Oakland A's: 50 Greatest Players, Part 3 of 10
The A's have nine World Series Championships, 14 AL Championships and 23 playoff appearances to their credit.
In 111 seasons and three cities, the Athletics have seen 1,778 players come and go. Some for one game, some for a few seasons, a few for a decade or more.
The 50 Best Athletics of All-Time represent less than three percent of all the players to lace up their cleats for the franchise.
In recent years, advanced statistical analysis has reached the point where it has become possible to rate all players one against the other, pitcher, outfielder, catcher and designated hitter.
This list was compiled from data culled from www.baseball-reference.com, namely the "Wins Above Replacement" statistic. The following are ascending from 40-36.
40. Miguel Tejada (1997-2003, WAR: 21.0)
1 of 5Tejada signed an amateur free-agent contract with the A's in 1993 and made his first appearance with the parent club in 1997, hitting .202 over 26 games.
Tejada, a shortstop, hit over 30 home runs on three occasions and over 100 RBI four times with the Athletics.
In 2002, Tejada put together a career season, playing in all 162 games, he averaged .308 with 34 home runs and 131 RBI. He was selected to his first All-Star game and won the AL MVP award.
After the 2003 season, Tejada signed a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He later played for the Houston Astros, the San Diego Padres and the San Fransisco Giants.
Tejada averaged .270 in 936 games over seven Oakland seasons. He hit 156 home runs with 604 RBI.
39. Joe Rudi (1968-1976, 1982, WAR: 21.7)
2 of 5Rudi, a left fielder and first baseman, signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. He debuted with the club in 1967, hitting .186 in 46 plate appearances.
He moved with the team to Oakland in 1968. In 1972, Rudi was second in the AL MVP voting, making the All-Star team while hitting .305 with 19 home runs and 75 RBI.
Rudi would make the All-Star team again in 1974 and 1975 by hitting .287 with 43 home runs and 174 RBI. He also collected three Gold Gloves from 1974 through 1976.
Rudi joined the California Angels in 1977, and later on the Boston Red Sox before rejoining the A's to finish out his career in 1982.
He played 1107 games over 11 seasons for Oakland, hitting .272 with 116 home runs and 540 RBI.
38. Mark Ellis (2002-2011, WAR: 21.8)
3 of 5Ellis was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the ninth round of the 1999 amateur draft.
A second baseman, Ellis made his Major League debut with the A's in 2002, hitting .272 in 98 games and finishing eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year ballot.
In 2007, Ellis set career highs with 19 home runs and 76 RBI, hitting .276 for the A's.
He was traded to the Colorado Rockies during the 2011 campaign.
In nine seasons for Oakland, Ellis hit .265 with 86 home runs and 434 RBI in 1,056 games.
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37. Socks Seybold (1901-1908, WAR: 22.8)
4 of 5Seybold made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1899. He joined the Philadelphia Athletics for the 1901 season.
Seybold was known as a power hitter and in 1902 he hit 16 home runs, a Major League record at the time.
In 1903, he hit .299 with an AL leading 45 doubles.
He played mostly right field, but sometimes filled in at first base. He totalled a .296 batting average with 51 home runs and 548 RBI for the Athletics in 975 games over eight seasons.
He retired after the 1908 season, and found work as a steward for the "Fraternal Order of Eagles," in Jeanette, PA.
36. Jimmy Dykes (1918-1932, WAR: 23.5)
5 of 5Dykes, a deluxe utility infielder, made his Major League debut in 1918.
He was the prototypical good field/poor hit infielder, but his versatility more than compensated for this shortcoming. He would eventually fix the problem and in 1921 clubbed 16 home runs, hitting .274 in the process.
Dykes hit over .300 during five different seasons for the Athletics. In 1924, he once played every position except for left field and catcher in a single game.
Dykes played in 1,702 games over 15 seasons for Philadelphia. He hit .283 with 86 home runs and 764 RBI. He also drew 686 walks against 706 strikeouts in 6,990 plate appearances.
He was traded to the Chicago White Sox for cash prior to the 1933 season, and would play with them for seven seasons before joining Major League baseball's managerial ranks. In all, Dykes managed seven teams over 21 seasons, compiling a 1406-1541 record.
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