• Nobody seems to know exactly how Olivo and former Royals manager Tony Pena are related. They are nephew and uncle, distant cousins from Miguel's mother's side of the family Whatever it is, Miguel gives Tony a lot of credit for influencing his career.
  
  “When I was in the Dominican for winter ball, he helped me a lot,” said Olivo of Pena, who managed Olivo’s winter league team, Aguilas. “He taught me a lot of things.”
• Former Major League pitcher Chi Chi Olivo is a closer cousin on Miguel's father's side.

  "He was around my family," Miguel said of Chi Chi, "and I always heard how important it was to work hard every day, before the game."

• Miguel's father, Eduardo Olivo, is a construction worker in the Dominican but was a catcher for local teams. And his son followed him. 

• In 1997, Olivo played in the Dominican Summer League.

• Miguel is an avid weightlifter. 

• In 2000, he quarreled with the A's minor league staff.

• In July 2001, Olivo was suspended for six games by the Southern League and kicked off the Futures Game World Team roster for using a corked bat. Olivo claimed the bat, which had an A's logo on it, had been given to him by a former teammate from the Oakland organization.

• In 2002, Olivo led the Southern League in triples with 10—not bad for a catcher! He also stole 29 bases. And he ranked third in slugging percentage (.479).

• Miguel homered in his first Major League at-bat, September 15, 2002, becoming the 83rd player in Major League history to hit one out his first time up in the Show. Only one other White Sox player had done it: Carlos Lee on May 7, 1999. Olivo traded a signed bat to get his souvenir baseball.

• Olivo's wife, Gloria, called him druing the 2004 season and said she had found two kids not far from their home in Ceres, California, who needed a family. Would it be all right if they took them into their family?
  
  "My wife is a beautiful woman, inside, outside, everywhere," Miguel said. "She saw these kids not far from our street, their parents had drug problems and couldn't take care of them, so she called and asked me."
  
  And he said yes right off the bat. Suddenly the family—with Miguel, Jr. (5 years old) and Minaya (4), as well as Gloria's daughters, Alexandra (17) and Erica (14)—also had Sorgeo (7) and Alicea (3). (All ages listed were in 2004, when Miguel and Glorida adopted Sorgeo and Alicea.)
  
  "The kids are great; they're part of the family now like they've always been there," Olivo said. "It's a good feeling to help. Maybe it was what God meant for us—we take care of some kids and He looks out for us, too.
  
  "The kids are really well behaved. I'm raising them with some discipline. I want them to have a good life and not go through some of the things I did as a kid," Miguel said in 2005.
  
  The Olivo's still have six children, as of the 2009 season.

• Miguel's upbeat attitude is welcome in the clubouse, where he is very popular among teammates. He is a real breath of fresh air. Teammates nicknamed him "Smiley" a few years ago.
  
  Olivo says his grin keeps him happy, makes his life easier, sets a good example for his six children. He is a shining light and a player others gravitate to when they walk in the clubhouse.
  
  SUSPENSIONS

• In September 2007, Olivo, then a member of the Florida Marlins, participated in an on-field fight. He was suspended for five games, to be served at the start of the 2008 season (with the Royals, who he'd signed with).
  
  Miguel appealed the suspension, and had it cut to four games, but still was not pleased.
  
  "It's still not fair,” he said. “The guy I fought (Mets shortstop Jose Reyes) didn’t get suspended. Everyone fought, and I was the only one suspended.”

• In August 2008, Olivo was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount for charging the mound, which incited the bench-clearing incident, and for throwing a punch.

• Miguel plays the game with a lot of passion.
  
  "I just play hard,” Olivo said. “I try to do the best I can to help us win the game.”

  Olivo has that infectious enthusiasm that can rub off on teammates and provide an extra spark. His energy is contagious.

• June 15, 2013: The Marlins placed Olivo on the restricted list after he left the team without permission. Miguel, who had seen little playing time recently as the Marlins' No. 3 catcher, departed Friday after batting practice and before the team's game against the Cardinals.
  
