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The Athletics are in a rough patch in their history right now. The team is making a move from Oakland to Las Vegas, but for now, they are playing their games in Sacramento without a location designation. They've also had three straight really bad seasons where their talent has been almost completely depleted. Luckily, teams like the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies have been much worse. Before their recent struggles, the A's franchise had some really good stretches. The team had a dynasty in the 1910s when they played in Philadelphia, as they won the World Series in 1910, 1911, and 1913.
Philadelphia would win the championship twice more – 1929 and 1930 – before they moved to Oakland in 1968, and another dynasty was established with World Series titles in 1972, 1973, and 1974. That three-peat makes the Athletics franchise the only team besides the New York Yankees to win back-to-back-to-back championships. The Athletics even won a ninth World Series in 1989.
Obviously, they've had some great players on their rosters throughout the years. So, check out the gallery to see the 10 best Athletics players of all time.
1. Rickey Henderson: 1979-84, 1989-93, 1994-95, 1998
The greatest base stealer of all time did most of his work with the Athletics. Of his league-leading 1,406 steals, 846 came with the A's. His 130 stolen bases in 1982 are also the most in a single season ever. The speed demon routinely got into scoring position because of the ease with which he could steal bags, but he got across home plate plenty, too.
Henderson is baseball's all-time leader in runs scored with 2,295 runs. Despite being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Henderson was somewhat of a journeyman, as he played for a new team on 13 different occasions. He loved Oakland, though, and he always seemed to find his way back to the Athletics. Henderson had four different stints with the Athletics.
Two of his three Silver Sluggers, seven of his 12 stolen base titles, six of his 10 All-Star campaigns, and his lone Gold Glove award all came while he played in Oakland. Henderson's personality was just as big as his resume. He had an eccentric personality that fans came to love, and he often referred to himself in the third person. Henderson's impact on the Athletics was so great that the organization named the playing surface at the Oakland Coliseum after him.
Henderson is often remembered as the greatest runner in MLB history, but he did so much more for the A's. His contact ability and fielding were both elite, too. He won an MVP (1990) and a World Series (1989) with the team. Hitting leadoff for the 1989 championship team was particularly impressive because this was not only the Athletics' most recent championship, but it was their only title that didn't come amid a dynasty. Oakland actually did make the World Series in a losing effort in both the season before and after 1989, though, so Henderson had the potential to contribute to another dynasty had they not been blown out in those two Fall Classics.
2. Jimmie Foxx: 1925-35
The only multi-time MVP in Athletics history is Jimmie Foxx. The first baseman was named the best player in the AL in both 1932 and 1933 before he'd eventually win the MVP again with the Boston Red Sox in 1938. Foxx's 61.2 WAR with the Athletics only trails Henderson in Athletics history for position players.
He won two championships, two batting titles, two RBI titles, and led the league in home runs three times with the team. He is the franchise leader in on-base % (440) and slugging % (.640). Foxx's .339 batting average and 1,075 RBIs are also the second-best marks in program history. The A's won the World Series in 1929 and 1930 under Foxx's leadership. He was also a Triple Crown winner and retired second in career home runs, only behind Babe Ruth.
3. Reggie Jackson: 1967-75, 1987
Reggie Jackson was nicknamed Mr. October because of the clutchness that he always displayed in the biggest moments in the postseason. This playoff excellence led to three straight World Series titles in the '70s. Jackson was the best player on that Oakland dynasty, and his three-peat is one of the most impressive feats in baseball history.
Jackson belted 269 home runs with the Athletics. That number stands out as the third most long balls in A's history, which is quite impressive because Jackson had plenty of good years outside of Oakland. Jackson played with the Athletics more than he did on any other team, but 11 of his 21 MLB seasons came with a different organization.
Jackson lived for the biggest moments. While his three-home run World Series performance came with the Yankees, Jackson originally established himself as Mr. October with several clutch hits in the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets. All in all, Jackson twice led the AL in home runs with the Athletics and was named the league's MVP in 1973.
Jackson started his career with the Athletics when they still played in Kansas City, and he ended it by returning to the Athletics for a final season in his 40s before he retired. Everything else in between was the stuff of legend. Jackson is not only one of the best A's players ever, but he is one of the best players in MLB history overall.
