The All-Time Kansas City Athletics Team: By Season
From 1955 to 1967, the Athletics played 13 seasons in Kansas City between the team's time in Philadelphia and Oakland. For the first half of this period, the team was essentially treated as a farm team of the New York Yankees, a story told very well by Jeff Katz in The Kansas City A’s & the Wrong Half of the Yankees.
Due in large part to Arnold Johnson’s willingness to collude with the Yankees and trade away future stars—most notably, Roger Maris—the Kansas City Athletics never had a winning team. The team, which included Reggie Jackson and James "Catfish" Hunter, was moved by Charlie Finley after the 1967 season. They were just a few years away from a dynasty.
Most importantly, the Kansas City A’s were the team that my dad grew up with. He’s the man that taught me to love the game of baseball. I’m publishing this list on Father’s Day in honor of him.
Catcher: Hal Smith, 1957
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The crop is not exactly thick here, but Hal Smith hit over .300 in a platoon role in 1957 while clubbing 13 homers in just 383 plate appearances.
1st Base: Norm Siebern, 1962
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The good news for the A’s was that Norm Siebern was outstanding in 1962. He played every day and hit .308, with a .412 on-base percentage, 25 homers and over 100 walks and RBI.
The bad news? The A's traded away Roger Maris in order to get him.
2nd Base: Jerry Lumpe, 1962
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Another former Yankee, Lumpe came to Kansas City as part of a deal to reacquire future star Ralph Terry. Lumpe wouldn’t have the same success as Terry, but did hit .301 in 1962 and set career highs in doubles (34), triples (10), and home runs (10).
3rd Base: Ed Charles, 1962
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Ed Charles is a great what-could’ve-been story. Charles was drafted by the Braves in 1952, but he remained stuck in the minors because Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews was firmly entrenched at third base.
Finally, at the age of 29, he made his major league debut with the A’s and hit .288, with 17 home runs. He was even 20 for 24 in stolen base attempts.
Shortstop: Dick Howser, 1961
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Long before becoming a legendary manager for the Kansas City Royals, Dick Howser had an outstanding rookie year in 1961, finishing second in Rookie of then Year balloting to Boston starter Don Schwall. Howser put up an excellent .377 on-base percentage and was 37 for 46 in stolen base attempts.
Left Field: Bob Cerv, 1958
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Bob Cerv enjoyed the best season ever by a Kansas City Athletic in 1958, hitting .304 with 38 home runs. His .592 slugging percentage ranked second in the league, and his 159 OPS+ was fourth overall.
Center Field: Bill Tuttle, 1959
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After the 1957 season, Bill Tuttle was part of a rare Kansas City A’s trade that didn’t involve the Yankees (though it did involve Billy Martin.) Tuttle came over from the Tigers, and two years later he hit .300 while leading the league with 17 outfield assists.
Right Field: Rocky Colavito, 1964
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Rocky Colavito enjoyed a lot of success with the Tigers and Indians, hitting 35 home runs in the five consecutive seasons between 1958 and 1962.
He wasn’t far off in his one season in Kansas City, hitting 34 home runs and finishing eighth in the league with a 137 OPS+ and fifth with 102 RBI.
Designated Hitter: Yeah Right
9 of 17My dad has made it clear if he were a dictator, he would ban artificial turf and the designated hitter. The A’s left Kansas City before the DH was implemented, so this decision makes sense.
RHP: Ray Herbert, 1960
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Ray Herbert only went 14-15 in 1960. But he maintained a respectable 3.28 ERA over 252 innings and finished second in the league with 14 complete games.
LHP: Bud Daley, 1959
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Bud Daley managed to win 16 games in back-to-back seasons with the A’s—a fairly notable accomplishment, considering his run support. Daley made both All-Star games in 1959 and ended up sixth in the league with a 3.16 ERA.
RHP: Catfish Hunter, 1967
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In the last season the A’s spent in Kansas City, fans got a great glimpse of a future Hall of Famer. Hunter threw 259 innings, while keeping his ERA under 3, and finished in the Top 10 in the league in shutouts and in complete games.
RHP: Orlando Pena, 1963
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Orlando Pena led the league with 20 losses in 1963, but he kept his teams in games all year long, maintaining an ERA of 3.69 for the season.
LHP: Jim Archer, 1961
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Jim Archer played just two seasons in the big leagues before a leg injury forced him to call it quits. In his first season (at the age of 29), Archer threw 205 innings, gave up just 11 home runs and even tacked on five saves.
Bench
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C: Billy Bryan, 1965. Hit 27 homers and 20 doubles in 545 at-bats from 1964-65.
1B: Vic Power, 1955. Hit .319 and placed ninth in MVP voting.
IF: Wayne Causey, 1964. Led league with 264 times on base.
OF: Bobby Del Greco, 1962. Led league with 13 hit by HBP.
OF: Enos Slaughter, 1955. Hit .302/.387/.427 in two seasons in between Yankee stints.
OF: Manny Jimenez, 1962. Hit .301 in only full season as big leaguer.
OF: Gus Zernial, 1955. Third season with over 30 HR, after two in Philly.
Bullpen
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Closer: Jack Aker, 1966. Led league with 32 saves and maintained WHIP under 1
Setup: John Wyatt, 1964. Appeared in 81 games to lead league; saved 20.
Fireman: Wes Stock, 1964. Acquired early from Baltimore and threw 93 innings in 50 games.
RHP: Virgil Trucks, 1957. Former 20-game winner won 9 and saved 7
LHP: Bobby Shantz, 1956. Former MVP would win ERA title the next season…with the Yanks.
Batting Order
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Howser (R)
Tuttle (R)
Cerv (R)
Siebern (L)
Colavito (R)
Charles (R)
Smith (R)
Lumpe (L)
