If you were looking to pick your greatest ever Athletics lineup, based on single-season offensive performances, where would you start?
For a team with a storied 109-year history, there are options from every era and at every position.
The outfield might be as good a place as any, with a host of Hall of Fame members and All-Stars among their number.
How about the stars from the championship-winning teams that three-peated in the mid 1970s?
Or maybe a player of French-Canadian descent who batted .426 at the turn of the 1900s? Is the past worth more the present? Is power more important than speed?
It all points to one question with hundreds of possibilities: Which Athletic, playing in Oakland, Kansas City, or Philadelphia, had the greatest offensive season at his position?
Major League Baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best-ever collection of stars.
They are calling it MLB 9s.
Here I have separated the contenders from the pretenders in an effort to pick my dream A's lineup.
My other MLB 9s you might want to check out are:
Diamondbacks , Braves , Orioles , Red Sox , Cubs , White Sox , Reds , Indians , Rockies , Tigers , Marlins , Royals , Angels , Dodgers , Twins ,Mets , and Yankees
Catcher: Mickey Cochrane (1931)
Hall-of-Famer Mickey Cochrane had the best offensive year of any A’s backstop in 1931, despite playing in only 122 games.
The Philadelphia Athletic hit 17 home runs, batted .349, and drove in 89 runs. His batting average was fourth highest in the American League and he ranked inside the top 10 in offensive categories such as on-base percentage (.423) and slugging (.553).
No full-time As catcher has ever had a better OPS+ statistic, a measure of on-base and slugging percentages, taking into account league averages and park factors.
Highlight Game: July 30, 1931 vs. St Louis Browns. Cochrane recorded his only multi-home run game of the season, going deep twice in an 8-5 victory over the Browns.
Cochrane hit a two-run shot in the fourth and a solo jack in the sixth—both off Dick Coffman—to extend Philadelphia’s lead in the American League to 12 games.
Competition: You could make a solid argument for Gene Tenace who hit more than 20 home runs in four consecutive seasons.
He was an All-Star in 1975 and he received a sprinkle of MVP votes in 1976. But while his home run tallies of 29, 26, 24, and 22 are hard to ignore, his .211 batting average and triple-figure strikeouts knock him out of the running.
More recently, catchers like Ramon Hernandez have had solid seasons, posting lines of 21 home runs, 78 RBI, and a .273 clip. While it was worthy of an All-Star selection, it pales in comparison to the quality Cochrane produced some 70 years earlier.
First Base: Jimmie Foxx (1932)
There should be absolutely no debates here because this frankly isn’t even close.
Foxx led all of baseball in home runs (58), slugging percentage (.749), total bases (438), RBI (169), and times on base (329).
He ranked second among all Major Leaguers in walks and extra-base hits, and he was an easy choice for the Most Valuable Player award.
Foxx batted .364, drew 116 walks, and scored an American league-topping 151 times.
No A’s first baseman in history has ever recorded more home runs, RBI, or runs in a single season.
Highlight Game: July 10, 1932 at Cleveland. Refusing to lose against the Indians, Foxx put it upon himself to see the A’s were victorious.
He hit a solo home run in the third inning, a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and a game-winning two-run blast in the top of the 16th inning. It was Foxx’s only three-home run game of the 1932 season as Philadelphia won 18-17.
Incidentally, Foxx also had a three-homer game the following year, going yard thrice off of Lefty Gomez.
Competition: There is a plethora of talent and depth at first base, making Foxx’s 1932 season even more remarkable.
Mark McGwire hit 52 home runs, batted .312, and drove in 113 runs in 1996, and Jason Giambi launched 43 homers with 137 RBI, and a .333 batting average in 2000.
It’s probably fair to assume that these were “pre-roid” numbers, although it makes you wonder what either of them could have done if they were juicing.
Oh, wait. 70 home runs in 1998. That’s what.
Second Base: Nap Lajoie (1901)
Yes, the year was 1901, but how can you not root for a guy who batted .426?
No player since the turn of the 1900s has ever had a higher single-season batting average, and no American League player in the history of professional baseball has topped Lajoie’s .426 average in the 138-year span of the sport.
The infielder led the American league in virtually every offensive category in the 1901 season—runs, hits, singles, doubles, home runs, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases.
Along with the ridiculous .426 clip, Lajoie hit 14 home runs and 48 doubles, scored 145 runs, and swiped 27 bases. A career year by anyone’s standards, indeed.
Highlight Game: May 23, 1901, vs. Chicago White Sox. Picture the scenario: The White Sox are leading 11-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning. The bases are loaded, nobody out, and Nap Lajoie comes to the plate representing the tying run.