  "I've never been involved in something like that -- to have somebody just leave after batting practice," Redmond said. "I think everyone was kind of in shock. I know it wasn't an ideal situation for him, not getting to play a lot, but at the same time the team relies on you."
  

• Olivo left the Marlins in the middle of 2013, frustrated that playing time was going to young catcher Rob Brantly. He asked for his release and eventually got it, only for Brantly to be sent back to the Minor Leagues shortly after. Olivo went to his Central California home and sat out the second half of the season, signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers and played the first month of 2014 at Triple-A Albuquerque.

  "I think I made a little mistake," said Olivo. "Yesterday I saw the owner [Jeffrey Lurie] and a couple of coaches, I told them I apologized and all that happened is history. Everything is over, they said, 'OK, fine.'"

  Playing time could get squeezed again for Olivo when Dodgers' A.J. Ellis returns from knee surgery.  Plus, Tim Federowicz is in Triple-A and still figures in the club's long-range plans.

  "The reason I signed a Minor League deal, I wanted to come back and show people I'm in position to play," he said. "Now that I'm back here, it's the only thing that matters to me right now. I'm healthy and hungry to play and show people." (Gurnick - mlb.com - 5/4/14)

• May 20, 2014: Olivo was accused of biting off a part of teammate Alex Guerrero's ear in a dugout altercation.. The Dodgers suspended for his part in the altercation. Agent Scott Boras, who represents Guerrero, said that his client needed plastic surgery on his ear as a result of a bite from Olivo.
  
  According to the Salt Lake City police, Guerrero declined to file a complaint with the police about the incident, which would have been the first step toward criminal prosecution.
  
  Then, on May 22, 2014, the Dodgers chose to release Olivo.
  
  Ironically, in a spring training interview with Telemundo, Olivo said that if he weren't a baseball player, he would like to be a boxer like Mike Tyson -- but without biting an ear off. Tyson infamously bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 bout.

  
  
  TRANSACTIONS

• 1996: Miguel was signed as a free agent by the A's out of the Dominican Republic at age 18.

• 2000: Miguel was a acquired by the White Sox in a deal with the A's after the season. The A's got P Chad Bradford.

• June 27, 2004: The Mariners sent pitcher Freddy Garcia, C Ben Davis and cash to the White Sox, acquiring Olivo, OF Jeremy Reed, and INF Michael Morse.

• July 30, 2005: The Padres sent C Miguel Ojeda and P Natanael Mateo to the Mariners, acquiring Olivo.

• December 30, 2005: Olivo signed a one-year contract with the Marlins.

• December 12, 2007: The Marlins did not tender a contract for Miguel for 2008, makling him a free agent.

• December 27, 2007: Olivo signed a one-year contract worth $2.1 million with the Royals. The pact has a mutual option for 2009 that would be for $2.7 million guaranteed with incentives up to about $3.4 million.

• November 3, 2008: The Royals exercised the option on Miguel for 2009, and they added a mutual option for 2010 at about $3.25 million.

• November 6, 2009: Olivo filed for free agency when the Royals declined the option on his contract.

• January 4, 2010: Miguel signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Rockies. The deal includes a club option for 2011 that becomes a mutual option  if Olivo reaches a specified amount of games played in 2010.

• December 10, 2010: Olivo signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Mariners.

• October 24, 2012: The Mariners declined their 2013 option on Miguel.

• February 1, 2013: The Reds signed Olivo.
  
  March 27, 2013: The Reds released Miguel.

• March 28, 2013: Olivo signed with the Marlins.
  
  July 5, 2013: Miguel elected free agency, rather than be sent to Triple-A by the Marlins.

• January 21, 2014: Olivo signed with the Dodgers organization.
  
  
• May 22, 2014: The Dodgers released Olivo, two days after he bit off a portion of teammate Alex Guerrero's left ear in a dugout incident. Club president Stan Kasten said Olivo's actions were "unimaginable, inconceivable and, frankly, unforgivable."
  
