Oakland A’s Top Ten: Campy to Canseco
By Tab Bamford
Today is the ultimate throwback as the Oakland Athletics celebrate 50 years at the Coliseum. Tickets are free and the A’s 50th Anniversary team will be on display as Oakland host the Chicago White Sox.
A history that stretches over 100 years with three cities the franchise called home, the A’s have their own Latino stories. Well before José Canseco and his twin brother Ozzie donned the A’s uniforms, there was Luis Castro, the first Colombian-born player in 1902. Their stopover in Kansas City featured not only their colorful uniforms but also one of baseball’s greatest personalities in Puerto Rican Victor “Vic” Power. The first baseman revolutionized how the position was played and also proved as daring off the field as he did on the field.
When one looks at this history, which Latino players had the most impact in franchise history? To make things simple, we used WAR (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com) as our metric of choice. And while this is one measure of the impact of these players, you might have your own opinion as to who deserves to higher (or lower) on that team’s Top 10.
Philadelphia / Kansas City / Oakland Athletics
1. Bert Campaneris
49.1 WAR, 13 years with KC/Oakland, 5 All-Star Games, 3-time World Series Champion
Cuba
Rollie Fingers told La Vida Baseball at All-Star FanFest last summer that “Campy” was the best defensive player he ever pitched in front of during his Hall of Fame career. One of the most underrated players in history, Campaneris led the league in stolen bases six times while with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. He made the move west with the team and was one of the stars of the 1968 World Series championship team, leading the league with 177 hits and 62 stolen bases.
2. Reggie Jackson
48.1 WAR, 10 years with KC/Oakland, 6-time All-Star, 1973 AL MVP, 2-time World Series Champion
Puerto Rico/USA
Long before he was known as “Mr. October,” Jackson appeared in 35 games for the Kansas City Athletics before the move to Oakland. The California weather treated him well over the nine years that followed as Jackson built the foundation for his Hall of Fame career. He won the regular season and World Series Most Valuable Player Awards in 1973 when he led the league in runs scored (99), home runs (32) and runs batted in (117).
3. Eric Chávez
34.9 WAR, 13 years with Oakland, six Gold Glove Awards
Mexico/USA
Chávez, whose parents are from Mexico, was arguably the best defensive third baseman of his generation, winning six consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2001-05). But he brought the lumber as well; he drove in more than 100 runs in four seasons and hit at least 26 home runs in six straight seasons.
4. Jose Canseco
27.3 WAR, 9 years with Oakland, 1986 AL Rookie of the Year, 1988 AL MVP, 6-time All-Star
Cuba
The first 40-40 man in history bashed his way onto the scene in 1986 when he hit 33 home runs and drove in 117 as the runaway Rookie of the Year. Though his brother Ozzie did not make our top ten, Jose led the league in home runs twice and drove in more than 100 runs in five separate seasons while wearing the green and yellow. During a stretch in which the A’s qualified for the postseason in three straight seasons (1988-90), Canseco hit a robust .357 against the Giants as the A’s won the 1989 World Series.
5. Miguel Tejada
22.1 WAR, 7 years with Oakland, 2002 AL MVP, one-time All-Star
Dominican Republic
Tejada was an everyday player for the A’s – literally; between 1999 and 2003 he played in no fewer than 159 regular season games per season. And he hit nearly every day as well. Tejada drove in at least 106 runs in his final four seasons in Oakland and scored at least 93 runs in his final five campaigns with the A’s. His best season with Oakland was 2002, when he hit 34 home runs and drove in 131 en route to winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
6. Jesse Flores
13.4 WAR, 5 years with Philadelphia, 44-59, 352 strikeouts
Mexico
Flores, a native of Guadalajara, was the third player born in Mexico – first pitcher – to play in the Major Leagues. He joined the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 as a 28 year old and won 12 games, which would stand up as his career high.
7. Coco Crisp
13.2 WAR, 7 years with Oakland, 169 stolen bases
Puerto Rico/USA
Crisp was 30 when he signed with Oakland in 2010 but he still had some of the best legs in the American League. He led the AL with 49 stolen bases in 2011 and would steal 169 in his time with the A’s. His best power season came in 2013 when he hit a career-high 22 home runs.
8. Diego Seguí
9.4 WAR, 9 years with KC/Oakland, 92-111, 772 strikeouts
Cuba
Seguí made his debut for the Kansas City Athletics in 1962 and appeared in 37 games, winning eight. Over the next decade he would bounce around the league, signing with Washington – only to get traded back to the then-Kansas City A’s. Then he was selected in the 1968 expansion draft by the Seattle Pilots – only to be traded back to the now-Oakland A’s. Seguí led the league with a 2.56 ERA in 1970.
9. Ramón Hernández
8.7 WAR, 5 years with Oakland, one All-Star appearance
Venezuela
Hernández is the third member of the early-2000s A’s to make our the list. Between 1999 and 2003, Hernández hit 60 home runs and drove in 263 for Oakland. He was an All-Star in 2003 when he slashed .273/.331/.458 and drove in 78 runs.
10. Bartolo Colon
8.4 WAR, 2 years with Oakland, one All-Star appearance
Dominican Republic
It only took two seasons for “Big Sexy” to make the list. As a 40-year-old ace in 2013, Colon went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA and 193 strikeouts, earning an All-Star nomination on behalf of the A’s. He was 28-15 with a sub-3.00 ERA with Oakland. Many thought he might be done after 2013, but he’s still going at age 45.
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Featured Image: Focus On Sport
Inset Image: Louis Requena / Major League Baseball