January 8, 2010

The Case for Olerud

Jack Moore makes a case for John Olerud’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame. John is one of my favorite players, and I especially love to use him to bash Cito Gaston. I don’t think he’s a Hall of Famer, but if I had a ballot slot I didn’t use for people who really belong, I’d vote for him just to make people think about his career.

I remember the first time I saw Olerud in person. I was in the Fenway pressbox, scoring a game for STATS, Inc. John came to the plate wearing number nine for the Blue Jays, thin, tall and with a picture perfect, effortless swing. A comparison with Ted Williams came to mind. A few years later, I happened to be on the field at Disney World when the Mets were taking batting practice prior to a spring training game against the Braves. Olerud and Piazza were hitting in the same group. The contrast was instructive. Piazza was all muscle; you could every ounce he owned being channeled into driving the ball. Olerud was all technique; he hardly looked like he was working at all. He hit the ball with perfect balance and timing. The results were pretty much the same, both players driving the ball out of the park.

He was the same way playing first base, making tough plays look effortless. If the ball was anywhere near him, it somehow ended up in his glove. Tom Canidotti was once asked who was the nicest guy in baseball, and he said without hesitation John Olerud. John babysat Tom’s children, in fact. John’s niceness and effortless play somehow got him branded with a lack of fire. More likely, surviving a brain aneurysm just made him appreciate every moment of life. I’m glad I was able to see him play and play so well.

6 thoughts on “The Case for Olerud

  1. jjack

    I agree with the sentiment on Olerud. I was doing a little research on him for an article I’m working on and it surprised me how good he really was. Guys like that, that are effortlessly good, make it really easy to forget just how good they are.

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  2. Eric McErlain

    When Olerud left the Mets after the 1999 season, it was a terrible blow to their offense. While the man who replaced him, Todd Zeile, was a consummate professional, he didn’t have nearly the patience and the eye that Olerud did. As for his defense, he didn’t get nearly enough credit when he combined with Alfonzo, Ordonez and Ventura to make up one of the best defensive infields in recent memory.

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  3. Cyril Morong

    I went to grad school at WSU. I bleed Cougar crimson (okay, not really). But I only had to pay $1 to see him play and sit in great seats. I think when he was a a sophomore and was the college player of the year he batted like .460 and hit 23 HRs in 69 games. He did okay as a pitcher, too, 14-0. He contantly boomed line drives deep into right center or over the wall.

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  4. JOCKpost

    I remember watching Olerud when I was a kid and always wondering why he wore a helmet while playing first base. When I found out I was sad for him, but was happy that he made it through something so difficult.

    He had one of the smoothest swings I ever saw.

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  5. M. Scott Eiland

    Olerud was a hell of a ballplayer at his best, but he only had a few seasons close to his peak–the rest were far more ordinary. Baseball Reference lists his ten most comparable players as:

    1. Will Clark (892)
    2. Edgar Martinez (885)
    3. Mark Grace (881)
    4. Cecil Cooper (878)
    5. Paul O’Neill (871)
    6. Keith Hernandez (866)
    7. Steve Garvey (865)
    8. Bobby Abreu (861)
    9. Don Mattingly (857)
    10. Wally Joyner (854)

    No Hall of Famers on this list yet, though IMO Will Clark and Edgar Martinez are plausible candidates, and Bobby Abreu will probably deserve a look when he retires–I’d say those three guys are clearly better than Olerud. I’d also say that Keith Hernandez was better overall than Olerud, though he didn’t peak as high. I’d take Olerud’s career over any of the other guys on the list. All in all, he probably shouldn’t get in, but I certainly won’t be offended if he gets a decent number of votes before his eligibility ends.

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