My Take
Ben Oglivie is one of those guys who never quite gets the recognition he deserves, and that genuinely bugs me. Born in Colón, Panama, he made it all the way to the majors in an era when that journey was no small thing, and he quietly put together a career that any outfielder would be proud of. His best years in Milwaukee were legitimately special — he tied for the American League home run title in 1980 with 41 dingers, which is the kind of number that should have people still talking about him. And when his MLB days wrapped up in 1986, he didn't call it quits; he headed to Japan and played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, which tells you everything about his love of the game. A 6'2" left-handed hitter who kept chasing baseball across two continents? That's a career worth knowing.
Overview
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949) is a Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1986). He also played two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Kintetsu Buffaloes (1987–1988). Oglivie batted and threw left-handed.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ben Oglivie
- Name (Japanese)
- ベン・オグリビー
- Reading
- べん・おぐりびー
- Born
- February 11, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Ox
- Origin
- Colón City, Colón Province, Panama
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 188 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Theodore Roosevelt High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.