Card
thoughts: Pensive. Serene. How appropriate.
The
player: Born in Panama, but raised in the
Bronx, it took quite a long time for Ben Ogilve to establish himself as a legit
everyday player. He found it hard to
break into the Red Sox outfield in the early 70s, as the Red Sox were solid
there with Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, and Tommy Harper out there. Part of the reason was his defense. Although
he had a good arm, Ogilve had a tendency to over run the ball, which led to
batters taking an extra base on him. He also had not filled out yet. Gangly and
a little clumsy, Ogilve was derisively nicknamed “Spiderman” by the club.
Ogilve got more chances when he was traded to the
Tigers for infielder Dick McAuliffe in 1973. Appearing in over 100 games for
the first time as a platoon partner with Dan Meyer, he did exhibit the power he
would in later years, but hit a respectable .286. The power began to show up in
1976, when he hit 15 home runs (while playing more often as a designated
hitter) and 21 as the regular right fielder the following year. But despite his
success with the Tigers, like the Red Sox they never really believed in his
talent. Once again, a derisive nickname was attached to Ogilve: the “Banana Man”
(because he ate a lot of bananas, but note the racist overtones).
Ogilve tried to not let the lack of faith get to
him. Teammates seemed to think that he was a bit of a dunce, who lacked passion
for the game. But he was a mellow fellow, who was into philosophy—reportedly,
Rousseau, Plato, and Thoreau were among his favorites.
It was after the age of 30 when Ogilve really began
to shine. With the Brewers, Ogilve was inserted more regularly into the lineup,
usually in the fifth spot. He got his big break when incumbent right fielder
Larry Hisle tore a rotator cuff early in 1978. By necessity, Ogilve became an
everyday player. In 1979, he drove in 81
runs while slugging .525. In 1980, he was even better, tying for the league
lead in home runs with 41 while driving in 118. His league lead in intentional
walks with 19 showed how much opposing pitchers respected Ogilve. And fans
noticed as well. Ogilve was voted into the all-star game as the starting left
fielder, over players like Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. In the game,
he went 0 for 2 with 1 walk.
Ogilve was a huge reason why the 1982 Brewers were
nicknamed “Harvey’s Wallbangers.” Although his average dipped to .244, he
slugged 34 homes and drove in 102 runs, while once again making the all-star
squad as a reserve. In Game 5 of the ALCS, he hit an important home run off of Bruce
Kison, for only his second hit of the series. He once again hit a solo home
run in a deciding game, this time Game 7 of the World Series, but it was in a
losing cause.
Ogilve would remain with the Brewers until 1986, a
veteran presence who still commanded respect for his power, despite its decline
over the years. He spent 1987 and 1988 with in the Japanese League, where he
hit for both power and average. Since retirement, he’s been a hitting coach
with various minor league clubs, most recently with the West Michigan Whitecaps
(Class A).
Rear guard: Ogilve's first three homer game came against the Tigers. His home runs drove in four of the Brewers five runs in that game.
1 comment:
I was only just recently able to acquire Oglivie's 1972 Topps rookie card (#761), which seems to be going for much more than what's being listed in Beckett.
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