Oswaldo Alberto Olivares (born September 15, 1953) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. Listed at 5' 11" , 154 lb. , Olivares batted and threw left handed. He was born in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

.Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Daniel (2006). ''La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela''. LVBP, Caracas. Minor League Baseball statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on August 7, 2016. A member of two

Halls of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

, Olivares spent 20 years in baseball and was a reliable player whom

managers 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 activities o ...

could use as a

leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning. Strategy Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...

for his ability to get on base, hit for

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

and run the bases aggressively, which he combined with his speed, strong arm and steady defense at three outfield positions. Although he never reached

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 (AL), ...

as a player, Olivares was a fixture at

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

level, the summer

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

and winter ball in Venezuela, amassing over 2,500 career hits and walking off with one batting crown in each place.

Minor leagues

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 league ...

signed 18-year Olivares as an amateur free agent before the 1973 season. He posted a

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an e ...

of .319/.385/.511 with seven runs and nine RBI over 47

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s in just 18 games for Rookie class

Marion Mets The Marion Mets were a minor league baseball team based in Marion, Virginia that played in the Appalachian League from 1965 to 1976. They were affiliated with the New York Mets and played their home games at the Marion High School baseball field. ...

. He had a 3-1 record with a 4.06

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

as a part-time pitcher as well. But after being used sparingly during four years, the Mets dealt Olivares to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in early 1977, which was his breakthrough season. Assigned to Class-A

Salem Pirates Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, Olivares led the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

with a .370

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 208

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 se ...

, 14

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

and 46

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s in 138 games. He also topped the league in outfield

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s (254) and was second in outfield assists (18), earning the

Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award The Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award given to the most valuable player in Minor League Baseball's Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast ...

as well as being named to the postseason All-Star Team. Notably, his .370 average was the highest in the Pirates entire system and the 12th best in all of minor league baseball in the 1977 season. Besides, he topped the Pirates minor leaguers in runs (122), hits and triples, ending second in steals and fourth in RBI (80). In addition, he set Salem franchise all-time season records in average, hits and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

(280), which currently remains intact. He then finished the season hitting .400 (6-for-15) in four games at Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. Olivares spent four more years in the Pittsburgh Minor League system, jumping between Double-A and Triple-A levels, battling to reach the Major Leagues. But at the time, the organization had an outfield composed of

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

Omar Moreno ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

and

Dave Parker David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "The Cobra," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League bat ...

, members of the 1979 Pirates world champion team, as well as

Miguel Diloné Miguel Ángel Diloné Reyes (born November 1, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball switch hitting outfielder. He played 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Exp ...

and

Mike Easler Michael Anthony Easler (born November 29, 1950), nicknamed "The Hit Man", is an American former professional baseball outfielder, designated hitter, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, California Angels, Pi ...

in the list of top prospects. As a result, the Pirates had so many outfielders in their system that Olivares got no playing time, so he asked to be released.Oswaldo Olivares: "Un Caracas-Magallanes en el Universitario es la gloria”
(Spanish). ''El Nacional''. Retrieved on August 8, 2016. In a seven-season minor-league career, Olivares hit a .301/.380/.765 line in 1,884 at bats, collecting 567 hits, 62 doubles, 29 triples, 13 homers and 115 steals over 520 game appearances.

Winter baseball

Olivares started his career in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

in the 1973-74 season,Venezuelan Winter League statistics
''Pura Pelota''. Retrieved on August 7, 2016. following his brief stint in the Mets Minor League system during the summer. He debuted with the

Navegantes del Magallanes The Navegantes del Magallanes (Magellan Navigators), commonly known as Magallanes, are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in Valencia, Magallanes has won 13 LVBP championships and two (2) Caribbean Series. It wa ...

, playing for them eight seasons before joining the

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua ( en, Aragua Tigers) is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares i ...

from 1981-82 through 1988-89. He then returned to Magallanes from 1989-90 to 1991-92, and finished his career with the

Petroleros de Cabimas The Petroleros de Cabimas was a baseball club that played from 1991 through 1995 in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. The Petroleros joined the league as an expansion team in the Western Division and played its home games at Estadio Víc ...

in the 1992-93 season. Olivares saw little action during his first two seasons in the Venezuelan league, but won Rookie of the Year honors in the 1975-76 campaign. Overall, he hit an average of .300 or more in six seasons, with a career-high .352 in 1984-85 to earn the batting title, defeating

Ozzie Guillén Oswaldo José Guillén Barrios (; born January 20, 1964) is a former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for 16 seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox, from 1985 to 2000. During tha ...

(.333), as well as

Luis Salazar Luis Ernesto Salazar Garcia (born May 19, 1956) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992 as a third baseman and outfielder for the San Diego Padres (1980–84, 19 ...

and Ron Shepherd (.313 apiece). Olivares also led the league with 77 hits, one ahead of

Joe Orsulak Joseph Michael Orsulak (born May 31, 1962) is an American former Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1983 to 1997, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Florida Marlins, and Montreal Expos. Orsulak, who ...

, and tied Shepperd for third with 35 runs scored. In a 20-season career, Olivares posted a .289 average and slugged .353 in 981 games, scoring 514 runs with 281 RBI, while collecting 98 doubles, 57 triples, one home run and 113 stolen bases. So as for the records, he holds the most career triples in VPBL history, ranks fourth in runs, fifth in games, eighth in hits, and is tied for sixth with Luis Salazar in stolen bases. In addition, Olivares played in four consecutives

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

, appearing with the VPBL champion Magallanes

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, winning the Series Championship in 1979. In that Series, he hit .432 with seven RBI, made the All-Star team and had four outfield assists, including two throw outs at home plate in a decisive 2–1, 10-inning victory over the eventual runner-up

Águilas Cibaeñas The Águilas Cibaeñas (English lit. ''Cibaoan Eagles'') is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's Dominican Professional Baseball League, winter baseball league. Founded on January 28, and based in Santiago de los Caballeros, S ...

