Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, which turned out to be their final season in Oakland, as they will be playing in Sacramento for three years until they move to Las Vegas.  There were no new entrants, but changes within the list based on the new algorithm.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a change at the top based on the new algorithm.

1. Rickey Henderson

2. Lefty Grove

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

As mentioned above, Henderson overtook Grove for the top spot based on the new calculations.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jed Lowrie is a 14-year MLB veteran infielder who started his career with the Boston Red Sox. However, his most successful stint was with the Oakland Athletics. After playing for the Red Sox for four years (from 2008 to 2011), he was traded to Houston, who then dealt him to Oakland after a year. Despite never having played over 400 plate appearances in a season, Lowrie became Oakland's full-time shortstop and managed to hit 175 times with a batting average of .290. The next year, he recorded 125 hits with a .249 batting average. After becoming a free agent, Lowrie returned to the Astros but was soon shifted from shortstop to third base in favor of Carlos Correa, who won the Rookie of the Year. He was then traded back to Oakland, where he had his best season, being selected as an All-Star and achieving career-highs in home runs (23), runs batted in (99), and OPS+ (121).

Lowrie then signed a two-year contract with the New York Mets, but knee problems limited him to only nine games, and he missed the entire 2020 season. Later, he rejoined Oakland for two more seasons, finishing his career with 1,185 hits and 121 home runs.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, where they not only lost a lot of games and were mocked for their lack of attendance.  Their time left in Oakland is questionable, and they remain in a perpetual state of rebuilding.  This led to another year, where we saw no new entrants and elevations.  Nevertheless, at the end of every year we always acknowledge that we took into account the past season.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Oakland continued their tradition as a basement dweller, that develop talent only to trade them when they can no longer afford them.  This makes it very difficult for anyone to crack the Top 50, and no one was able to do so in 2022, but we wanted to show that this reflects the last season. 

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Sometimes, shame works.

Less than a month ago, Dave Stewart was asked on Twitter by a fan when the Oakland Athletics planned to follow through on his retirement.  His response shocked A’s fans and Baseball alike:

I have no idea what the A’s are doing. At this point they can just retire the number with no celebration as far as I’m concerned. Come to the park and it will be on display with the other retired numbers. If you find out something before I do, please let me know?”

Oakland had announced in 2019 that the team would retire Stewart’s number in 2020, but COVID-19 but a squash to that.  No announcement took place over 2020 and 2021, and it appeared that the Athletics marketing team forgot all about Stewart.

Obviously, they mended fences, and on September 11, during Oakland’s game against the White Sox, Stewart’s #34 (which he shared with Rollie Fingers and was already retired) will be officially honored by the team.  Stewart becomes the sixth man to have his number retired, joining Fingers, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson.

We are looking forward to seeing this ceremony, and we are happy to see Dave Stewart obtain this accolade.

The Oakland Athletics have had their share of problems over the last few decades, as they are a small market team in an awful stadium, that are constantly the subject of relocation speculation.  Add another one, as the team has upset a former superstar due to their mishandling of his impending jersey retirement. 

In 2019, Oakland announced that they would retire the number 34 of Dave Stewart in 2000, but COVID postponed those plans.  The team never announced any rescheduling, leading to a fan asking Stewart on Twitter when this would be happening.  The former Pitcher responded:

“I have no idea what the A’s are doing. At this point they can just retire the number with no celebration as far as I’m concerned. Come to the park and it will be on display with the other retired numbers. If you find out something before I do, please let me know?”

You would think that the team would have been in contact with Stewart, as this is an embarrassment for the A’s, and a slap in the face their former star.

Hopefully, this will be rectified soon, and we can watch the man with one of the most intimidating glare on the mound do it one more time in the city he became a star.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Oakland failed to make the playoffs in 2021, and they did what they always do after the season, which was to trade off assets before they became too costly.  

As always, we present our top five, though there were no changes, and only one new addition overall.

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

The only new entry is Third Baseman, Matt Chapman, a defensive wizard who was traded to Toronto in the off-season, who enters at #50.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

In the late 2010s’ there is no doubt that the best defensive player at the “hot corner” was Matt Chapman. 

