Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  We are pleased to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Athletics

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the Major League Baseball.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Athletics began their three-year residency in Sacramento, where they are currently known simply as “The Athletics”.  The team had a losing record of 76-86 and finished fourth in the American League West.  There are no players from last year on the list, nor did anyone from last year make it.  The only new addition came from a former player due to the algorithmic change.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.

1. Rickey Henderson
2. Lefty Grove
3. Eddie Plank
4. Jimmie Foxx
5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

The only new entrant was former pitcher Mark Mulder, who replaced former infielder Matt Chapman at #50.  Again, this is due to the new algortihm. 

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, which turned out to be their final season in Oakland, as they will be playing in Sacramento for three years until they move to Las Vegas.  There were no new entrants, but changes within the list based on the new algorithm.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a change at the top based on the new algorithm.

1. Rickey Henderson

2. Lefty Grove

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

As mentioned above, Henderson overtook Grove for the top spot based on the new calculations.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

We lost a legend today.

The greatest leadoff man in baseball history and the GOAT of the basepaths, Rickey Henderson, passed away.  He was 65.

Henderson played for 25 years, defying age and mystifying logic with his enigmatic words.  He was s force of nature on and off the field, referring to himself in the third person, and displaying a passion for baseball that had no peers.

From Oakland, Henderson played a large part of his career with the hometown Athletics, the team where he set the single-season record in Stolen Bases (130).  He would shatter Lou Brock’s record, a seemingly unbreakable 1,406.  Henderson also had an excellent power game, blasting 297 Home Runs, with a lifetime Slash Line of .279/.401/.419.

The “Man of Steal” won the 1990 American League MVP and was a two-time World Series champion (1988 Oakland and 1993 with Toronto).  He also played for the New York Yankees, San Diego, Anaheim, New York Mets, Seattle, Boston, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 on his first year of eligibility.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Rickey Henderson

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, where they not only lost a lot of games and were mocked for their lack of attendance.  Their time left in Oakland is questionable, and they remain in a perpetual state of rebuilding.  This led to another year, where we saw no new entrants and elevations.  Nevertheless, at the end of every year we always acknowledge that we took into account the past season.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Oakland continued their tradition as a basement dweller, that develop talent only to trade them when they can no longer afford them.  This makes it very difficult for anyone to crack the Top 50, and no one was able to do so in 2022, but we wanted to show that this reflects the last season. 

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Rickey Henderson is a lot of things.  He is eccentric.  He often refers to himself in the third person.  He is the greatest leadoff hitter ever.  He is the ultimate base stealer.  He was a first ballot Hall of Famer.

He is all of those things.

Despite all of the other teams he played for (New York Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, New York Mets, Seattle, Boston, and Los Angeles), he is one other thing: an Oakland Athletic.

Henderson debuted for Oakland in 1979, and in 1980 he would set the American League Stolen Base Record with 100 while going to his first All-Star Game.  The following season was strike-shortened, but Henderson was again the Stolen Base leader (56) and would lead the AL in Runs Scored (89), Hits (135), and he was the runner-up for the American League MVP.  He would also earn his only Gold Glove this year and received his first Silver Slugger Award.

The fleet-footed Outfielder would break the AL record for Stolen Bases that he set in 1980 with a 130 SB season that set the standard regardless of the league.  He would have another 108 Stolen Bases in 1983 and 66 in 1984, both of which were league leading.  Henderson also established himself as a solid hitter who, in his first five full seasons (1980-84, not counting 1979), never had an On Base Percentage under .398.  This was an impressive run, but it ended when he was traded to the New York Yankees before the 1985 season. This was still the beginning and not the end.

Henderson was traded back to Oakland during the 1989 season, and the A’s, who were already loaded with talent, were going for it all.  Henderson helped Oakland win the World Series that year, which would be the only one he would capture as an Athletic.  He would have his best season ever in 1990, where he won the MVP by hitting a career-high 28 Home Runs and leading the AL in Runs Scored (119), OBP (.439), OPS (1.016), and batting .325.  The Athletics went to the World Series that year but were shocked by the Cincinnati Reds, who swept them in four games.  Henderson remained strong for Oakland but was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays midway through the 1993 season, and he would help them win the World Series.  In the off-season, he resigned with Oakland.

This period would begin his nomadic run, as he was with A's for only two seasons and would sign with the Padres as a Free Agent after.  He came back in 2008 for his fourth run, which lasted only one season, though it was a good one that yielded his last Stolen Base title.

When it was all said and done, Rickey Henderson would accumulate 1,270 runs and 1,768 Hits. 167 Home Runs, 867 Stolen Bases with a Slash Line of .288/.409/.430 as an Athletic. 

As of this writing, he is the all-time leader in Runs Scored (2,295) and Stolen Bases (1,406), much of which was accumulated in Oakland, which, as you saw above, was an awful lot!

Rickey Henderson is, and will always be, an Athletic.  Yet…

His move to New York was anything but ordinary—it was an exciting winter event at the 1984 Winter Meetings, highlighting George Steinbrenner's strong passion for top talent. By the end of 1984, the Athletics, his hometown team, were struggling with consecutive losing seasons and hesitated to offer Henderson a lucrative contract extension as he was nearing free agency. Seeing a special opportunity to acquire a legendary player at his peak, the Yankees eagerly joined a competitive bidding battle with the Orioles, Dodgers, and Rangers.

To win the sweepstakes, New York had to meet Oakland GM Sandy Alderson’s demand for a five-player package. On December 5, 1984, the Yankees made the deal, trading future talent for Henderson and reliever Bert Bradley. They sent reliever Jay Howell and four top prospects, Tim Birtsas, Stan Javier, Eric Plunk, and Jose Rijo, seen as Oakland's key piece, while receiving Henderson and Bert Bradley.

Henderson did more than just play baseball in New York; he controlled the pace and flow of the game entirely. With a highly disciplined strike zone and an advanced visual clock, he transformed the leadoff position into a key threat for opposing pitchers. His 1985 debut season in the Bronx was a masterclass in modern run production, as he posted a .314/.419/516 batting line, hit 24 home runs, drew 99 walks, and scored 146 runs, leading the league. His quick baserunning created chaos, leading all players with 80 stolen bases. Achieving a remarkable 9.9 bWAR that summer, he delivered one of the most dominant individual seasons in franchise history, finishing third in AL MVP voting.

While the casual fan fixated on his historic stolen base totals, his tenure in New York unlocked a rare, multi-dimensional completeness. He averaged over 20 home runs per season during his first three full summers in the Bronx, providing a shocking power baseline for a leadoff hitter.

Surprisingly, his defensive skills peaked during his time patrolling the outfield at Yankee Stadium. With an exceptionally quick first step and excellent spatial awareness, Henderson regularly turned difficult line drives into easy outs, significantly improving his efficiency in advanced metrics. He was a constant presence on the national stage, earning an All-Star selection in every complete season he played for the junior circuit in pinstripes.

Despite internal turmoil and roster changes in the late 1980s, Henderson’s impact remained significant. Even after being traded back to Oakland in June 1989, he left a lasting legacy on the team's leaderboard. He finished his Bronx career with 326 stolen bases, a remarkable figure that still places him among the top five in franchise history, despite playing fewer than 600 games in pinstripes. His time with the Yankees achieved an impressive 30.6 bWAR, a notable accumulation of value that surpasses many long-standing organization icons.

Appropriately, Henderson was a first ballot Baseball Hall of Fame inductee in 2009.