Jim Olander
American baseball player (born 1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Bentley Olander (born February 21, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and currently a baseball scout.
| Jim Olander | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: February 21, 1963 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 20, 1991, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1991, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .000 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 0 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Olander attended Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona.[1] He was selected by Philadelphia Phillies in the 7th Round (175th overall) of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft.[1] Olander played in the minor leagues from 1981 to 1994 with the Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Houston Astros organizations. He was successful in the minor leagues: in 1986 he was named to the Eastern League's All-star Team[2] and was viewed by the Phillies organization as a prospect likely to play in the majors.[1] However his following seasons were shortened by injury and he eventually left the Phillies organization and signed as a free agent with the Astros who soon after traded him to the Brewers.[3] Olander was named the Most Valuable Player of the American Association in 1991.[4] That same year he was a "September call-up"[4] and joined the Brewers for 12 games. Olander was expected to fight for a spot on the Brewers 1992 40-man roster but he broke his leg in early May.[5] He never played another major-league game.
In October 2007, the Detroit Tigers promoted Olander from national crosschecker to big league scout, a job he still holds. [6] He was responsible for recommending Cody Ross to the Tigers prior to the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.[7]