The 24 best players in Oakland Athletics history

Leading the A's franchise in WAR is southpaw Eddie Plank, who pitched for the team when were still based in Philadelphia. The Gettysburg, PA native spent 14 seasons with the club, earning 284 victories and pitching to a 2.39 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP. Plank is the Athletics all-time leader in starts, wins, innings, complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts, though he ironically never led the league in any major category. Most importantly to his legacy in this organization, Plank helped the A's win the World Series in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and the Old Timers' Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1947. 

Outfielder Rickey Henderson enjoyed his time in Oakland so much that he just kept coming back. Across three different stints with the Athletics Henderson slashed .288/.409/.430 with 167 homers, 289 doubles, and most notably 867 stolen bases in just over 1,700 contests. The Chicago, IL native represented Oakland in six all-star games, won two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, and was most impressively the MVP of the American League in 1990. While with the A's he led the league in steals seven times, runs twice, and hits once and helped Oakland win the World Series in 1989. Henderson retired in 2003 as Major League Baseball's all-time leader in both runs and stolen bases and was a shoe in to Cooperstown in 2009. Oakland retired his number 24 the same year. 

Southpaw Lefty Grove nearly equally divided his career between the A's and Red Sox, but was undoubtedly more productive in his first act. Pitching for this franchise for nine years while they were still the Philadelphia Athletics, Grove won 195 games and delivered a 2.88 ERA. He won an unbelievable five ERA titles while with the A's and led the league in strikeouts in each of his first seven Major League seasons. He helped Philadelphia win back-to-back World Series titles in 1929 and 1930, won two pitching Triple Crowns, and earned an MVP award in 1931. Grove was easily inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947 and is still remembered today as one of the premier left-handed starting pitchers to ever do it. 

Right-handed slugger Jimmie Foxx debuted for the Philadelphia Athletics as a 17-year-old in 1925, and would go on to become one of the greatest offensive players of his generation. Foxx spent the first 11 of his 20 Major League seasons with the A's, slashing .339/.440/.640 with 302 home runs, 1,075 RBI, 257 doubles, and 79 triples. He was an all-star for the Athletics three times in a row from '33-'35--though it should be noted there was no all-star game prior to 1933. Foxx won two MVP awards while with Philadelphia, earned a batting title, and was the Triple Crown winner in 1933. He helped the A's win back-to-back World Series titles in 1929 and 1930 and was an automatic selection to Cooperstown in 1951. 

Second baseman Eddie Collins began and ended his career in Philadelphia playing for the Athletics, with a twelve year White Sox hiatus sandwiched in between. During his A's tenure though he undoubtedly put together one of the more complete resumes in organizational history. As an Athletic Collins slashed .337/.423/.437 with 273 extra-base hits, 496 RBI, and 373 stolen bases. He was named the MVP of the American League in 1914 after finishing in the top six in the voting in each of the three years prior, and led the league in hits for three years in a row from 1912-1914. Most impressively, Collins was a member of five World Series winning teams with Philadelphia. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939. 

Third baseman Sal Bando began his career in 1966 as a member of the Kansas City Athletics, and then moved with the team to Oakland in '68. Across 11 seasons with the club the Cleveland, OH native slashed .255/.359/.418 with 192 home runs, 796 RBI, 212 doubles, 25 triples, and 60 stolen bases. He represented Oakland in four all-star games, led the American League in doubles in 1973, and most importantly helped the A's win three straight World Series championships from '72-'74. 

Right-handed swinging outfielder Al Simmons had three different stints with the A's and ultimately ended up playing 1,290 games across a dozen years with the franchise. During his Philadelphia tenure the Milwaukee, WI native slashed .356/.398/.584 with 209 long balls, 1,179 RBI, 348 doubles, and 98 triples. He led the league in hits twice, and drove in over 100 runs for the A's in each of his first nine Major League seasons. Simmons won back-to-back batting titles in 1930 and 1931, and impressively helped the Athletics win two World Series titles. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1953. 

Righty Eddie Rommel spent all thirteen of his Major League seasons in Philadelphia with the A's, and while he was never really a star, he was a consistent and reliable member of this pitching staff for a long time. In 501 appearances for the Athletics (roughly half of them were starts), Rommel won 171 games and pitched to a 3.54 ERA in 2,557 innings. He led the AL in wins in both 1922 and 1925, and gave the A's well over 200 innings six straight years from '21-'26. Most importantly to his legacy with this franchise, Rommel was a member of the Athletics World Series winning teams in 1929 and 1930. 