. In between, he was signed as a reinforcement prior to the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

editions to be the regular

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

for the VPBL title-winning

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

. In 19 Series games, Olivares hit .371 (23-for-62) with a pair of triples and three stolen bases, driving in 11 runs while scoring 14 times.Nuñez, José Antero (1994). ''Serie del Caribe de la Habana a Puerto La Cruz''. JAN Editor.

Mexican league

A short time after his appearance the 1980 Caribbean Series, Olivares signed a contract to play for the Plataneros de Tabasco club in the Mexican League, hitting for them .369 (7-for-19) with two runs scored in just five games.Mexican League statistics
''Estadísticas del Béisbol Mexicano''. Retrieved on August 7, 2016. Afterwards, he would collect a batting average of .300 or more in seven of his next eight seasons in the league. He was slated to platoon early and registered averages of .328 (1981) and .317 (1982) in a part-time outfield role, before improving to .366 (1983) and .349 (1984) while playing on a regular basis. His most productive season came in 1985 while playing for the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. History Baseball arrived in Aguascalientes in hand with the railroad at the beginning o ...

and Alacranes de Campeche, when he hit a career-high .397 average in 110 games, to claim his second batting crown in under 12 months and his third overall title, as was aforementioned. Additionally, he posted a .462 OBP, slugged .526, and also led the league in hits (175) and triples (14). Furthermore, his .397 season average was the best in all

Organized baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

.Treto Cisneros, Pedro (2002). ''The Mexican League/La Liga Mexicana: Comprehensive Player Statistics, 1937-2001''. McFarland & Company. The next three seasons Olivares continued his solid performance, hitting .333 and .365 in 1986 and 1987, respectively. He returned to his former Tabasco team in 1988, a perfect fit for his last season in the league, hitting .298 in 114 games before returning to his native Venezuela for three more winter seasons. In a 10-season Mexican League career, Olivares hit a .345/.432/.459 line with 613 runs scored and 318 RBI in 830 games, including 1,061 hits, 132 doubles, 72 triples, 25 homers and 154 steals. In addition to Aguascalientes, Campeche and Tabasco, Olivares also played for the

Azules de Coatzacoalcos The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

Bravos de León The Bravos de León (English: León Braves) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. History Cachorros de León (1979–80) Mexican League baseball in León began in 1979 when the Alijador ...

Cafeteros de Córdoba The Cafeteros de Córdoba or Córdoba Coffee Growers was a Mexican League baseball team that played on-and-off from 1937 to 2006. The team played on and off for a duration not last more than a decade: * 1937 to 1939 * 1972 to 1979 * 1984 to ...

Indios de Ciudad Juárez Club de Fútbol Indios de Ciudad Juárez, commonly referred as Indios de Ciudad Juárez or simply Indios, was a Mexican football club. Founded in 2005 when CF Pachuca moved its Pachuca Juniors to Ciudad Juárez, it was promoted to the Primera Div ...

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...

and Tigres del México. A disciplined line-drive hitter that considered every ball and strike count while

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

, he received more walks (464) than

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s (227) in 3,073 at-bats, for a solid 2.044

walk-to-strikeout ratio In baseball statistics, walk-to-strikeout ratio (BB/K) is a measure of a hitter's plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone. Generally, a hitter with a good walk-to-strikeout ratio must exhibit enough patience at the plate to refrain from sw ...

in his Mexican stint.

After baseball

After his retirement from baseball, Olivares succeed as an entrepreneur in the world of business, founding a clothing company and a sporting apparel shop. In 2007, Olivares received a great honor when he was enshrined into the

Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame The Pabellón de la Fama del Caribe (In English, the ''Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame'') was established in 1996 by Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, commissioner of the Confederación de Béisbol del Caribe (''Caribbean Confederation of Profession ...

along with baseball legends

Nelson Barrera Nelson Barrera Romellón (17 October 1957 in Ciudad del Carmen – 14 July 2002 in Campeche City) was a Mexican professional baseball player, who at the time of his death led the Mexican League in career home runs (455) and RBIs (1,927). He wa ...

, Héctor Cruz and

Edgar Martínez Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a designated hitter and third baseman for the Seattle Mariners from 19 ...

. He later gained induction in the

Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The Salón de la Fama y Museo del Béisbol Venezolano (in English, the ''Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum'') is a nonprofit institution operated by private interests, which was founded on April 18, 2002, thanks to the vision of Carlos ...

as part of its 2009 class.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olivares, Oswaldo 1953 births Living people Alacranes de Campeche players Anderson Mets players Azules de Coatzacoalcos players Baseball outfielders Bravos de León players Batavia Trojans players Cafeteros de Córdoba players Columbus Clippers players Diablos Blancos de Unión Laguna players Diablos Rojos del México players Ganaderos de Tabasco players Indios de Ciudad Juárez (minor league) players Leones de Yucatán players Lynchburg Mets players Marion Mets players Navegantes del Magallanes players Petroleros de Cabimas players Plataneros de Tabasco players Portland Beavers players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Salem Pirates players Saraperos de Saltillo players Shreveport Captains players Baseball players from Caracas Tigres de Aragua players Tigres del México players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Visalia Mets players