A First Round Pick in 2014, Chapman was called up in June of 2017, and would hold the starting Third Base job until he was traded to Toronto in 2022.  An All-Star in 2019, Chapman never had a great Batting Average (.243 with Oakland), but had solid power belting 111 Home Runs in 573 Games.  Chapman finished in the top ten in MVP voting twice, won three Gold Gloves, two Platinum Gloves and was the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.

Had Chapman been only average at defense, he likely would not have made this list, but what he did with the leather was so impressive that his spot is well earned.

Bob Welch split his career between two California teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, and he brought success to both of those squads.

Tony Phillips never made an All-Star team, and he only had one year where he received votes for an MVP (16^th in 1995).  Yet, here we have a player worth talking about among some of those worth a Hall of Fame look.

Prior to winning the World Series MVP in 1972, you could argue that Gene Tenace was one of its most unlikely recipients.  The Catcher made his first appearance in the Majors in 1969 for Oakland, but he was mostly a backup.  Late in the ’72 season, Tenace was promoted to a starter, and he belted four Home Runs in World Series.

While the career of Jose Canseco was beset with controversy regarding his steroid use, the players he would later accuse of taking PEDS, and his off-field shenanigans, there should be no doubt that during his prime, he was pegged as a future Hall of Famer.

From the island of Cuba, Bert Campaneris would go down in history as one of the most versatile players in Major League history, and he would become the first man to ever play all nine positions in a Major League Game.  He accomplished that early in his career in 1965 when he was with the Kansas City Athletics.

Vida Blue debuted in 1969, where in his 12 Games in Oakland, he was ineffective with a 6.64 ERA.  His 1970 callup was different with a 2-0 record over six starts and a pair of Shutouts.  1971 was one of the best seasons ever for an Oakland A’s Pitcher.

Sal Bando was an integral part of the Oakland Athletics dynasty, and he was there when they were toiling in obscurity in Kansas City.  When the Athletics’ owner, Charles O. Finlay, relocated the team to Oakland, Bando was at the core of what was poised to become a special team that defined the early 1970s.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the pre-2021 update of our top 50 Oakland Athletics of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There is only one new addition near the bottom part of our list.  As always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Jimmie Foxx

4. Eddie Plank

5. Al Simmons

There was some minor tinkering on the list due to the changing values from Baseball Reference.  No active Athletics made the list, but the altering advanced stats led to former 1930s Rightfielder, Wally Moses, replacing Jack Barry.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Wally Moses first cracked the Majors with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1935, where he won the starting job at Rightfield.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Oakland Athletics. 

The Athletics were a charter member of the American League in 1901 when they were located in Philadelphia. While they played on the East Coast, they were owned and ran by Connie Mack, who had his share of success and failures.  When they were good, they boasted Hall of Fame players like Lefty Grove, Chief Bender and Jimmie Foxx, and they won five World Series Championships (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 & 1930) in their first half of existence.

While they had five more World Series Titles then their National League rivals, the Phillies, they struggled financially, and they relocated to Kansas City.  They were there for 13 unremarkable years, and they then went all the way to West, to Oakland.  

With players like Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers and Catfish Hunter, they rattled off three consecutive World Series wins (1972-74).  Ownership let their stars go, but by the late 80s, they were back with Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Dennis Eckersley and Dave Stewart, and they won three American League Pennants (1988-90), winning the one in the middle.  

At present, Oakland follows a Moneyball strategy, and though that tenth World Series has been elusive, they have shown competitiveness despite a low payroll.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2018-19 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Jimmie Foxx

4. Eddie Plank

5. Al Simmons

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our All-Time Top 50 Seattle Mariners coming next!

As always we thank you for your support.

Miguel Tejada signed with Oakland as an Amateur Free Agent from the Dominican Republic in 1993, and he would crack the main roster in 1997.  Tejada would be the starting Shortstop in 1999, where he would establish himself as one of the best power-hitting infielders in the game.  From 2000 to 2002, he would have 30 Home Runs, and from 2000 to 2003, he was able to secure at least 100 RBIs.  Tejada was an All-Star in 2002, the year he had 24 Home Runs, 131 RBIs, and a .308 Batting Average.  For his efforts, he would win the American League MVP.

Mark Ellis is not the first name you come up with on a “best of” list, but the fact remains that he accumulated over 1,000 Hits with the team, which is an impressive feat for any franchise.