4. Catfish Hunter: 1965-74
Catfish Hunter is the only pitcher since 1915 with 200 wins before the age of 31, which led to him becoming the first MLB big-money free agent. Hunter came into the league at age 19 and immediately made an impact. The 1974 Cy Young winner was good for 250-plus innings every season.
With the Athletics, he led baseball in wins twice, and he was the American League ERA leader once. He is also responsible for one of just 24 perfect games.
5. Mark McGwire: 1986-97
Mark McGwire has the steroid stain clouding his career, but his numbers were insane. Before he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was one of the best players in baseball with the Athletics. Of his 583 career home runs, which ranks 11th all-time, a franchise-leading 363 balls went over the fence while McGwire was wearing green and yellow.
McGwire was a hulking power hitter before he ever started juicing, and he was the thunder to Henderson's lightning on the 1989 World Series team. His career as a whole is tainted because of PED use, which he has admitted to doing during his Oakland days and not just as a member of the Cardinals. Therefore, his ranking here must be taken with a grain of salt.
6. Dennis Eckersley: 1987-95
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Dennis Eckersley started his career as a starting pitcher, but he had a revitalization in his 30s with the Athletics as a closer. With 320 career saves, Eckersley became one of the greatest closers ever despite not coming out of the bullpen until his 30s. Pitchers rarely win the MVP, and closers rarely win the Cy Young. Eckersley accomplished both of those feats in Oakland.
Eckersley was the first of only two pitchers with both a 20-win season and a 50-save season to his name. He was solid as a starter, but the sky would have truly been the limit had he come in in relief for the entirety of his career, as he did in his prime with the Athletics.
7. Lefty Grove: 1925-33
Another Athletics pitcher who won MVP, Lefty Grove, was clearly the best hurler in baseball in the late '20s. He led the league in strikeouts in seven straight seasons, in ERA four straight years, and in wins in four years out of a five-year stretch. Grove won two championships and two Triple Crowns. Grove is still remembered as one of the best lefties to ever step foot on the bump.
8. Eddie Plank: 1901-14
Eddie Plank is first in A's history with a WAR of 77.1. Plank threw 1,985 strikeouts in 3,860 innings with the Athletics, and he racked up 284 wins during that time. All of those metrics are the most in Athletics history. Plank wasn't just the product of an era where aces played the majority/entirety of games, though.
His ERA was 2.39, and he won three championships with the team. His pairing with Rube Waddell on Philadelphia's staff gave the Athletics one of the best one-two punches ever, but Plank deserves to rank higher because he played with the team for longer and was able to bring home the Commissioner's Trophy.
9. Rube Waddell: 1902-07
Waddell didn't play for the Athletics for long, but his peak that came with the team was one of the best ever. During Waddell's tenure, the Athletics were playing in Philadelphia. Waddell led the AL in strikeouts in all six of his seasons with the team, proving that he was the best pitcher in baseball at the time.
Waddell's ERA was just 1.97 during that time, which stands as the best mark in franchise history. Waddell's career 2.16 ERA ranks 11th in MLB history. The left-handed pitcher also won the Triple Crown in 1905.
10. Jose Canseco: 1985-92, 1997
Another face of the steroid era, Jose Canseco, was a talented player who admitted to juicing. He has often been in the public eye, even after his okaying days, usually for controversies and legal issues. The outfielder/designated hitter certainly was a good player, though, especially during his Oakland days.
The 1986 Rookie of the Year took home AL MVP honors just two years later, and he looked to be on an elite career trajectory. However, he was traded in the middle of a game in 1992, and he was never the same level of player. Prior to the trade, Canseco's Athletics career saw him hit 254 home runs. He was the best player in baseball for a stretch, but he was always highly polarizing, as will be his ranking here among the best Athletics players ever.
Other players, including Vida Blue, Jason Giambi, Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, and Eddie Collins, deserve recognition as honorable mentions for this list, too. Blue, in particular, had a fantastic career, winning three championships and earning a Cy Young. Blue was a star pitcher on the Athletics' three-peat squad, as was Fingers.
