Nate Oliver

Nathaniel Oliver
(Pee Wee)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.

• High School Gibbs High School
• Debut April 9, 1963
• Final Game September 27, 1969
• Born December 13, 1940 in St. Petersburg, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Nate Oliver had a seven-year major league career in the 1960s, mostly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nate was the son of Jim Oliver Sr., who had played in the Negro Leagues. James Oliver Field in St. Petersburg, FL, named after Nate's father, was the first field to be refurbished under the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Field Renovation Program. Nate's brother Jim also played professional ball.

Nate was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959. He hit just .224 for the Green Bay Bluejays and Fox Cities Foxes that year. In 1960, he hit .329 for the Great Falls Electrics and appeared ever so briefly for the St. Paul Saints. He played in the minors for the Spokane Indians from 1961 to 1965 and in 1967, topping .300 in 1962 and 1963. He came up to the majors for the first time in 1963, a year when the Dodgers won the World Series. He appeared in 65 games, playing primarily second base, and hitting .239. He did not play in the World Series.

The next year, in 1964 at age 23, Nate had his most at-bats in the major leagues, getting 321 at-bats in 99 games. He hit .243 with 9 doubles and stole 7 bases.

In 1965 he appeared in only 8 games with the Dodgers, but in 1966 he played in 80 games with a .193 average. He appeared in Game 4 of the 1966 World Series as a pinch-runner against the Baltimore Orioles.

In 1967, his batting average improved to .237 in 77 games.

In the off-season, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in the deal involving Ron Hunt and Tom Haller. He appeared in only 36 games in 1968, hitting .178/.189/.205.

In the off-season before 1969, he was traded to the New York Yankees, and played one game with them before they traded him to the Chicago Cubs, where he finished out his career in 44 games hitting .159. It was the Cubs team that everyone expected to win the division, but finished second instead. Glenn Beckert was the regular second baseman, and the other infielders were Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Don Kessinger.

Oliver managed the 1988 Reno Silver Sox.

In 1989, Oliver managed the AZL Angels, and in 1990 and 1991 he was at the helm of the Palm Springs Angels. Oliver was coach of the Midland Angels in 1992-1993, and Albuquerque Dukes in 1994. In 1998, Oliver managed the AZL Cubs and in 1999 he managed the Daytona Cubs. In 2000, he was a roving infield instructor in the Cubs organization. In 2003, he took over the managerial reins of the Saskatoon Legends of the Canadian Baseball League in mid-season from Ron LeFlore.

In 2006, Nate was the bunting instructor for the Chicago White Sox organization.

The most similar player to Oliver, based on the similarity scores method, is Brad Wellman, a player from the 1980s.

Notable Achievements

• Won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963 (he did not play in the World Series)

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1988	Reno Silver Sox	California League	39-103	10th	none
1989	AZL Angels	Arizona League	20-33	6th	California Angels
1990	Palm Springs Angels	California League	62-80	8th	California Angels
1991	Palm Springs Angels	California League	65-71	6th	California Angels
1998	AZL Cubs	Arizona League	29-26	3rd	Chicago Cubs	none
1999	Daytona Cubs	Florida State League	63-75	11th	Chicago Cubs
2003	Saskatoon Legends	Canadian Baseball League		3rd	Independent Leagues		replaced Ron LeFlore