seattle in 2000, 2002, and 2003. In mid-July
2004, the Mariners were in last place in the American League West Division and Olerud was designated for assignment;
he was hitting .245 with five homers and a trade was attempted but not completed; he was released the following
New York Yankees
About a week after his release, Olerud was signed in early August by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
to fill a void left at first base by the injury of Less than two weeks later, the Yankees visited Seattle to play the Mariners. Olerud started the second game on Saturday, August 14; his first time up, Mariners catcher
Dan Wilson went to the mound to have a "conference" with pitcher
Jamie Moyer
Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Bost ...
. This gave time for about a minute-long standing ovation for Olerud from the His
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the America ...
was cut short when he was forced to leave due to an injured foot in Game 3. Olerud pinch-hit in Game 7 but struck out after a lengthy at-bat against Pedro Martínez, making a rare relief appearance; it was Olerud's last at-bat as a Yankee.
Boston Red Sox
On May 2,
2005, the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
and Olerud agreed to terms on a minor league contract. He had been recovering from surgery in November 2004 to repair torn
ligaments
A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the:
* Peritoneal ...
in his left foot. Initially, Olerud reported to the club's
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...
complex in
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
. He was added to Boston's 25-man roster on May 27, sharing time at first base with
Kevin Millar
Kevin Charles Millar (; born September 24, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and is a current analyst for MLB Network. He played in MLB for the Florida Marli ...
and batting in the middle of the lineup (including several starts in the clean-up spot).
Retirement
Following the 2005 season, Olerud announced his retirement from baseball on December 6. At the time, his 2,239 career hits represented the 143rd-highest total in major league history. His career .398 on base percentage ranks 65th, and his 500 doubles are 44th.
In 2007, Olerud was inducted into the
National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2016, Olerud was named
Pac-12 Player of the Century when the conference released its All-Century Baseball team.
Personal life
Olerud became an
evangelical Christian in 1990.
Olerud lives with his wife, Kelly, who was a high school classmate,
and their children (one son and one daughter) in the Seattle suburb of
Clyde Hill. Another daughter, Jordan, died at age 19 in 2020 from complications of a unique chromosomal disorder called tri-some 2p, 5p-.
Olerud's father, John E. Olerud, M.D., also played baseball at Washington State University.
According to Dermatologist John E. Olerud, M.D., "Life is a lot like baseball."
/ref> Olerud is a cousin of retired MLB player Dale Sveum
Dale Curtis Sveum ( ; born November 23, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. He most recently served as the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Sveum saw action in 12 major league seasons ...
.
The collegiate John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award is named after him.
He was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2020.
See also
* List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball
* List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
*List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
Below is the list of the 286 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit milestone during their career in MLB. Pete Rose holds the Major League record for most career hits, with 4,256. Rose and Ty Cobb, second most, are the onl ...
* List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
*List of Major League Baseball batting champions
In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league wi ...
* List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
* List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
References
Further reading
Olerud a pro with no cons
via Boston.com
External links
John Olerud
at Baseball Biography
*
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/john-olerud/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olerud, John
1968 births
Living people
Baseball players from Seattle
Major League Baseball first basemen
Toronto Blue Jays players
New York Mets players
Seattle Mariners players
New York Yankees players
Boston Red Sox players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Washington State Cougars baseball players
National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Gold Glove Award winners
All-American college baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American League All-Stars
American League batting champions
American people of Norwegian descent
American evangelicals
Converts to evangelical Christianity
Peninsula Oilers players