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Philadelphia/KC/Oakland Athletics All-Time Team
The Athletics franchise was born in Philadelphia in 1901 at the beginning of the American League. They played there for 54 seasons, and with some success: 9 pennants and 5 World Series championships. The majority of that success came in the earliest years, and the team certainly had their poor stretches too, such as a seven-year stretch from 1915-21 when they only finished over .400 once, or the 1934-1946 dry spell when they never finished over .500 and were regularly below .400. With plenty of good and bad, what was amazing was that they had just one manager, Connie Mack for almost all of those years (1901-1950).
The team moved to Kansas City for the 1955 season and stayed there through 1967. That period was a gloomy one for the franchise as they didn't finish with a winning season even once. Things immediately improved when, in 1968, the team moved even further west to Oakland. This began a series of nine consecutive winning seasons that included a mini-dynasty from 1971-1975 when they won the AL West division every year and took the World Series from 1972-1974. The twelve years that followed were fairly unimpressive ones, but then Tony LaRussa took the helm during the 1986 season, and things once again looked up for the A's. During his tenure they made the playoffs four times and took the World Series crown in 1989. After having losing seasons from 1993-1998 the A's have been winners from 1999-2005, making the postseason four more times.
After a long history, and with some periods of great success, one can expect their all-time team to be quite strong. And it is.
1st Base:
The clear starter here is slugger Jimmie Foxx (.339, .435 OBP, .640 SLG, 302 HR, 1075 RBI, 975 R, 3 AS), who played most of his games in Philly at 1B, while putting in some time at both 3B and C. In his first three seasons he didn't play much, but in 1928 he began his dominance of AL hurlers, and from 1929 - 1935 he hit 30+ HR with 100+ RBI. Where to begin? In 1929 he hit .354, then in 1930 he smacked 37 HR with 156 RBI. In 1932 he took his first AL MVP award hitting .364, 58 HR, and 169 RBI, missing the triple crown by just three BA points. But that was rectified in 1933 when he captured that rare honor by leading the AL with a .356 average, 48 HR, and 163 RBI. And the seasons I'm not mentioned were almost as monstrous, so you can see why he gets the nod as the starter here.
After a brief stint with the A's in 1986, Mark McGwire (.260, 363 HR, 941 RBI, 9 AS, 1 GG) burst onto the seen with a .289 BA, 49 HR (led the AL) and 118 RBI to take the 1987 Rookie of the Year award. His average plummeted for several of his next seasons (bottoming out at .201 in 1991), but his power remained strong as he hit 30+ HR seven more times for the A's. In 1996 he hit .312 with 52 HR (again led the AL) and 113 RBI, and was doing much the same in 1997 when he was traded to St. Louis in late July. Yes, his best and record-setting numbers came for the Cardinals, not the A's. And he did strikeout a lot, and didn't walk nearly as much early in his career as he did later. And if you think the steroid issue that is a part of McGwire's legacy starting during his time in Oakland, then I'll I can understand keeping him off this all-time roster. However, I'm giving him this backup spot on the basis of his nine all-star appearances and the overall impression I have of his Oakland resume.
Old-timer Harry Davis (.279, 223 SB) had an interesting career for the A's. Fifth all-time for the franchise in at-bats, and first in games played at 1B, he was with them at the beginning, and played as the regular 1B for most seasons through 1911. In 1912 he played a little for the Cleveland Naps (as they were called that year), and then returned to the Athletics as a player-coach from 1913-1917, but was mostly a coach as he played in a total of 19 games with 28 at-bats during those years. He was a great sign-stealer and was considered the backup manager for Connie Mach during that period. A first glance at his numbers make one think he was more speed than power, but this conclusion drops the context of the dead-ball era. He did steal 20 or more bases in 8 of 10 seasons. But his career high of 36 was only good for fifth in the league and he never again was in the top 10. Meanwhile, he is one of only a few players in history to lead the league in HR in four consecutive seasons. He did so from 1904-1907, with Herculean totals of 10, 8, 12, and 8 respectively. He also led the league in doubles three times, and RBI twice. This early slugger deserves a spot on this all-time roster, but with only two 1B slots it is a tough call.
Jason Giambi (.308, .412 OBP, 187 HR, 2 AS) also got a good look, even though he only played for the A's for seven seasons, several of them were quite impressive. In 1999 he hit .315 with 33 HR and 123 RBI. In 2000 he took AL MVP honors with a .333 average, 43 HR and 137 RBI, and he was runner-up in 2001 after hitting .342 with 38 HR and 120 RBI. But that isn't enough to crack this all-time team.
No one else really comes close at 1B, but I did look at a few others briefly. Ferris Fain (.297, .422 OBP, 3 AS) was the club's 1B from 1947-52, hitting .344 in 1951 and .327 1952 -- both good enough to pace the AL. He also had a very high OBP, as he walked a lot: 100+ walks five times, including 136 in 1949 and 133 in 1950. Stuffy McInnis (.313, 127 SB) took over for Davis as the A's regular 1B in 1911 and held that job through 1917. He hit over .300 every year during that span, and stole 20 or more bases three times. And Dick Siebert (.283, 1 AS) came to the Athletics in 1938 and was their 1B through 1945. In 1941 he hit .334 which ranked fifth in the AL.
