Sunday, July 3, 2016

Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #7 Omar Olivares

#00
Omar (Palqu) Olivares
Relief Pitcher

Omar Olivares pitched for eight teams during his 12-year career, but the team for which he had the shortest tenure was the Phillies.  The 1995 Phillies were a team in desperate need of pitching help, and they claimed Olivares off waivers from the Rockies on July 11th.  He appeared in just five games with the club before being outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he appeared in seven games for the Red Barons.  The Phillies released him following the season.

A lifetime .240 hitter, his biggest moment with the Phillies came in his final appearance with the club on July 24th when he pinch-hit for Tyler Green in the bottom of the fifth inning against his former Rockies teammates.  Olivares crushed a two-run, pinch-hit home run off Bryan Rekar in a game the Phillies would ultimately lose, 11-3.  His pitching line that day outweighed his offensive skills, as he allowed three runs on four hits in four innings of mop up duty.

Olivares became the first player in franchise history to wear #00.  Al Oliver had worn #0 in 1984 and Rich White would become the second player to wear #00 in 2006.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 6, 1967, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent, September 15, 1986
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Phillies 1995; Detroit Tigers 1996-1997; Seattle Mariners 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-1999; Oakland Athletics 1999-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2001
Professional Affiliations:  San Diego Padres 1987-1989; St. Louis Cardinals 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Phillies 1995; Detroit Tigers 1996-1997; Seattle Mariners 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-1999; Oakland Athletics 1999-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2001; Cleveland Indians 2002

Phillies Career
5 games, 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 7 strikeouts and 2 walks in 10 innings pitched
Acquired:  Selected off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, July 11, 1995
Debut:  July 14, 1995 - Pitched an inning of shutout relief against the Expos, relieving Kyle Abbott
Final Game:  July 25, 1995
Departed:  Granted free agency, October 16, 1995, and signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers, December 20, 1995

1 Olivares Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1995 Pacific #410
Last Card:  1995 Pacific #410

1991 Donruss #503
1991 Topps #271
1995 Pacific #410
2002 Topps #136
Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Donruss #503
First Topps Base Card:  1991 Topps #271
Last Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps #136
Other Notable Cards:  1987 ProCards #1996, 1992 Topps #193, 1993 Topps #490, 1993 Upper Deck #194, 1994 Topps #689, 2000 Fleer Tradition #299

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

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