The casual baseball fan may not remember Darren Oliver, but if you follow the sport closely, you’ll probably remember him from his later years in the game. Oliver was one of the game’s most effective left-handed relievers for several years, and he spent a brief time with the Astros before that happened.
Oliver first broke into the big leagues with the Rangers in 1992 at age 22. He became a full-time member of the starting rotation in 1996 and remained that way through 2001, but the results weren’t ideal. He continued to pitch out of the rotation or in long relief for several teams through 2004, but could never find enough success to stick.