2nd Base:
At 2B the starter is also quite clear. The roster decisions don't become much
easier at 2B. Although no 2B in Athletics history has played more than 1,200 games at the position, Eddie Collins (.337, .407 OBP, 377 SB) played the third most (996) and was by far the most productive. Collins started and ended his Hall of Fame career in Philadelphia, playing six full seasons and several other partial seasons for the club. In those six seasons from 1909-1914 he hit between .324 and .365, hit 10+ triples, and stole between 38 and 81 bases. And in four of those seasons he had an OBP over .440. He led the league in Runs from 1912-14, stolen bases with 81 in 1910, and was voted AL MVP in 1914. Eddie was a key member of four Athletics World Series teams (three of which they won).
After the Collins, there is a significant dropoff in talent. It is a close choice, but Max Bishop (.272, .416 OBP) is my choice as the backup. Bishop played most of his career for the Athletics, from 1924-1933, and was the regular at 2B during those years (though he never played more than 130 games in a season). Although Bishop had a mediocre average, his OBP was outstanding given his willingness to take a free pass. He walked 100+ times seven times, and almost always had an OBP over .400. His top HR season was 10 in 1930, and he didn't have much speed either, but he scored 100+ runs from 1928-31, and was an imprtant part of the 1929-31 AL champions.
Danny Murphy (.290, 185 SB) was an early member of the Athletics, playing in 1,412 games but spliting his time between 2B and OF. A significant contributor from 1902-1913, he hit for average and ran a bit as well. He had 15+ SB in eight seasons, and managed 17 triples in 1904, and 18 in 1910. One could make a case for him over Bishop, but I won't press it here.
Dick Green (.240) played 1,158 games at 2B for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, spending his entire career (1963-74) with this franchise. A low average hitter, his best offensive season was in 1969 when he hit .275 with 12 HR and 64 RBI. He also didn't hit very well in seven post-season series (batting only 13-84 for a .155 average in those venues), so he doesn't really come close to making this all-time roster.
Although not at all candidate for this all-time team, I will mention that Nap LaJoie was the 2B for the Athletics first season. In 1901 he had one of the finest all-around offensive seasons of all-time, as he took the AL Triple Crown by hitting .426 with 14 HR and 125 RBI. He also had 48 doubles, 14 triples, a total of 232 hits, 27 SB, and 145 runs. After many fine years in Cleveland, he returned to the Athletics for his final two seasons in 1915-16, but in his forties, he was just a shadow of his former self.
3rd Base:
Sal Bando (.255, 192 HR, 4 AS) has played in the most games at 3B for the Athletics (1,446). After two partial seasons in Kansas City, he moved with the club to Oakland in 1968 and soon became a key slugger during their pennant-winning streak in the 1970s. His best numbers came in 1969 when he hit .281 with 31 HR, 113 RBI, and 106 runs. But in 1971 he was the runner-up AL MVP based on a .271 average, 24 HR, and 94 RBI (teammate and rookie phenom Vida Blue took the honors). Then in 1973 he came in 4th in MVP voting, and in 1974 3rd in the tally. Although in 1976 he hit 27 HR and 84 RBI, and even managed a career-high 20 SB, he was granted free agency after the season and went to the Brewers to play out his career.
The backup is once again a more difficult proposition. The reasonable candidates are plentiful (in order of games played at
3B): current 3B Eric Chavez (.271, 212 HR, 5 GG), 1980s 3B Carney Lansford (.288, 146 SB, 1 AS), old-timer Frank Baker (.321, 172 SB), and long-time player Jimmie Dykes (.283, 2 AS). Chavez has been a consistent run-producer for the A's, hitting 20-34 HR during each of his seven full seasons. He has also smashed 100+ RBI in four seasons, with 2001 being perhaps his best year with a .288 average, 32 HR, 43 doubles, and 114 RBI. He also brings an outstanding glove, capturing the gold-glove every year from 2001-2005. It seems a little strange that he has yet to be an AL All-Star.
After five seasons for the Angels and the Red Sox, Lansford came over to the A's before the 1983 season in a trade for Tony Armas. He could hit for high average, and his .336 average in 1989 ranked second in the AL. He had a little power, hitting double-digit HR five times, and displayed some ability to steal bases late in his career (25+ bases from 1987-1989).
Hall-of-Famer Frank "Home Run" Baker played his best seasons for the Athletics. After a brief 1908 campaign, he played full-time for them from 1909-1914. Although only six seasons, and hence far less than other candidates for this backup spot, he was amongst the league leaders in most offensive categories in most of those seasons and garnered some MVP consideration in four of them. He earned his nickname on the basis of leading the league in HR four times during this dead-ball era, with totals of 11, 10, 12, and 9 from 1911-14 (and his 10 in 1916 was second in the AL). He also paced the league in RBI in 1912 with 130 and in 1913 with 117. Not a one-dimensional player, he hit for high average, hit plenty of doubles and triples, and stole bases as well, with 30+ in three seasons.