A force-out at any base is available, a double-play would almost certainly put the game to bed, and a sac fly may not be the worst outcome in the world if you want to trade a run for an out.
Manager Clark Griffith was not willing to take that chance. He inserted himself into the game as the new reliever and intentionally walked Lajoie to force in a run.
In the 20th century, only Lajoie, Bill Nicholson and Barry Bonds drew an intentional walk with the bags filled.
The next three batters were all retired on ground ball outs and the White Sox held on to win 11-10.
Competition: Mark Ellis’s 2007 season is a contender with 19 home runs, and Eddie Collins deserves a mention for his 1914 campaign which featured a .344 batting average, 122 runs, and 58 steals.
Other than that though, it is pretty slim pickings. It’s a moot point however, because Lajoie runs away with this comfortably.
Saying Lajoie was “pretty good” is like saying that Tiger Woods was a “little bit” unfaithful.
Third Base: Frank Baker (1912)
Looking at the raw numbers, Baker doesn’t really stand out. Guys like Sal Bando and Eric Chavez hit three times as many home runs as Baker did.
The trump card here is the year, 1912. A period in baseball history where double-digit home runs totals are a rare breed, where a .350 batting average does not rank inside the top 10 in the league, where 100 steals or 30 triples is not unknown.
That leads us nicely to Hall-of-Fame third baseman Frank Baker, who led the American league in home runs with 10.
His 130 RBI also topped all AL players, and he collected 21 triples, 40 stolen bases, 116 runs, and a .347 batting average.
Even today, Baker still holds the Athletics’ single-season record for runs batted in, steals, runs scored, triples, and batting average by a third baseman.
Highlight Game: June 19, 1912 vs. Washington. Baker helped the A’s snap the Senator’s 17-game winning streak with a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Trailing 1-0 and down to the final out, Baker hit a solo shot off Tom Hughes to keep the game alive. The Athletics went on to win the game 2-1, before winning the next three games in the seven-game series which was played over five days and included back-to-back double-headers.
“Home Run” Baker saved his biggest games for the biggest stage, particularly the 1911 World Series. 1912 was the season the Athletics didn’t win in all, although Baker certainly did his best to keep Philadelphia competitive.
Competition: The Accomplishments of Chavez and Bando should not go unrecognized. Chavez hit 32 home runs, batted in 114 runs, and scored 91 times in 2001, while Bando hit 29 jacks with 98 RBI, and a .287 average in 1973.
Neither season is bad, but Baker just seemed to be ahead of the rest of the league during the time he played.
Pinky Higgins was also above average in 1934 when he posted totals of 16 homers, 90 RBI, and a .330 average.
Shortstop: Miguel Tejada (2002)
With an admitted bias to the modern-day athlete here over an equally-proficient shortstop from the 1920s or ‘30s, Tejada gets the vote.
Tejada won the AL MVP with Oakland in 2002 during what may have been his peak as a player.
He hit 34 home runs and batted .308, playing in every A’s game and leading the team in runs (108), hits (204), home runs, RBI (131), and batting average.
No shortstop in the history of the A’s has hit more home runs or batted in more men in a single season, and only Eddie Joost crossed the plate more often.
Highlight Game: September 1, 2002, vs. Minnesota. Tejada helped the A’s come from behind to beat the Twins with a walk-off home run against “Everyday” Eddie Guardado.
After the Twins had taken a 5-4 lead with a three-run ninth inning, Tejada laced a three-run game-ending home run to left field in the bottom of the inning.
The shortstop finished the game 3-for-5, with five RBI, and two runs. He had hit a two-run home run earlier in the game to give Oakland a 2-0 lead.
Competition: There is a decent amount of depth at shortstop, with players from half a dozen different decades making strong cases to be featured in the list.
There’s Jimmy Dykes from 1929, Eric McNair from 1932, and Eddie Joost from ’49. Bert Campaneris hit 22 home runs and swiped 42 bags in 1970, while Bobby Crosby—despite an awful batting average—swung a power bat in 2004.
If I had to choose a runner-up, I’d give Campaneris the place based on his league-leading speed, 97 runs, 22 homers, and .279 clip.
Outfield: Rickey Henderson (1990)
In a distinguished 25-year Hall of Fame career, Rickey only won one Most Valuable Player award.
In 1990, Henderson led the American League with 65 stolen bases, 119 runs, and a .439 on-base percentage. It was the 10th time he led the league in steals.
Henderson also hit 28 home runs—a career high—and drew 97 walks on his way to a ninth All-Star appearance and third Silver Slugger trophy.
