WHEN TOPPS HAD (BASE)BALLS!: Ben Oglivie

Showing posts with label Ben Oglivie. Show all posts

Thursday, November 5, 2020

TRADED- 1974 BEN OGLIVIE

On the blog today, a card I’ve wanted to do for quite a long time now, and with the help of my friend Chris in Colorado now a possibility, my 1974 “traded” card for former slugger Ben Oglivie:

After playing the first three years of his Major League career with the Boston Red Sox, Oglivie found himself in the “Motor City” after a straight-up trade for Dick McAuliffe on October 23rd of 1973.
He would continue to be played as a platoon-player over the next four seasons, averaging about 100 games a year, but nevertheless playing well as he showed power and a decent batting average hovering around .280.
However it wasn’t until he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Jim Slaton that he’d finally find full-time work, eventually becoming a legitimate slugger who’d lead the American League in 1980 with 41 homers, along with a career-high 118 runs batted in and 94 runs scored.
He would play with the Brewers through the rest of his 16-year career, until 1986, before going on to play in Japan for two seasons with Kintetsu, where he’d his 46 homers combined.
Overall in his MLB career, Oglivie batted .273 with 235 homers and 901 RBI’s, with 1615 hits over 5913 at-bats and 1754 games, getting three All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger for his Home Run champion 1980 season.
Thank you Chris!!!!

Monday, June 29, 2020

DEDICATED ROOKIE- 1972 BEN OGLIVIE

Time to go and give former slugger Ben Oglivie a 1972 “dedicated rookie” to add to my long-running thread, as he originally shared a spot on a late series three-player rookie card in the now classic Topps offering:

Oglivie appeared in the first 14 games of his career during the 1971 season for the Boston Red Sox, hitting an admirable .263 with 10 hits in 38 at-bats, scoring two while driving in four.
He didn’t hit a homer in that short time-frame, but those would come in bunches over the next 16 seasons, including a league-leading 41 in 1980 as part of the powerful Milwaukee Brewers team that also featured guys like Cecil Cooper, Robin Yount, Ted Simmons and Paul Molitor.
He would get traded to the Detroit Tigers in the 1973 off-season for Dick McAuliffe, where he would continue to be played as a platoon-player over the next four seasons, averaging about 100 games a year, but nevertheless playing well as he showed power and a decent batting average hovering around .280.
However it wasn’t until he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Jim Slaton that he’d finally find full-time work, eventually becoming a legitimate slugger who’d lead the American League in 1980 with 41 homers as I mentioned earlier, along with a career-high 118 runs batted in and 94 runs scored.
He would play with the Brewers through the rest of his 16-year career, until 1986, before going on to play in Japan for two seasons with Kintetsu, where he’d his 46 homers combined.
Overall in his MLB career, Oglivie batted .273 with 235 homers and 901 RBI’s, with 1615 hits over 5913 at-bats and 1754 games, getting three All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger for his Home Run champion 1980 season.

Monday, February 18, 2019

TRADED- 1978 BEN OGLIVIE

Here’s another “traded” card to throw into the long-running sub-set through the decade, a 1978 edition featuring former slugging outfielder Ben Oglivie:

Oglivie, who never really got a full-time shot playing in Detroit the previous few seasons, found himself heading to the Milwaukee Brewers on December 9th of 1977 for two pitchers, Rick Folkers and Jim Slaton.
Oglivie immediately made an impact, hitting .303 with 18 homers and 72 runs batted in in 1978, followed by 29 homers with 81 RBIs the next year.
But of course it was his 1980 season that had him bust out, tying the Yankees Reggie Jackson for the American League lead with 41 homers while driving in a career-high 118 runs, hitting .304 and picking up a Silver Slugger Award along the way.
He’d play through the 1986 season, all with Milwaukee, before retiring with 235 homers, 901 RBIs with a .273 batting average over 16 seasons, collecting 1615 hits in 5913 at-bats.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

MISSING IN ACTION- 1974 BEN OGLIVIE

Today I post up a card I’ve been meaning to create for years, a “missing” 1974 card for former outfielder Ben Oglivie, who easily could have had a card in the Topps set after a decent amount of playing time during the 1973 season:

Oglivie appeared in 58 games for the Boston Red Sox that year, batting .218 with 32 hits over 147 at-bats and 161 plate appearances. Certainly enough playing time to get a card in the 1974 set.
He would get traded to the Detroit Tigers in the off-season for Dick McAuliffe, where he would continue to be played as a platoon-player over the next four seasons, averaging about 100 games a year, but nevertheless playing well as he showed power and a decent batting average hovering around .280.
However it wasn’t until he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Jim Slaton that he’d finally find full-time work, eventually becoming a legitimate slugger who’d lead the American League in 1980 with 41 homers, along with a career-high 118 runs batted in and 94 runs scored.
He would play with the Brewers through the rest of his 16-year career, until 1986, before going on to play in Japan for two seasons with Kintetsu, where he’d his 46 homers combined.
Overall in his MLB career, Oglivie batted .273 with 235 homers and 901 RBI’s, with 1615 hits over 5913 at-bats and 1754 games, getting three All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger for his Home Run champion 1980 season.