Jimmie Dykes played for the Athletics for a long time, from 1918-1932, playing significantly at both 3B and 2B. In fact, he ranks third in both games and at-bats for the franchise. He hit over .300 five times, but displayed limited power and speed. He had a fine 1929 campaign, hitting .327 with 13 HR and 79 RBI, to help Philadelphia to the World Series. And once there, he helped them win it over the Cubs as he went 8-19 in the five game series.
Going with peak performance over longevity, I'm giving the backup spot to Baker over Dykes, though Chavez could take it at some point if sticks with Oakland long enough.
Shortstop:
Having said that, at SS I'll go with longevity over peak performance by choosing Bert Campaneris (.262, 566 SB, 5 AS) as the clear starter. Not that Campy wasn't a fine player, as he was an all-star five times for the Athletics and was a demon on the basepaths. He stole 50+ bases seven times, leading the league six times, and is second all-time for the club in that category. And just imagine how many he would have swiped had he been able to get on base more often: his .314 OBP was definitely a weakness in his game. Not a power hitter, he never had over 10 home runs in a season except in 1970 when he busted out with 22. However, although he never cracked the top-10, he received some MVP consideration in eight seasons. And I was serious when I said he had longevity, as he is the all-time franchise leader in both games (1,795) and at-bats (7,180).
Miguel Tejada (.270, 156 HR, 1 AS) is the "peak performer" I alluded to earlier. After starting his major league career as a 19-yr old in 1997, he matured into a major run producer a few years later. From 2000-2003 he hit 27-34 HR and 100+ RBI. In 2002 he hit .308 with 34 HR and 131 RBI, which was good enough to garner the AL MVP award. Highly durable, Tejada started one of the longest contemporary playing streaks while with Oakland and has continued it after signing with Baltimore as a free agent after the 2003 season.
There aren't really any other serious contenders here, so I'll just mention one also-ran. Eddie Joost (.249, 2 AS) played for the Athletics from 1947-1954, and was the regular SS for most of that time. He was twice an all-star, and garnered some MVP votes five times. Not a high-average hitter, he had some power for a middle-infielder, hitting 13-23 HR for six consecutive seasons. In 1949 he scored 128 runs, which was second best in the AL.
Catcher:
The choice for the starter at this position might be the most obvious for this team thus far. Hall-of-Famer Mickey Cochrane (.321, 823 runs, 2 AS) played all but his last four seasons for Philadelphia, hitting over .300 in most of those seasons. He had only moderate power, hitting 15+ HR three times. He scored 100+ runs four times, and regularly had an OBP over .400. He won one of his two MVP awards for the Athletics, though it wasn't one of his most impressive seasons statistically, as he hit .293 with 10 HR and 57 RBI. Compare that with 1932 when he hit 23 HR, 112 RBI, and 118 runs, or his 1929-31 seasons when he hit .331, .357, and .349 respectively.
Terry Steinbach (.275, 3 AS) also played most of his career for the Athletics franchise. He was the primary backstop for ten seasons from 1987-96. A consistent hitter, he moderate power except his final season in Oakland when he busted out for 35 HR and 100 RBI. He became a free agent afterwards and signed with the Twins where he played for three more years before retiring.
While these two were pretty easy choices, I did consider a few others. Cy Perkins (.259) was with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1915-1930, but he was only a full-time player for five of those years. 1921 was his best, as he hit .288 with 12 HR and 73 RBI (those 12 HR were good enough for 9th in the league that year).
And Frankie Hayes (.270, 4 AS) caught for the Athletics from 1933-42, and again in 1944-45. A little-known four-time All-Star, Hayes' best seasons were 1939 when he hit .283 with 20 HR and 83 RBI, and then 1940 when he hit .308 with 16 HR and 70 RBI.
Outfield:
The clear first choice for the all-time A's outfield is speed burner Rickey Henderson (.288, 167 HR, 1270 runs, 867 SB, 6 AS, 1 GG). Generally considered the best leadoff hitter in this history of the game, he was nonetheless traded around quite a lot and actually had four stints in Oakland. He was drafted by the A's in 1976 and made it to the major league club in 1979. After the 1984 season he was traded to the Yankees, but then traded back to the A's in June of 1989. He was traded to the Blue Jays on July 31, 1993, but then granted free agency at the end of the season and so re-signed with the A's. After also playing a bit for the Padres and Angels, he returned to the A's for the 1998 season (and then played for five more teams after that).
But Rickey sure was a fantastic player, and great fun to watch. He still has the single-season record for SB, swiping an amazing 130 in 1982 (and he ran a lot that year, as he was caught 42 times too). And that was far from a fluke, as he also swiped 100+ in 1980 and 1983 and regularly paced the AL in this category. He sometimes hit over .300, but always had a high OBP in part because of his unique batting stance that limited the appearance of his strikezone. He displayed power in some of his seasons, and he was well known for his leadoff HRs to start ballgames. He scored 100+ runs in seven seasons for the A's, plus twice more when he split time with other clubs. In 1990 he took home AL MVP honors after hitting .325 with 28 HR, 65 SB, and 119 runs. And he did well in several postseason series, including the 1989 World Championship season when he hit .400 with eight SB and two HR in the ALCS and then hit .474 in the WS.