  "Alex feels awful about the incident and the fact that he was doing so well, had turned the corner," Kasten said. "Before Miguel left, he was distraught about it, but I'm not going to speak for him." (Gurnick - mlb.com)

• Olivo makes good contact and has decent power, too. But he will also swing and miss the ball by two feet. He can be overly aggressive at bat, striking out too much.
  
  Miguel is known as a hacker or "free swinger" to scouts. He acknowledges he is a notorious first-pitch swinger.
  
  "I don't think about home runs," said Olivo, who tries not to overcomplicate things. "When I try to put the ball in play, that's when they start coming. I try more to hit the ball to the opposite field."
• Nobody runs out routine ground balls harder than Miguel. And that sends a message to his teammates, increasing the energy level on the field and in the clubhouse.

• "I love the game," Olivo said in 2005. "I love to play. I've always worked hard before games. I learned that a long time ago. A catcher has to be prepared for everything."

  His distant cousin, the great Tony Pena, passed along that information when Miguel was a kid in the Dominican Republic. Olivo reminds teammates—the older ones—of Pena in his style and upbeat attitude.

• Miguel improved at making contact on breaking pitches in 2009, something that had held his career back a little bit before the '09 season.
  
  

• In 2004, Miguel matured as a hitter. Cutting down his strikeouts and consistently hanging in against veteran hurlers made Olivo a viable RBI threat at the bottom of the batting order.
  
  "In 2004, I've worked a lot with hitting coach Greg Walker," Olivo said of his new approach at the plate. "That's the thing we work on—patience and being more relaxed."
  
  Later in 2004, the Mariners acquired him.

• In September 2004, Olivo went through a 0-for-31 batting skid that consumed most of the month. The slump included a club-record five strikeouts in one game. For the month, he had four times more strikeouts (24) than hits (6).
  

• In 2006, Olivo became the first player in MLB history to finish a season with at least 100 strikeouts and fewer than 13 walks. Olivo had only nine walks (four intentional) and struck out 103 times.
  
  

• As of the start of the 2013 season, Miguels career Major League stats were: .241 batting average, 141 home runs with 479 RBI's in 3,668 at-bats.

OUTSTANDING ARM

• Miguel has had more than one throw timed at 98 mph going to second base—not bad for a throw without a windup!

• Scouts love his snap throws from that powerful throwing arm—one of the best arms in the game. His arm is an eight on a scout's scale of two-to-eight. He is a quality catch-and-throw backstop.

• He loves to show off that arm, throwing to bases to keep them close, and throwing out runners who are trying to steal.
  
  TOO MANY PASSED BALLS

• Olivo holds runners on base and frames pitches well. He shows very good mobility and quickness back there. But he also needs to work on his receiving skills. In 2004, he had a penchant for missing pitches that either bounced in and out of his glove or went into the dirt and to the backstop. But he has the high-energy level and work ethic to continue to improve.
  
  However, in 2007, Olivo had 16 passed balls and 12 errors.

• In 2004, with the Mariners, Olivo worked to improve his ability to block balls and get better angles, which helps keep balls thrown in the dirt in front of him. But, for the 2004 season, he committed 13 passed balls in 544 chances and the only catcher with more passed balls in 2004 was Red Sox backup catcher Doug Mirabelli, who usually caught knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield, which explains why Mirabelli had so many passed balls.

• Defensively, Olivo is at least average overall, with his great arm balanced by a strange tendency to let a ball or two, or even three fly right by him every game.

• Miguel has improved his English, improving his communication with pitchers.

• Olivo's athleticism is very impressive. He is very fast and quick working back there. He jumps on balls in front of the plate and plays with intensity. Olivo is solidly constructed, powerful through the legs but remarkably swift for a catcher.

• Miguel brings a lot of energy to the clubhouse and the field. He has a great attitude.
  
  No catcher in the game plays harder.

• In 2006, he improved his footwork and mechanics by working with, and listening to coach Gary Tuck.
  
  Olivo now makes a quick hop out of his crouch, his right foot sliding in a few inches, and his left leg moving forward at about a 45-degree angle toward second base. The quick-hop move speeds up Miguel's release and aligns him better for throws to second base.
  
