Which A’s players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

By
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Retired Major League baseball player and now special coach for the Las Vegas Aviators Rickey He ...

Tuesday is like a second World Series to baseball historians.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of its annual ballot at 3 p.m. on MLB Network. Anyone who receives enough votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will join the hallowed halls of the sport’s most famous museum in Cooperstown, New York.

None of the 26 players on this year’s ballot would likely wear an Athletics cap on their plaque if inducted, though pitcher Bartolo Colon and left fielder Matt Holliday did play for the team during their lengthy careers.

The A’s have plenty of representation in Cooperstown anyway. Here’s a list of each individual in the National Baseball Hall of Fame that have the Kansas City, Oakland or Philadelphia Athletics listed as their primary team:

Home Run Baker, 3B, Hall of Fame class of 1955

Baker, who played in the A’s famous “$100,000 infield” from 1908 to 1914, led the American League in home runs from 1911 to 1913 and was tied for the league lead in 1914.

That isn’t how he earned his name, however.

Baker won Game 2 of the 1911 World Series with one long ball and tied Game 3 in the ninth inning with another. The A’s defeated the New York Giants in six games.

Charles Bender, P, Hall of Fame class of 1953

Bender, nicknamed “Chief” because of his Chippewa heritage, won 212 games during a 16-year career and was part of three World Series championships for the A’s.

He tied a record during the 1911 fall classic by pitching three complete games. He also threw a no-hitter against Cleveland in 1910.

Mickey Cochrane, C, Hall of Fame class of 1947

Cochrane was the backstop for the A’s World Series-winning teams in 1929 and 1930.

He was a fearsome hitter with a .320 lifetime batting average. His offensive prowess helped him win the MVP award in 1928 and 1934.

Cochrane was also the longtime battery mate of fellow A’s Hall of Famer Lefty Grove.

Dennis Eckersley, P, Hall of Fame class of 2004

Eckersley had a fascinating career as the only pitcher in MLB history with 100 complete games and 100 saves.

He began as a starter, throwing a no-hitter for Cleveland in 1977 and winning 20 games for Boston in 1978. Eckersley then transformed into a dominant reliever with the A’s. He won the Cy Young and MVP award with the team in 1992 after leading the majors with 51 saves.

Eckersley, a six-time All Star, was also part of the A’s 1989 championship team.

Rollie Fingers, P, Hall of Fame class of 1992

Fingers used a tremendous sinking fastball and an incredible handlebar mustache to become one of baseball’s best relief pitchers.

He retired after a 17-year career as the major’s all-time leader in saves with 341. Fingers won the 1981 Cy Young and MVP award, was a seven-time All Star and won three straight World Series with the A’s from 1972 to 1974.

Fingers was named the World Series MVP in 1974 after winning Game 1 and picking up saves in Games 4 and 5. He allowed two runs in 9⅓ innings of work in four appearances.

Jimmie Foxx, 1B, Hall of Fame class of 1951

Foxx is one of the best hitters ever, with three MVPs, two batting titles, a triple crown and two World Series championships on his resume.

His 534 home runs were the second-most all time when his 20-year career ended in 1945, behind only Babe Ruth. His 1,922 career RBIs are still the 10th-most all time.

Plus, a fun fact: Tom Hanks’ character Jimmy Dugan in the movie “A League of Their Own” is based in part on Foxx.

Lefty Grove, P, Hall of Fame class of 1947

As his name implies, Grove is one of baseball’s best-ever left-handed pitchers.

He’s one of six southpaws in the 300-win club and is one of 24 members overall. Grove led the American League in ERA nine times during a 17-year career that spanned 1925 to 1941. He also led the AL in strikeouts for eight consecutive seasons from 1925 to 1931.

Grove’s other accomplishments include the 1931 MVP award, World Series championships in 1929 and 1930 and two pitching triple crowns.

Rickey Henderson, LF, Hall of Fame class of 2009

If one could pick any player in MLB history as an ideal leadoff man, Henderson would be it.

There was no one better at starting a game by getting on base. And if Henderson got to first, he would usually reach second before long.

He wrapped up a 25-year career as the all-time leader in stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2,295). Henderson is also second all time in walks with 2,190 and is one of 33 members of the 3,000 hit club.

To top it off, Henderson was a 10-time All Star, won an MVP, Gold Glove and three Silver Sluggers, plus helped the A’s win the 1989 World Series.

Catfish Hunter, P, Hall of Fame class of 1987

Hunter achieved rare heights during his 15-year career.

The eight-time All Star won the Cy Young Award and the ERA title in 1974. He also was a five-time World Series champion and threw one of the 24 perfect games in MLB history against the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968.

Hunter’s impact also stretched off the field. He became MLB’s first big-time free agent in 1974, which led to him leaving the A’s to sign a five-year contract with the New York Yankees.

Reggie Jackson, RF, Hall of Fame class of 1993

Jackson’s 10 World Series home runs cemented his reputation as “Mr. October.” But he was pretty good the other months of the year, too.

Jackson was a 14-time All Star during a 21-year career and was named American League MVP in 1973. He led the AL in home runs four times, runs twice and RBIs once. His 563 home runs are the 14th-most all time.

And, of course, there were his playoff heroics. Jackson won five World Series — three with the A’s and two with the Yankees — and was named series MVP twice.

Connie Mack, Manager, Hall of Fame class of 1937

Mack, the longest-serving manager in MLB history, led the A’s from 1901 to 1950.

He won five World Series championships — in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 and 1930 — while ushering the franchise through several rebuilds. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s second class in 1937.

Mack’s 7,755 games managed, 3,731 wins and 3,948 losses are major league records.

Eddie Plank, P, Hall of Fame class of 1946

Plank, like Grove, is one of the best left-handed pitchers the sport has seen.

Plank was the first southpaw to win 200 and 300 games. His 326 wins are third all time among lefties, and his 69 shutouts and 410 complete games rank first.

He helped the A’s reach five World Series during a 17-year career that began in 1901. He won it all in 1910, 1911 and 1913, though he didn’t appear in that first fall classic because of an injury.

Al Simmons, LF, Hall of Fame class of 1953

Simmons set the MLB record for hits in a season in 1925 with 253. That mark has been bettered only four times since.

It was one of many milestones he achieved during a 20-year career. Simmons, a lifetime .334 hitter, won two batting titles and two World Series with the A’s.

He finished 73 hits shy of joining the 3,000-hit club.

Rube Waddell, P, Hall of Fame class of 1946

Waddell, a lefty with legendary stuff, led the American League in strikeouts for six straight seasons from 1902 to 1907.

He also won two ERA titles and a pitching triple crown during a 13-year career that began in 1897.

Waddell was just as notorious for his eccentric behavior as his pitching. He ran off the field to chase firetrucks on multiple occasions and got distracted by opposing fans holding up puppies or shiny objects.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on X.

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