Bert Campaneris spent the first 13 years of his career with the Athletics and was a staple in the middle of the team's infield. The speedy shortstop slashed .262/.314/.348 with the A's, while contributing 410 extra-base hits, driving in 529 runs, and swiping 566 bases. He represented Oakland in five all-star games, led the American League in his in 1968, and paced the junior circuit in stolen bases six times. Most importantly, Campaneris was a member of the Athletics team that won three consecutive World Series championships in the early 1970's. 

Left-handed slugger Reggie Jackson is one of the most dynamic offensive players to ever wear an Athletics uniform, and it was really cool to see him return to Oakland for a final season at the end of his career in 1987. In 1,346 total games with the club that made him the 2nd overall pick in the 1966 draft, Jackson slashed .262/.355/.496 with 269 homers, 776 RBI, 234 doubles, 27 triples, and 145 stolen bases. He led the American League in home runs twice with with the A's, and drove in over 100 runs for the club three different times. Jackson represented Oakland in six all-star games, was the 1973 AL MVP, and was a key contributor on three Athletics World Series winners. He was easily ushered into Cooperstown in 1993, and the A's retired his number 9 in 2004. 

Right-hander Charles Bender pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics for a dozen years in the early 1900's and was a critical part of the A's success at the time. In 385 appearances for the club (288 starts), Bender earned 193 victories and pitched to a phenomenal 2.32 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. He gave the Athletics well over 200 innings nine different times, tossed 228 complete games, and delivered 36 shutouts. The man nicknamed 'The Chief' was also a integral part of three World Series winning teams while with Philadelphia, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953. 

Lefty Rube Waddell did not pitch for the A's for very long, but accomplished quite a bit in the half dozen years he spent in Philadelphia. In 251 outings for the Athletics the Bradford, PA native won 131 games and pitched to an unbelievable 1.97 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP in 1,869.1 innings. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 1905, led the American League in strikeouts in all six of his seasons with the A's, and was ushered into the Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1946. 

Pryor, OK native Bob Johnson played his first ten Major League seasons in Philadelphia with the A's, and was a dynamic run producer during his entire tenure with the club. In 1,459 games with the organization the right-handed swinging outfielder slashed .298/.395/.520 with 252 homers, 1,040 RBI, 307 doubles, 72 triples, and 78 steals. He drove in over 100 runs for the A's seven straight years from 1935-1941, and knocked in over 90 for them in the two seasons preceding that run. Johnson represented the Athletics in five all-star games and while he never won the award, he did finish in the top 10 of the American League MVP voting twice. 

Mark McGwire became the most lethal power hitter in baseball in the late 90's, and as much fun as the highly decorated home run chase in 1998 was, in hindsight it's become somewhat disappointing given that it was fueled by rampant steroid use. It's important to remember, though, that long before he got to St. Louis where he ultimately set a new single season home run record with 70 big flies, McGwire had already been one of the best players in all of baseball while with Oakland. In 1,329 games with the A's the hulking first baseman slashed .260/.380/.551 with 363 home runs, 941 RBI, and 195 doubles. He wore an Oakland hat in nine all-star games, was the 1987 AL Rookie of the Year, won a Gold Glove, and earned two Silver Sluggers. Most importantly, McGwire helped the A's win the 1989 World Series, and were it not for the asterisk attached to the later portion of his career he would have been enshrined in Cooperstown a long time ago. 

Third baseman Frank Baker had arguably the coolest nickname possible for a baseball player, as for the majority of his career he went by the moniker 'Home Run'. Given the way the game is played today the name is actually kind of funny given that Baker never hit more than 12 long balls in any given season, but during his era that was a huge number--he actually led the AL in big flies three straight years from 1911-1913. In seven total seasons with the A's the left-handed slugger slashed .321/.375/.471 with 48 homers, 612 RBI, 194 doubles, 88 triples, and 172 stolen bases. He knocked in over 100 runs for Philadelphia three times, led the league with 19 triples in 1909, and helped the Athletics win three World Series championships. The Veteran's Committee voted Baker into the Hall of Fame in 1955. 

Bridgewater, MA native Mickey Cochrane debuted behind the plate for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 and quickly became one of the best two way catchers of his generation. In nine seasons with the A's Cochrane slashed .321/.412/.490 with 108 home runs, 680 RBI, 250 doubles, and 59 triples. He was the MVP of the American League in 1928, helped the Athletics win the World Series in 1929 and 1930, and earned a ticket to Cooperstown in '47. 

