John Garrett Olerud (; nicknamed Johnny O, and Big Rude; born August 5, 1968), is a left-handed American former Major League Baseball first baseman. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1989-96), New York Mets (1997-99), Seattle Mariners (2000-04), New York Yankees (2004), and Boston Red Sox (2005).
A patient, productive hitter throughout his career, Olerud won the American League batting title in 1993 and was runner-up for the National League batting title in 1998. Also a three-time Gold Glove winner, he was an excellent defensive first baseman and part of Sports Illustrated's "Greatest Infield Ever?" cover in 1999 with Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura, when he played for the Mets.
Video John Olerud
Early life
Olerud was born to Lynda and John E. Olerud, a physician, dermatologist, and baseball player from Lisbon, North Dakota. The elder Olerud played college baseball for the Washington State Cougars as a catcher, and was the captain of the team which advanced to the semifinals of the College World Series in 1965. 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, Olerud played varsity golf 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 first baseman.
Maps John Olerud
College baseball
Like his father, Olerud played college baseball for the WSU Cougars in Pullman under head coach Chuck "Bobo" Brayton.
1987
As a true freshman in 1987, he hit .414 with 5 HR 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 HR, 81 RBIs, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15-0 season, and threw 113 strikeouts with a 2.49 ERA. He was a consensus All-American as both a first baseman and pitcher and was named the Baseball America College Player of the Year. WSU 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. It was diagnosed as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which caused bleeding into the spinal column. He remained in the hospital for about two weeks after the seizure and lost fifteen pounds (7 kg), but was back in class by the end of January. A few weeks later in Seattle, further examinations revealed a brain aneurysm, and he underwent surgery in late February.
Olerud returned to action for the Cougars in mid-April; he hit .359 with 5 HR and 30 RBI in 78 plate appearances. He threw for three wins, two losses, and a 6.68 ERA. He was a Pac-10 North All-League designated hitter. From 1989 forward, he wore a batting helmet while on defense. 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. (Fourth-seeded Portland advanced to the NCAA tourney.)
In June, the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the third round of the 1989 draft. Fully intending to return to the Cougars for his senior season, he again played summer ball with the Palouse 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 WSU. 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, 3,602 times on base, 96 sacrifice flies and 157 intentional walks. He was also hit by a pitch 88 times and grounded into 232 double plays during his career. He is also one of only 26 players to ever hit for the cycle multiple times in their careers. He was a two-time All-Star and was a member of two World Series-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 WSU 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, since he had suffered a brain aneurysm while playing in college.
Toronto Blue Jays
Olerud broke into MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989, without ever playing in the minors. He was platooned by Jays' manager Cito Gaston for the first few years of his career, until 1992, when he became the team's full-time first baseman. In 1993, his breakout season, he led the American League in batting average (.363), intentional walks (33), times on base (321), on-base percentage (.473), OPS (1.072), and doubles (54, also a career high), while posting career highs in home runs (24), RBI (107), runs (109), and hits (200). He flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the season, with his average staying higher than .400 as late as August 24.
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 and up-and-comer Carlos Delgado for a spot at either first base or designated hitter. 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 on December 20 for Robert Person.
New York Mets
With the Mets, he set a team record in 1998 only tied by Ike Davis in 2013, 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 and set their team records for most walks (125) and times on base (309) in a season in 1999. Also during his 1999 campaign, Olerud appeared on the cover of the September 6 issue of Sports Illustrated, along with fellow Mets infielders Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura. The magazine raised the debate as to whether the four talented defensive players comprised the best infield in Major League history.
Seattle Mariners
Following the 1999 season, Olerud returned home, agreeing to a three-year, $20 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. In 2000, he amassed 45 doubles, 102 walks, 10 sacrifice flies and 11 intentional walks. He was an important part of the Mariners' 116-46 2001 season, 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 in sacrifice flies (12). In 2003, he collected another 84 walks. Olerud also earned all three of his career Gold Gloves while playing first base for Seattle in 2000, 2002, and 2003. In mid-July 2004, the Mariners were in last place in the AL West and Olerud was designated for reassignment; he was hitting .245 with five homers and a trade was attempted but not completed; he was released the following week.
New York Yankees
About a week after his release, Olerud was signed in early August by the New York Yankees to fill a void left at first base by the injury of Jason Giambi. 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, Mariner catcher Dan Wilson went to the mound to have a "conference" with pitcher Jamie Moyer. This gave time for about a minute-long standing ovation for Olerud from the Seattle fans. His AL championship series 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 1, 2005, the Boston Red Sox and Olerud agreed to terms on a minor league contract. He had been recovering from surgery in November 2004 to repair torn ligaments in his left foot. Initially, Olerud reported to the club's spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida. He was added to Boston's 25-man roster on May 27, sharing time at first base with Kevin Millar 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 OBP ranks 65th, and his 500 doubles are 44th all-time.
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 lives with his wife Kelly, who was a high school classmate, and their children (one son and two daughters) in the Seattle suburb of Clyde Hill. Olerud's father John E. Olerud, M.D., also played baseball at Washington State University.
The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award is named after him.
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
- 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
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball Library - Article and career chronology
- The Boston Globe - Olerud a pro with no cons
- John Olerud on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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