But the Athletics have been loaded in the OF over the years, so there is no lack of quality candidates after Rickey. Al Simmons (.356, 209 HR, 348 D, 98 T, 1178 RBI, 969 R) had some insanely good seasons in for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1924-32 (he also returned to the club for a few games in 1940-41, and 1942). Regularly amongst the top MVP vote getters, he never took home the prize. Starting as a CF, he switched to LF after his first few seasons. After hitting .308 as rookie, he then broke out in 1925 hitting .387 with 253 hits, 24 HR, 129 RBI and 122 runs. In 1927 Aloysius managed a .392 average, and then later had one of the best four year stretches that any hitter ever has. In 1929 he hit .365 with 34 HR, 157 RBI, and 114 runs. In 1930 it was .381, 36 HR, 165 RBI, 152 runs. In 1931 it was .390, 22 HR, 128 RBI, 105 runs. And in 1932 it was .322, 35 HR, 151 RBI, and 144 runs. He led the AL in batting average twice, and came in second twice more. In all nine of those years he hit 100+ RBI, and he didn't slack off in the World Series as he hit .333+ with 6 HR in the 1929-31 series, helping to lead the A's to championships in the first two of them.
There is an embarassment of riches to choose from for the third starting spot in this OF. One candidate is the famed Reggie Jackson (.262, 269 HR, 145 SB, 6 AS). Primarily a RF, the hard-swinging Jackson started his career with the A's (1967-75) and then returned for his final year in 1987 (mostly as a DH). His hitting style meant lots of strikeouts, but also meant 25+ HR in seven seasons. In 1973 he garnered the AL MVP after hitting .293 with a league leading 32 HR and 117 RBI. But his best power numbers were earlier, in 1969, when he smashed 47 HR with 118 RBI and 123 runs while hitting .275. In these early years he also could run pretty well, swiping 20 or more bases three times.
The second that you could argue for as a starter is the less-well-known Bob Johnson (.298, .393 OBP, 252 HR, 1040 RBI, 997 RBI, 5 AS). Playing all but his last three seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1933-42), he hit 20+ HR nine times and had seven consecutive 100+ RBI years. I'll rank him a very strong fourth on this all-time roster.
Although steroid use and other matters have somewhat disgraced Jose Canseco (.264, 254 HR, 135 SB, 5 AS), his accomplishments remain impressive to me, and seem clearly deserving of the fifth spot on this club. He started by winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1986 after smashing 33 HR with 117 RBI (though striking out 170 times and only hitting .240). In 1988 he had a career year and took home AL MVP honors after becoming the first 40-40 man in history: .307, 42 HR, 40 SB, 120 runs, 124 RBI. In all he had five 30+ HR, 100+ RBI from 1986-91. In late 1992 he was traded to the Rangers, and played for several teams the rest of his career, including spending one more season withtehe A's in 1997.
There is a bit of a dropoff at this point, but Dwayne Murphy's (.247, 153 HR, 6 GG) combination of power and defense make him a deserving choice. Definitely one of the best players to never be chosen as an All-Star, he won six gold-glove awards, and hit 20+ HR three times during his tenure in Oakland from 1978-87. His 33 HR in 1984 were third best in the AL, and he also could run well swiping 26 bases in both 1980 and 1982.
This means that Sam Chapman (.268, 174 HR, 1 AS) is left off the roster. He played for the Athletics from 1938-1951, only being traded to Cleveland in May of his final season. He hit 20+ HR five times, and had his best season in 1941 when he hit .322 with 35 HR, 106 RBI, and 97 runs.
Bing Miller (.311) is another quality guy who is left off, even with two stints with the club (1922-26 and 1928-34) where he hit a cumulative .311. Mostly a singles and doubles hitter, his best statistical season was arguably 1922 when he hit .335 (fifth best in the AL) with 21 HR and 90 RBI.
There are many others who deserve brief mention, and I'll cover them in chronological order. Socks Seybold (.296) and Topsy Hartsel (.266, 196 SB) played for the Athletics for most of their first decade. Seybold's best season was 1902 when he hit .316 and led the AL with 16 HR. In 1902 Hartsel led the league with 109 runs and 47 SB. He had a good batting eye, as he led the league in walks five times. Rube Oldring (.271, 187 SB) joined the OF in 1906 and provided some speed as well. In 1913 he was amongst the AL leaders in both runs (101) and SB (40). Amos "Lightning" Strunk (.283, 144 SB) was a teammate of Oldring's and played for the Athletics for over ten years. Like many of this era, he stole bases, nabbing 20 or more four times.
Fast forward several decades and you have Wally Moses (.307, 1 AS) who played for the Athletics from 1935-41, and also from 1949-51 to end his career. He hit over .300 in all of his first seven seasons, with 1937 easily being his best overall as he hit .320 with 208 hits, 45 doubles, 13 triples, 25 HR, 86 RBI, and 113 runs. Elmer Valo (.285) played during this same era (1940-56 with the Athletics), though he wasn't a particularly impressive batsman. He hit .300+ a few times, but never had more than 10 HR or 14 SB in a season.
Gus Zernial (.259, 191 HR, 1 AS) only played for the A's for seven seasons, but he was quite productive hitting 25+ HR five times with 100+ RBI three times. His best numbers perhaps came in 1953 when hehit .284 with 42 HR and 108 RBI.