Second baseman Max Bishop's career nearly aligned perfectly with the just mentioned Mickey Cochrane's, and the two were teammates on the A's for nine years. The left-handed swinging Bishop slashed .272/.423/.370 in a Philadelphia uniform, while contributing 292 extra-base hits, driving in 343 runs, and swiping 37 bases. Most importantly, he was a member of the Athletics back-to-back World Series winning teams in 1929 and 1930. 

Philadelphia born Harry Davis played for several teams early in his career, and it must have been a dream come true for him to return to the city he grew up in and join the Athletics in 1901. The first baseman would go on to play parts of 16 seasons with the A's, and became almost an instant fan favorite. In 1,413 games with Philadelphia he slashed .279/.337/.408 with 69 homers, 761 RBI, 319 doubles, 82 triples, and 223 stolen bases. Davis led the American League in homers in four straight seasons from 1904-1907, and was a part of three Athletics World Series winners. 

Danny Murphy began his A's career as a second baseman before eventually shifting to right field full time, but wherever he lined up on the diamond the right-handed hitter was a staple in the Athletics everyday line-up. In 1,412 games with the team he slashed .290/.336/.407 with 421 extra-base hits, 664 RBI, and 185 stolen bases. Murphy never led the league in any individual category but he was a prime example of the sum being greater than all of its parts, and did a lot of little things to help Philadelphia win. To that end, he was a member of three World Series winners while in the City of Brotherly Love, and will always be remembered fondly in this organization. 

Eric Chavez was the Athletics first round pick in the 1996 draft, and he'd go on to become arguably the best third baseman in the franchise's history. In 13 seasons in Oakland the San Diego, CA native slashed .267/.343/.478 with 230 homers, 787 RBI, and 282 doubles. He gave the A's 26 or more home runs in six straight seasons from 2000-2005, drove in over 100 runs for the team four times, and earned a Silver Slugger in '02. Chavez was also the premier defensive third baseman of his era, capturing six straight Gold Gloves from '01-'06. Despite all of these accolades, he inexplicably did not make a single American League all-star team during his career.  

Center fielder Dwayne Murphy spent the first 10 years of his career in the Bay Area with the Athletics, and for most of that time was the premier defensive outfielder in the American League. Murphy earned six straight Gold Glove awards while with Oakland, but that's not to say he was strictly a one dimensional player. Offensively the Merced, CA native slashed .247/.356/.402 in an A's uniform, while homering 153 times, driving in 563 runs, and adding 129 doubles, 20 triples, and 99 stolen bases. Like the just mentioned Chavez, though, Murphy stunningly did not qualify for a single AL all-star team. 

Catfish Hunter began his Athletics career while they still played their home games in Kansas City, and the right-hander would eventually develop into one of the greatest hurlers to ever pitch for the franchise. In 363 outings for the organization (340 starts), Hunter won 161 games with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP, while striking out 1,520 batters in 2,456.1 innings. He was the American League Cy Young award winner in 1974--the same season he earned his only ERA title--and represented the A's in six all-star games. Hunter gave this team over 200 innings every season from 1967-1974, and won three World Series wins as the premier member of Oakland's starting rotation. The organization retired his number 27 in 1991, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in '87. 

Righty Tim Hudson ended up having a long and fruitful 17-year Major League career, and while he spent only his first six seasons in Oakland with the A's, it's not unreasonable to say his best days came in the Bay Area. In the 183 starts he made in an Athletics uniform Hudson earned 92 victories and pitched to an outstanding 3.30 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. He struck out 899 hitters in 1,240.2 innings and fired 16 complete games--eight of which were shutouts. The Columbus, GA native represented Oakland in two all-star games, and while he never won the award he finished in the top six of the American League Cy Young voting three times. A's fans were devastated when with just a year left on his contract the club just to trade Hudson to the Braves rather than give him a lucrative extension, but unfortunately that has sort of become par for the course with this organization in recent history. 

The A's selected southpaw Barry Zito 9th overall in the 1999 draft and he'd go on to team with Hudson and lefty Mark Mulder to give Oakland the best rotation in the American League in the early 2000's. In 225 outings for the A's Zito pitched to 3.58 ERA in 1,437.1 frames, while leading the league in starts four times and giving the team over 200 innings in six straight seasons. He was the American League Cy Young winner in 2002, wore an A's hat in three all-star games, and is a popular fan favorite in the Bay Area to this day. After leaving Oakland Zito spent seven years on the other side of the Bay in San Francisco where he helped the Giants win the World Series in 2012. After missing all of the '14 season he tried to make a comeback with the A's in '15 that didn't work out, but the effort even further cemented his place in the hearts of Oakland fans.