  Miguel is routinely timed at an amazing 1.8 seconds from glove-to-second base. (The Major League average is 1.95 to 2 seconds.)
  
  THROWING OUT BASE-STEALERS

• In 2003, Olivo caught 19 of 53 runners attempting to steal a base, 36 percent, fifth-best in the American League.

• In 2006, Olivo threw out 34.2 percend of guys who tried to steal a base on him, 5th-best in all of Major League Baseball.

• In 2007, Miguel showcased his strong arm by throwing out 20 of 51 runners trying to steal, a solid 39 percent. But he committed 12 errors and had 16 passed balls.

• In 2008, Olivo again caught 39 percent of runners who tried to steal a base on him—the second-best percentage in the American League.
• In 2012, Miguel threw out 30.9 percent of attempted base stealers (21-of-68).
  
  

• In 2009, improved pitch calling improved his status as a catcher. He manages a game better than when he was younger.
  
  "He's made an effort to really work on it,” pitcher Brian Bannister said. “He’s such a coachable guy. Yeah, he’s big and strong and intimidating, but he’s got such a good heart. He always wants to get better, and from the pitchers, we all really appreciate that. He has gotten better.”
  
  Royals pitching coach Bob McClure said Olivo sometimes took the game plans too extreme. If a pitcher’s curveball was working, Olivo made it too one-dimensional. If an opposing hitter struggled with pitches down and in, Olivo would too often want nothing but down-and-in.

  Even with a weakness, big-league hitters are good enough to succeed if they know what’s coming.

  “We’re trying to get him to kind of be a little more versatile in his thought process,” McClure said. “Have more options. Think of the options. You have a red flag, and two or three options. Stay out of the red flag, and depending on how the guy’s throwing, here are your options, just pick one.” (Sam Mellinger-KC Star-3/27/09) 

• Olivo runs real well for a catcher. He can steal bases. In 2002, he swiped 29 in the Southern League. 
• In 2006, in his first full season in the National League, Olivo threw out 38.5 percent (30 of 78) of the runners trying to steal off him.

• However, Miguel can be overly aggressive, sometimes running into outs.
  
  He has a real zest for the game and a lot of energy, but his lapses in judment leave observers scratching their heads on occasion.

• April 23, 2001: He went on the D.L. with an ankle injury.
• 2002 season: Miguel went down with a broken bone in his right hand near the end of the season.

• November-December 2003: Olivo had to stop playing in the Dominican winter league baseball after he spent a few days in the hospital with viral pneumonia.

• March 13, 2004: Miguel passed two kidney stones.

• June 30-July 15, 2004: He went on the D.L. to be treated for more kidney stones. A stone was surgically removed on June 30.

• October 1, 2010: Olivo suffered a mild concussion when he was hit in the back of the head and neck by the bat of the Cardinals' Albert Pujols in the first inning of a game and missed the last two contests of the season.

• March 5, 2011: Miguel suffered a strained groin while running to home plate scoring a run vs. the Indians. He said he felt a twinge when he pushed off third base after tagging up on a sacrifice fly by Sean Kazmar and then grabbed his leg as he approached home, eventually sprawling face-first onto the plate.
  
  Olivo missed about two weeks of spring training.

• March 7-25, 2011: An MRI revealed that on March 5, Olivo had suffered a strained adductor muscle in his left groin. It happened as he tagged up on a fly ball and scored from third base. He fell as he reached home plate.

• May 1-24, 2012: Olivo went on the D.L. with a sprained groin muscle sustained while fielding a ball hit in front of the mound by B.J. Upton as he planted his right foot and threw across his body. He had to be helped off the field.
  
  Miguel said the injury felt worse than a similar groin injury that sidelined him about three weeks during 2011 spring training.
  
  "I tried to be aggressive, the way I am, and make that play at first base," Olivo said. "My leg stuck in the grass and I felt a pop in my groin. I know that feeling. I know my body. I have to be honest with myself. I know it's not going to be easy. It's hurting and real painful."