And finally Joe Rudi (.272, 3 AS, 3 GG) was on the A's from 1967-76, and then returned for his final season in 1982. A good fielder who had moderate power, 1974 was his best year as he hit .293 with 39 doubles, 22 HR and 99 RBI. In both 1972 and 1974, Rudi was amongst the A's getting MVP consideration and he finished second in the vote each year.
I told you the A's history was loaded with OF talent, didn't I?
Starting Pitching:
As with the A's outfield, they are absolutely loaded with starting pitchers to consider. Modern day fans are familiar with the A's pitching strength in recent years, but that is nothing compared to their past greatness.
Lefty Grove's (195-79, 2.88, 51 SV, 1 AS) resume is just too strong to ignore, so he is the ace of this all-time team. He pitched the first, and better, half of his career with the Athletics from 1925-33. He had seven straight 20+ win seasons, and regularly had an ERA well below 3.00 (even while the league average was well over 4.00). He won the pitching triple crown two years in a row, first in 1930 when he posted a 28-5 record, with a 2.54 ERA and 209 strikeouts. Then in 1931 he won the AL MVP award with a ridiculous 31-4 record, 2.06 ERA and 175 strikeouts. While with the A's he led the AL in ERA five times, wins four times, and strikeouts seven times. He was also solid in the World Series of 1929-31, going 4-2 with a 1.75 ERA. He was so versatile he even accumulated 51 saves for the Athletics, including a league-leading 9 in 1930 (when he led the league with those 28 wins).
Another lefthander, and by far the club's leader in both games started, innings pitched, and wins, Hall-of-Fame left-hander Eddie Plank (284-162, 2.39) will be next on this staff. He pitched for the first 14 Athletics teams, which amounted to all but his last three seasons. He managed 20+ wins seven times, and had 19 twice. League ERAs were low back then, often below 3.00 in fact, so the fact that Plank was usually below 3.00 as well is not that impressive in itself. But his mark was always better than the league average, and sometimes significantly so. He was usually amongst the league leaders in the major pitching statistics, but rarely paced the AL in anything. In four World Series he went only 2-5, but could have pitched much better as he completed six of his seven starts and had a cumulative 1.32 ERA. You could make a case for him, based on longevity, as the ace over Grove, but I don't think that is wise.
The third guy is easily James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (161-113, 3.13, 6 AS). After five mediocre seasons to start his career, he won 18 in 1970 and then 21 in each of the next three years. In 1972 he posted a 2.04 ERA, but 1974 was his best season with the A's as he went 25-12 with a 2.49 ERA (led league) and 23 complete games to take AL Cy Young Award honors. He was generally excellent in the postseason as well, going 7-2 with a 2.55 ERA.
Chief Bender (193-102, 2.32) was another quality arm during the early years (1903-14), and he'll be the fourth starter on this roster. He won 20+ twice, and 17+ another five times. His best season was 1910 when he was an oustanding 23-5 with a 1.58 ERA (though again, the league average was 2.37, so his mark only ranked fifth best).
After two brief seasons, Vida Blue (124-86, 2.95, 3 AS) burst onto the scene in 1971 as a 21-year-old phenom. He went 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA, striking out 301 in 312 innings (with 24 complete games), and took home both the Cy Young Award and the MVP Award in the American League. Although he never again pitched at that level, he did manage to win 20 games in two more seasons for the A's, and had seasons of 18 and 17 victories before leaving for the Giants in 1978.
Dave Stewart (119-78, 3.73, 1 AS) bounced around with several teams for several years before becoming an intimidating workhorse starter for the Athletics during the 1986 season. He won 20+ games in four consecutive seasons (1987-90) before losing his effectiveness. He didn't win the Cy Young in any of those seasons, though he finished in the top four in the vote in each. And he was consistently good in four postseasons for the A's, going 8-3 with a 2.31 ERA. And here is some nice trivia: on June 29, 1990, Stewart pitched a no-hitter against his future team, the Blue Jays, at The SkyDome. Only hours later, Dodger Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, marking the first time in major league history that no-hitters had been thrown in both leagues on the same day.
Another Athletics hurler who won 20+ games in four consecutive seasons, though it was in a very different era. Along with Plank and Bender, lefty Rube Waddell (131-82, 1.97) pitched in the first decade of the team's existence (1902-07). In 1905 he took home the pitching triple crown: 27-10, 1.48, 287 strikeouts. His ERA was consistently better than the league average for the day, largely the result of his ability to strike batters out: he led the AL in that category every year for the A's, and had a career high 349 in 383 innings in 1904. Although his time with the club was brief, you could move him up this ranking as high as fourth and I wouldn't argue with you about it.
As you will see, the Athletics have had two outstanding relievers, but the other candidates leave something to be desired. Therefore, I will go with an eighth starter for this roster, and that will be Eddie Rommell (171-119, 3.54) who spent his entire career (1920-1932) with the Athletics. He won 20+ twice, and 18 in two other seasons. His best year was 1922 when he led the AL in wins with a 27-13 mark. He later led the league again in 1925 with 21 wins.
