Bob Oliver

Robert Lee Oliver

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
• School American River College
• High School Highlands High School (Sacramento)
• Debut September 10, 1965
• Final Game July 3, 1975
• Born February 8, 1943 in Shreveport, LA USA
• Died April 19, 2020 in Rio Linda, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bob Oliver played eight years in the major leagues, almost all in the American League. He hit 94 homers in the majors, with a high of 27 with the Kansas City Royals in 1970.

Oliver was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1963, and came up with them for two games in 1965. He was then traded to the Minnesota Twins and picked by the Royals in the 1968 expansion draft.

He became a regular in the Royals' outfield in 1969, along with Lou Piniella, another player who had had a cup of coffee years earlier in the majors. He was a year older than Piniella.

After 3+ years with the Royals, he spent parts of three seasons with the California Angels, hitting 45 home runs with them in that time. He finished out his major league career playing in 9 games with the Baltimore Orioles and 18 with the New York Yankees. Oliver played over 400 games at first base, over 200 in the outfield (mostly in right field) and over 150 games at third base.

He was the first Royal to get six hits in a game, and the first Royal to hit a grand slam, according to his website. Oliver later ran a baseball academy - see Bob Oliver Baseball Academy. He passed away in 2020, aged 77.

He is the father of Darren Oliver. Nolan Ryan played with both Bob and Darren Oliver. He managed the Sacramento Steelheads of the Western Baseball League in 1999.

Notable Achievements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1970 & 1972)

Related Sites

• Bob Oliver at the SABR Bio Project