Oliver had some power, hitting three HR in a game on July 30, 1966. He reached a high of 21 HR in 1965 as the Braves’ backup to Joe Torre at catcher and Felipe Alou at first base, a big enough role that he got 392 at-bats in 122 games. His 21 HR on a team with Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Mack Jones, Torre, and Alou enabled the Braves to set a NL mark with six 20-HR men in one season. Oliver was a regular catcher twice, for the Cardinals in 1962 and for the Phillies in 1967 after they traded Bob Uecker to get him. Oliver’s career was effectively ended by a 1968 knee injury.