But these eight aren't the end of the story, as I considered another eight for that last spot. Jack Coombs (115-67, 2.60) was another early tosser for the A's. After four mediocre seasons, he busted out in 1910 to go 31-9, completing 35 of the 38 games he started. He led the league in wins that year, and was second in ERA with a 1.30 mark. He led the AL in wins the next year, posting a 28-12 record. And then he had a third solid season going 21-10 in 1912.
Rube Walberg (134-114, 4.11) pitched from 1923-1933 for the Athletics, but managed only one 20-win season. He had four others with 16+, but never led the league in any impressive categories (unless you include "leading" the league in the most HR allowed twice). George Earnshaw (98-58, 4.18) was a teammate of Walberg's from 1928-33, and he managed three seasons of 20+ wins (plus one with 19). He paced the AL in wins in 1929 with a 24-8 record.
The next three should be more familiar to most readers. After a fine audition in 2000, Barry Zito (102-63, 3.55, 3 AS) has since been a workhorse for the A's starting 34-35 games every year. His best season was in 2002 when he worked his sweeping curveball well enough to win the AL Cy Young Award after posting a 2.75 ERA and leading the league in wins with a 23-5 record. Tim Hudson (92-39, 3.30, 2 AS) started with the A's one year earlier, but left for the Braves after the 2004 season. In 2000 he went 20-6 and was second in Cy Young votes. And the third in this trio, Mark Mulder (81-42, 3.92, 2 AS), was on the A's from 2000-04. He went led the league in 2001 in wins with a 21-8 record, and then went 19-7 in 2002.
A few others deserve brief mention, starting with Bob Welch (96-60, 3.94, 1 AS). After pitching many years for the Dodgers, be came over to the A's in 1988 and won 17 games that year and the next. Then in 1990 he went bananas and posted a 27-6 record and a 2.95 ERA en route to taking home the Cy Young Award.
Ken Holtzmann (77-55, 2.92, 2 AS) only pitched four seasons for the A's (1972-75), but he was a key part of their championships during that era as he won 18-21 games each year. He was fine in the postseason too, going 6-4 with a 2.30 ERA.
And lastly, I can't help but mention Bobby Shantz (69-65, 3.80, 2 AS). He is perhaps known by many as a reliever for the Yankees for a few years late in this career, but he actyally pitched for the Athletics franchise from 1949-56, and mostly as a starter. In 1951 he was 18-10, but in 1952 he had a career year going 24-7 with a 2.48 ERA, completing 27 of his 33 starts. He led the league in both wins and ERA that year, which was enough to earn him the AL MVP Award.
Relief Pitching:
Dennis Eckersley (41-31, 2.74, 320 SV, 4 AS) started his career as a starter for the Indians, Red Sox and Cubs, and had some success in that role. But when he joined the A's in 1987, manager Tony LaRussa used him as a closer as Jay Howell was faltering in that role. For the next five seasons he was as unhittable as almost any hitter has ever been. He racked up SV totals of 45, 33, 48, 43, and 51. His pinpoint control led to some insanely good numbers. In 1989 he pitched 57.7 innings, struckout 55 but walked only 3. Then in 1990 he had a microscopic 0.60 ERA over 73.3 innings, while striking out 73 and only walking 4. He regularly earned consideration for both the Cy Young and MVP awards, and in 1992 finally took home both based on a 7-1 record, 51 SV, and a 1.91 ERA. He had some issues in the postseason -- including allowing the famous one-legged HR to Kirk Gibson in 1988. But he clearly has earned the top spot relief spot on this roster.
And that is saying something, as it means Rollie Fingers (67-61, 2.91, 136 SV, 4 AS) is bumped to the number two spot. He pitched the first half of his career for Oakland, the first few years were mixed as a starter and reliever. he took over closer duties in 1972 and had five consecutive seasons of 18-24 SV and ERA below 3.00. He was generally solid in the postseason too, saving 8 games with a 2.22 ERA.
As I indicated earlier, the other reliever candidates didn't impress me much, so none are being selected for this all-time team. Billy Taylor (15-24, 3.84, 100 SV) was the closer for four seasons in the late 1990s, with 1998 being his best year with 33 SV and a 3.58 ERA. Jason Isringhausen (10-8, 3.04, 75 SV, 1 AS) was the closer in Oakland after Taylor, but only for two full seasons. Jay Howell (15-18, 3.68, 61 SV, 2 AS) closed for three years preceding Eck, and managed 29 SV with a 2.85 ERA in 1985. And going way back, John Wyatt 27-29, 3.77, 73 SV, 1 AS) was a respectable late-innings reliever for the Kansas City A's from 1961-66. He posted 20+ SV twice, during an era when this was not as common as today.
Extra Spot:
There are many candidates for this extra spot: Davis, Giambi, Chavez, Chapman, Miller, and several of the extra starting pitchers. I'll go with old-timer Harry Davis because of his oft-league-leading performances.
Team Captain:
With so many talented players, and no clear cut best of the bunch, it is hard to choose one to be the captain. Grove and Plank were outstanding starters, and for a few years Eck was unhittable. Simmons and Foxx put up some insane numbers. But I'll go with Rickey Henderson as the honorary team captain of this all-time team because of his value as a leadoff hitter and his all-out dominance on the basepaths.