The left fielder batted .325 with 61 RBI and 282 total bases.
Highlight Game: June 25, 1990 vs. Detroit. Henderson almost single-handedly carried the A’s past the Tigers with a 3-for-3 performance that included a two-run home run, lead-off triple, and two steals.
Henderson scored two runs, batted in a pair and walked once in the 4-3 victory.
Jose Canseco (1988)
From one MVP to another, Canseco hoisted the trophy in the 1988 season after leading the lead in home runs (42), RBI (124), and slugging percentage (.569).
His 42 home runs ranks third all-time among A’s outfielders and ninth in the history of the franchise.
What makes this season stand out is the fact that he also stole 40 bases, walked 78 times, scored 120 runs, and batted .307. A well-rounded season with the bat if ever there was one.
Highlight Game: July 3, 1988 at Toronto. Canseco hit three home runs during a five-hour, 16-inning marathon against the Blue Jays.
Canseco finished 3-for-7 with six RBI and a walk in the 9-8 victory, including a 12th-inning two-run homer which temporarily snapped a 6-6 tie.
It was one of only two games where he left the yard three times in one game. The other time came in 1994 as a DH for Texas against Seattle.
Reggie Jackson (1973)
Before “Mr. October” was “Mr. October”, Reggie Jackson was also a pretty important member of the World Champion Athletics.
In 1973—the middle year of Oakland’s back-to-back-to-back world titles—Jackson was voted league MVP.
He led the AL with 32 home runs, 117 RBI, 99 runs, and a .531 slugging percentage, and he ranked inside the top 10 in stolen bases (22), total bases (286), intentional walks (11), and extra-base hits (62).
Highlight Game: Oct. 21, 1973. In the decisive Game 7 of the 1973 World Series against the Mets, Jackson capped of a four-run third inning with a two-run home run off Jon Matlack to give the A’s a lead they would never relinquish.
It was Jackson’s only home run of the ’73 postseason, and the third of his then-young October career. He finished the series batting .310 with six RBI, a World Series MVP, and his second championship ring.
Competition: It’s hard to argue with three MVPs in the outfield, although there are certainly others who made a strong case for being there themselves.
Bob Johnson batted .338 with 23 homers, 114 RBI, 115 runs, and 15 steals in 1939, Hall of Famer Al Simmons won a batting title with the Athletics in 1930, and Gus Zernial hit 42 home runs in 1953 during his short stay in Philadelphia.
You could even make a case for the great Ty Cobb who—after making a Hall of Fame career for himself with the Tigers—batted .357 with 104 runs, 93 RBI, and 22 steals as a 40-year-old veteran with 23 years of experience behind him with the Athletics in 1927.
Designated Hitter: John Jaha (1999)
Oakland fans will likely remember Jaha as being a popular but injury-plagued power hitter who made one of baseball’s best comebacks.
He signed a minor-league contract for $525,000 as a free agent in 1999 after earning almost $3.4 million each of the previous two seasons in Milwaukee despite playing just 46 and 73 games.
In his only full season in Oakland, Jaha—who was not expected to make the team out of spring training and was subsequently left out of the team’s media guide—hit 35 home runs, drove in 111 runs, drew 101 walks, and batted .276.
Winning the Comeback Player of the Year award, it really was a return to his 1996 form when he was actually a pretty good player.
Deceived by Jaha’s apparent re-invigoration, the A’s gave him $6 million over the next two seasons—he played a total of 45 games, hit one home run, and slumped out of baseball batting .089 in his final 12 games.
Highlight Game: Aug. 24, 1999 vs. Cleveland. Jaha recorded one of five multi-home run games of the 1999 season in a 11-10 victory over the Tribe.
Jaha went 3-for-5 with two homers, five RBI, three runs, and a walk. After a grand slam in the third inning, the DH snapped a 10-10 tie in the top of the ninth inning with a solo shot off Paul Shuey.
Competition: Flip a coin or roll a dice. Five full-time DHs have hit between 30 and 40 home runs in a season.
Frank Thomas hit 39 homers in 2006 and John Jaha and Dave Kingman both hit 35 in 1999 and 1984 respectively. All three drove in triple-digit runs and all three batted between .268 and .276.
Matt Stairs hit 26 home runs, knocked in 106 runs, and batted .294 in the ’98 season, and Erubiel Durazo batted .321 with 22 home runs in 2004.
Geronimo Berroa almost got the vote here with 36 home runs, 106 RBI, 101 runs, and a .290 batting average until I saw he played 64 of his 153 games in right or left field.
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