Mark Mulder entered the league with massive expectations as the second overall pick in 1998 out of Michigan State. The smooth-throwing lefty didn't waste time, fast-tracking his way to the Coliseum by 2000.

That rookie campaign was rough around the edges, yielding a 5.44 ERA over 27 starts, but it served as the necessary baseline for what would become a rapid transformation.

Everything clicked in 2001. Mulder anchored the rotation with a league-leading 21 wins, commanding the strike zone with an aggressive sinker-splitter combination that kept hitters completely off-balance. He finished as the American League Cy Young runner-up to Roger Clemens—the highest point of award recognition he would reach, but far from his only productive summer in the green and gold.

As the southpaw component of Oakland’s famed "Big Three" alongside Tim Hudson and Barry Zito, Mulder became a model of efficiency. He rattled off three consecutive seasons of at least 15 wins following his breakout year, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in 2003 and 2004.

During his five-year peak with the Athletics, Mulder was an absolute workhorse, pitching to an 81-42 record with 668 strikeouts and leading the league in complete games twice.

Because the front office operated under strict small-market financial constraints, the roster churn was inevitable. Before his arbitration costs could skyrocket, Oakland traded Mulder to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2005 season. He delivered one final, stellar 16-win campaign in the National League, helping push the Cardinals into the postseason.

The Oakland Athletics acquired Miguel Tejada from the Dominican Republic in 1993, as an inexperienced and undeveloped youth escaping severe poverty. By the time he secured a permanent spot on the major league roster in 1997, he introduced an energetic and dynamic style of play to the East Bay that soon came to characterize the left side of the infield. By 1999, as the regular starting shortstop, Tejada broke traditional expectations for the position, emerging alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter as part of a revolutionary movement of elite, power-hitting shortstops who fundamentally transformed the sport.

Tejada quickly became the emotional core and reliable leader of the "Moneyball" era teams. Between 2000 and 2002, he demonstrated exceptional power, hitting over 30 home runs in three straight seasons. His clutch performance was equally notable; he consistently drove in at least 100 runs for four summers from 2000 to 2003, acting as the main run producer while teammates Jason Giambi and Eric Chavez drew walks and created scoring opportunities ahead of him.

Tejada's peak during his time in Northern California came in the unforgettable 2002 season. He played all 162 games, hitting an impressive .308 with 34 home runs and 131 RBIs. He was the key offensive force behind Oakland’s historic 20-game winning streak that summer, securing multiple walk-off wins and establishing himself as a national icon. The baseball community recognized his excellence by voting him the 2002 American League Most Valuable Player, cementing his status as a franchise legend.

Ultimately, small-market financial constraints impacted his tenure. After a successful 2003 season, the front office allowed him to leave as a free agent, and he signed a lucrative deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He left Oakland with 968 hits, 156 home runs, and a reputation for bringing pure joy to the game.

Sadly, Tejada is more known for his 105 Game steroid suspension, and likely lying about his age (he is allegedly two years older than he listed himself to be).  Nevertheless, in his prime, Tejada was one of the great ones.

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.

Casual baseball fans often recall the 2000s Oakland Athletics’ star pitchers and power hitters. Mark David Ellis, however, rarely made national headlines. Drafted by the Royals in 1999, a trade sent him to the East Bay before he pitched in the Midwest. By 2003, he earned the everyday second base role and compiled a steady decade of efficient play with 137 hits.

His rapid ascent encountered a significant setback in 2004 when a violent spring-training collision fractured his right shoulder, resulting in his absence from the entire regular season. Rather than allowing this debilitating injury to redirect his career path, Mr. Ellis demonstrated an exceptional resurgence during the 2005 season. He bewildered opposing pitchers with a swift, inside-out swing, achieving a remarkable career-high batting average of .316 and highlighting an offensive potential that complemented his consistent daily performance.

Although his offensive productivity exhibited some natural, low-variance fluctuations in the subsequent summers, his fundamental physical capabilities remained highly effective. In 2007, Ellis achieved a notable increase in power, hitting a career-high 19 home runs and accumulating 76 runs batted in, thereby adding significant depth to the Oakland batting lineup.

Nevertheless, evaluating his true value solely based on his offensive statistics fails to capture his genuine brilliance. Ellis transformed second base into an exemplary defensive position, showcasing exceptional fundamental footwork combined with superior internal timing. In 2006, he delivered a remarkable defensive display, establishing an American League single-season record for second basemen with an impressive .9968 fielding percentage, committing only two errors across 631 total chances.

That unwavering, flawless defensive foundation established him as an essential and reassuring security for a generation of young Oakland pitching staffs. He remained a fiercely loyal and stabilizing veteran presence through several roster overhauls until the front office formally began its subsequent rebuilding phase, trading him to the Colorado Rockies midway through the 2011 season.

With the Athletics, Ellis had 1,015 Hits.

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"Bing" Miller was a relatively late bloomer by baseball standards, not making his first extended major league appearance until he was a 26-year-old rookie with the Washington Senators. Seeking an injection of right-handed bat speed, Connie Mack engineered a trade to bring the Iowa native to Shibe Park ahead of the 1922 campaign.

The move proved highly fruitful. During his first four years with Philadelphia, Miller demonstrated exceptional contact-hitting skills, surpassing a .300 batting average three times. He narrowly missed a perfect four-for-four record, finishing at .299 in 1924. Despite his impressive performance, the team’s management viewed him as a tradeable asset in a competitive outfield market and sold him to the St. Louis Browns before the 1926 season.

However, his journey with the white elephant logo was not yet complete. Aware of the important veteran presence they had missing, Mack brought Miller back in 1928, placing him at the core of the franchise's most successful modern dynasty.

During his second period in Philadelphia, Miller posted three consecutive .300 seasons from 1928 to 1930, acting as a consistent line-drive hitter who regularly collected 150 hits annually for five summers in a row. Playing alongside legendary hitters Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane, the right fielder was essential in helping the Athletics win consecutive World Series titles in 1929 and 1930.

He delivered his most crucial and impressive performance during the historic 1929 Fall Classic against the Chicago Cubs. Dominating National League pitching, Miller hit an outstanding .368 with four RBIs, including the renowned walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5, which effectively secured the world championship for Philadelphia.

Advanced metric grids and modern spreadsheet purists do note that his defensive coverage in right field was a clear limitation, a reality that prevents him from climbing into the absolute top tier of all-time franchise outfielders. However, looking strictly at his defensive liabilities completely ignores his overwhelming regular-season volume and elite bat control.

Miller was released before the 1935 season, and with the Athletics, he batted .311 with 1,480 hits.  He would later be chosen for the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1998.