Starting Lineup
Rickey Henderson OF
Eddie Collins 2B
Al Simmons OF
Jimmie Foxx 1B
Reggie Jackson OF
Mickey Cochrane C
Sal Bando 3B
Bert Campaneris SS
Lefty Grove SP
This is an outstanding lineup of course, starting with the best leadoff man of all-time. Several high-average hitters Collins, Simmons, Foxx, and Cochrane, and several with power in Simmons, Foxx, Jackson, and Bando. And then they have the pitching rotation and bullpen to back it up too.
Prospects for Current Players:
What are the prospects of current A's players making this all-time team? 3B Eric Chavez has very nearly earned the backup spot on this roster, if he can do better in 2007 than in 2006, he might make it. For pitching the competition is very tough. Barry Zito is knocking on the door, and it won't take much more to displace Rommell for the 8th spot for starters. With only two closers on the roster, and those being so strong, young Huston Street would essentially be competing with Zito for Rommell's spot on the roster. We'll see...
Other Lists
A's Retired Numbers (players only)
Reggie Jackson (9), Catfish Hunter (27), Rollie Fingers (34), Dennis Eckersley (43)
2003 Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups
Neyer first discusses an all-time roster that is limited to just the Oakaldn A's (through the 2002 season). But he later gives his selections for an all-time starting lineup for the complete Athletics franchise, so I'll discuss that first. His infield is Cochrane, Foxx, Collins, Joost, and Baker. For SS he writes "Tough choice between Joost and Campaneris, but Joost's excellence trumps Campy's longevity." And as for preferring Baker at 3B, he writes "Good fielder, great hitter, an AL's best third baseman until George Brett and Wade Boggs; famous, of course, for homering in consecutive Series games in 1911." In rightly lists Henderson in LF and Jackson in RF. But then for CF he goes with Dwayne Murphy, apparently discounting Simmons because he split time between LF and CF, as he rights: "A's have never had a great center fielder, but they've enjoyed a number of very good ones, including Dave Henderson, Billy North, Sam Chapman, and Amos Strunk." He lists four fine starters here with Grove, Plank, Waddell, and Hunter, and of course Eckersley as the reliever.
For the Oakland only roster he lists both starters and backups, per usual for his book. The starting infield is quite reasonable: Steinbach, McGwire, Green, Bando, and Tejada, though choosing Miguel is clearly weighing heavily peak performance over longevity (which is odd since he goes with Joost over Campy for the all-time A's, mentioning that Tejada still needed a year or two for consideration). The starting OF is the same as before with Henderson, Murphy, and Jackson. The backup hitters are Mike Heath as C, Giambi at 1B, utility man Tony Phillips at 2B, Campaneris at SS, and Lansford at 3B. The backup OF has Rudi in LF, speedy Bill North in CF, and of course Canseco in RF. The first four SP are Hunter, Blue, Stewart, and Welch, with the next four being Hudson, Holtzmann, Mike Moore, and Blue Moon Odom. He notes that Zito and Mulder hadn't pitched enough to qualify yet, so these choices make ense to me. Eck and Fingers are the two relievers, naturally.
1985 The
All-Time All-Star Baseball Book by Bart Acocella,
Nick Acocella, and Donald Dewey
I can't really compare my selections with these authors, because they split the Athletics up into three distinct lineups: Philadelphia, KC, and Oakland. For Philly they sensibly have Grove at P, Cochrane at C, Foxx at 1B, Collins at 2B, and Baker at 3B. The outfield is Simmons and Miller, plus Mule Haas who was a pretty good hitter for them for several years in late 20s and early 30s. In 1929 he hit .313 with 16 HR, 115 runs, and 82 RBI. How they choose him over Bob Johnson, or even Sam Chapman or others I described, is a mystery to me. And at SS they chose Joe Boley, who only played for the A's from 1927-32. Again, I think Joost is the more deserving here.
For the sad Kansas City incarnation, they have 1B Vic Power, 2B Jerry Lumpe, 3B Ed Charles, SS Dick Howser, OF Gus Zernial, Norm Siebern, and Bob Cerv, C Hal Smith, and P Bud Daley. I'm not going to discuss any of these guys, as the only one I considered for my all-time team was Zernial for the sixth OF spot.
The Oakland A's version is only through 1984, so it is quite limited of course. They list 1B Mike Epstein, 2B Dick Green, 3B Sal Bando, SS Bert Campaneris, OF Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Rickey Henderson, C Gene Tenace, and P Catfish Hunter. There weren't a lot of candidates at 1B, so I can't fault them too much for going with Epstein -- even though he really only had one good, full season for the team. Part of this problem is because they must list Gene Tenace as the C even though he split his time between C and 1B. He was a good hitter who belted 20+ HR from 1973-76 and also walked a lot.
1995 Baseball
Ratings by Charles S. Faber
For hitting lineups, Faber applies his system to the Philadelphia, KC, and Oakland eras of this franchise separately. For the first, it produces a reasonable lineup of 1B Foxx, 2B Collins, 3B Baker, SS Joost, C Cochrane, OF Simmons, Johnson, and Strunk. I'm not going to comment on the Kansas City version, but here it is: 1B Norm Siebern, 2B Jerry Lumpe, 3B Ed Charles, SS Wayne Causey, C Hal Smith, OF Bob Cerv, Bill Tuttle, Roger Maris. And for the Oakland batch, we get 1B McGwire, 2B Phillips, 3B Bando, SS Campaneris, C Steinbach, OF Henderson, Jackson, and Rudi.
