Ken Olson

Kenneth Oscar Olson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 170 lb.
• High School Ritenour High School
• Born March 22, 1921 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died May 17, 2013 in St. Louis, MO USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Starting pitcher Ken Olson pitched from 1946 to 1949, entirely in the Brooklyn Dodgers system, though he initially played in the St. Louis Browns system in 1940 before missing the next half-decade to World War II.

At 25 years old, Olson joined the Dodgers organization following the second World War. He pitched for the Abilene Blue Sox of the West Texas-New Mexico League in his initial season back, going 19-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 31 games. The following year, with the Danville Dodgers, he went 22-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 32 games, leading the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in victories. He moved to the Southern Association's Mobile Bears in 1948, going 15-12 with a 4.19 ERA in 40 games. With the Bears again in 1949, his final season, he went 16-10 with a 3.46 ERA in 42 games.

He also held his own at the plate, often being used as a pinch hitter. In 1946, he hit .279 in 190 at-bats and in 1947, he hit .333 with seven home runs and a .542 slugging percentage in 168 at-bats. He hit .234 in both 1948 and 1949.

Overall, Olson went 72-33 (a .686 winning percentage) with a 3.60 ERA in 145 games.

He served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946, during World War II. His year of birth has also been listed as 1924.[1]