For the pitchers, he combines them together and reports a solid top five of Plank, Grove, Bender, Hunter, and Rommel. And Eck is given as the top reliever.
TheBaseballPage.com (link)
This website (as of October 2006) selects only Foxx at 1B, but that is because they list McGwire as the starting DH. Because Collins is on the all-time White Sox for them, Max Bishop is elevated to be the starter at 2B, with Jimmy Dykes listed as a general reserve infielder. Tejada gets the nod at SS, with Campaneris as the backup, and Baker is at 3B, with Bando in reserve. Cochrane is the starting catcher, but then they have Wally Schang as the backup. He only played for the club for six years, never getting more than 359 at-bats in a season. His top numbers were 7 HR, 18 SB, and a .287 BA. Listing only Gene Tenace as even honorable mention at C really seems to be missing the boat on Terry Steinbach.
Their OF is solid with Henderson in LF, Simmons in CF, and Jackson in RF. Backups are Johnson and Canseco. At SP they list Grove, Hunter, Plank, Waddell, and Blue, so I have no real complaints there. Four others are listed in the bullpen, and again I think they are on the mark: Rommel, Bender, Stewart, and Zito. They go with Fingers as the top reliever, which I think is wrong, but they list Eckersley as the other. At least we agree that those two should be the only two true relievers in the pen. Their "Just Missed the Cut" honor is given to Eric Chavez, which is a fine choice.
1990: The Baseball Research Journal
In an interesting article, Robert C. Berlo used Thorn and
Palmer's TPR (Total Player Rating) system to choose all-time teams.
He selected players based on their best 800 consecutive games for
the franchise, with a minimum of five years played. His results:
1B Jimmie Foxx 24.9
2B Eddie Collins 29.5
SS Eddie Joost 10.6
3B Frank Baker 21.8
RF Reggie Jackson 21..9
CF Al Simmons 19.0
LF Rickey Henderson 26.2
C Mickey Cochrane 18.8
SP Lefty Grove 25.8
SP Rube Waddell 15.2
SP Chief Bender 12.3
SP Eddie Plank 10.3
RP Eddie Rommel 13.8
Analysis:
Without Tejada in the mix SS is obviously a weakness, with Joost's peak years topping Campaneris but still only earning a 10.6 score. Grove is far ahead of all the pitchers here, and it is no surprise that Waddell comes in second given the method used. I found it odd to find Rommel listed as the reliever. While he did pitch many games in relief, during his best years he was predominantly a starter (remember, he went 27-13 one year!), and in those years when he worked more as a reliever (later in his career), he wasn't really that good. So that confuses me.
1958: Sport magazine, October issue
As part of a running series, Sport magazine reported on all-time all-star teams picked by "big league publicity departments and the writers covering the clubs." Here is what they had to say:
- First base: Jimmy Foxx played 11 years for Mr. Mack and set slugging records that have still not been equalled. His 58 home runs in 1932 ties him with Hank Greenberg for the best mark since Ruth.
- Second base: Eddie Collins, like Foxx a member of the Hall of Fame, started his career at Philadelphia and was one of the greatest hitters, fielders and base-stealers teh game has ever known.
- Shortstop: Jack Barry, the slickest fielder of the $100,000 infield, never hit .300 or made the Hall of Fame, but has always been considered an integral part of the old Athletics who terrorized the American League in 1910 and 1911.
- Third base: Frank "Home Run" Baker, a consistently good hitter and the first of the home-run sluggers, was a key man in Connie Mack's fabulous $100,000 infield, the greatest of its era.
- Outfield: Al Simmons never hit under .300 in nine seasons in Philadelphia, with .392 in 1927 and .390 in 1931. He and Foxx are probably the best hitters ever to play for the Athletics.
- Outfield: Bing Miller, who played from 1922-26 and 1928 to 1934 for the A's, hit .300 regularly, his best season being .342 in 1924.
- Outfield: Wally Moses, of more recent vintage, never won a batting championship but never hit under .300 while playing a fine game in the field from 1935 to 1941.
- Catcher: Mickey Cochrane, another Hall of Fame immortal, played from 1925 to 1933 and set the standards for modern catchers.
- Righthanded Pitcher: Eddie Plank, whose 14 years with the Athletics produced 284 victories, wins by a narrow margin over fellow Hall of Famer Chief Bender.
- Lefthanded Pitcher: Lefty Grove won just under 200 games in nine seasons for the Athletics, and amazing feat that stamps him as the greatest southpaw of any team.
Analysis:
Back in 1958 this is a reasonable roster, with one obvious exception: Eddie Plank. Why you ask? Well, he was left-handed, not right-handed. So the real selection for RHP should have been Bender, who they at least acknowledged came close. Beyond that, this is a defendable all-time lineup. I prefer Joost over Barry at SS, but you could make a case for either candidate. And I think that Johnson's resume is superior to that of either Miller or Moses, but they were fine players too.
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