The Royals are on a three game road trip to play the Athletics in Oakland. That team used to be our team. Charlie Finley, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi. Those guys got their start here, in Kansas City.
I wish I knew more about the Kansas City Athletics. There doesn't seem to be an abundance of information
out there on them. But they were a big part of Kansas City sports history, a team that floundered in Kansas City for over a decade. It was our first shot at Major League sports, and many fans have fond memories of the Athletics, despite their awful play.
For whatever reason, the A's get overlooked in Kansas City now. Perhaps because they were awful, perhaps because they last played at 22nd and Brooklyn over forty years ago, or perhaps they never felt like "our team" the way the Royals, founded by Kansas City native Ewing Kauffman, feel like "our team." The A's were transients, moving from Philadelphia, spending a decade in Kansas City as a rest stop before moving further west to Oakland.
In any case, the A's did happen, and we should pay them their proper respects. The Northern League Kansas City T-Bones will honor the Kansas City Athletics on August 16. There is also apparently a PBS documentary in the works, which I am eagerly anticipating.
There have been many great names in Kansas City Athletics history. Al Pilarcik. John Tsitouris. Ray Jablonski. Vern Handrahan. Joe Pignatano. Aurelio Monteagudo. Not great players, but great names nonetheless. Kansas City was the home of three Hall of Famers - Enos Slaughter, Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter. Roger Maris played for the Athletics before breaking the home run record. Kansas City was also a great breeding ground for future managers - Billy Martin, Dick Williams, Dick Howser, Whitey Herzog and Tony LaRussa.
But who were the great Kansas City Athletics? Let's take a brief look at the ten greatest Kansas City Athletics, based on Win Shares.
10. John Wyatt (tied) 1961-1966
292 games 27-28 3.74 ERA 73 saves
Wyatt was a right-handed closer in an era where relievers were starting to be used in "save" situations. He collected 73 saves in just over four seasons in Kansas City before being dealt to Boston. He played in the waning days of the Negro Leagues with Indianapolis and signed with the A's as a 21 year old. I guess its kind of surprising to know the Negro Leagues continued well after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. It lasted well into the 1950s, struggling as more and more African-American players integrated Major League Baseball.
Wyatt was a solid reliever in Kansas City, enjoying his best year in 1964 when he led the league in appearances and was named to his only All-Star game. From 1962-1965, only four pitchers collected more saves than Wyatt - this despite the fact Wyatt's teams never won more than 73 games.
10. Ray Herbert (tied) 1955-1961
152 games 37-48 4.25 ERA 32 complete games
40 Win Shares
Herbert had been a pretty awful starter in over 200 innings, posting a 5.08 ERA with is hometown Tigers when the A's purchased him in 1955. He was awful in his first season in KC, posting a 6.26 ERA, but was excellent the next two seasons. Like David Cone and John Smoltz, he was determined to curse the hometown team that dealt him.
In 1960, Herbert finished in the top ten in the league in wins and ERA. After a terrible start in 1961, the A's dealt him to the White Sox in a seven player deal for former 18 game winner Bob Shaw. Shaw would win nine games in KC before being dealt again, while Herbert would win 20 games the next season in Chicago.
9. Bill Tuttle 1958-1961
450 Games .261/.342/.369
42 Win Shares
The A's acquired Tuttle from Detroit in a thirteen player deal. How come trades were so much larger back then? Less salary complications? No worries about impending free agency?
Tuttle was a centerfielder known for his defense who could draw a walk, but didn't hit for much power or average. He hit .231 in his first year in Kansas City, but rebounded to hit .300 the next year and earn MVP votes. He would slump to .256 in 1960, and in 1961, the A's dealt him to Minnesota. Tuttle was often seen on the field with a huge wad of tobacco in his mouth, but later in life his face would be disfigured by oral cancer, leading him to be a passionate advocate against chewing tobacco.
8. Dick Green 1963-1967
538 games .239/.296/.359
45 Win Shares
Green was signed by the A's out of Iowa and by the age of 23, he was their every day second baseman. He slammed 26 home runs his first two seasons with the A's, but never hit above .264 in his four seasons in Kansas City. He was a bit of a free swinger as well, striking out 110 times in 1965, the eighth most in the league. He would hit just .198 in 1967, the last season the A's would spend in Kansas City. Green would spend eleven seasons in the big leagues, all with the A's, and would be part of three World Series teams in Oakland.
Just our luck. The A's never win more than 73 games in twelve years in Kansas City. Their first year in Oakland was their first winning season since 1952. Two years later, they won 100 games. The year after that, they were World Champs. That should have been our championship parade.
7. Hector Lopez 1955-1959
586 games .278/.337/.433
51 Win Shares
Lopez was the second Panamanian ever to play Major League Baseball and was considered a national hero. He was a solid third baseman and second baseman for four and a half seasons for the Athletics before spending seven years as a fourth outfielder for the Yankees. He hit .290 with fifteen home runs his rookie season, then followed that up with an eighteen home run season. In 1958, he hit three home runs in a game against the Senators. He has the fourth most home runs and RBI in Kansas City Athletics history. In 1959, he was dealt with future twenty-game winner Ralph Terry in a five player deal that raised red flags as to how serious the A's were about winning, and how serious they were about making the Yankees winners.
After his career, Lopez became the first black manager to reach the AAA level when he managed the Buffalo Bisons in 1969.
6. Bob Cerv 1957-1960
413 games .288/.342/.509
54 Win Shares
Cerv was a standout baseball and basketball player at the University of Nebraska before joining
the Yankees as a reserve outfielder. He played very sparingly until the A's purchased him from the Yankees at age 30. In his second season in Kansas City, he hit .305 with 38 home runs and 104 RBI, easily the greatest season in Kansas City Athletics history. He hit .285 with twenty home runs the next season including a three home run game in August. The Yankees realized they had made a huge mistake and asked to have Cerv back. The A's were all too willing to comply, dealing Cerv for light-hitting third baseman Andy Carey.
5. Bert Campaneris 1964-1967
500 games .261/.308/.365
62 Win Shares
Campaneris was a Cuban-born shortstop, perhaps best known for his stunt in September of 1965 where he played an inning at each position on the field. He was an immensely popular player, known for his aggressiveness and his fiery temper. In his very first Major League game in 1964, he cracked two home runs, the second player ever to do so (Mark Quinn became the third!). He was a prolific base-stealer, swiping 168 bases in four seasons in Kansas City, leading the league in three of those seasons. He finished in the top ten in triples in his three full seasons in Kansas City.
Despite being really lousy, those Athletics teams never stole many bases. Usually when a team stinks offensively now, the team will try to steal a lot of bases to "manufacture runs" and it is assumed that teams have done this forever. But the Athletics did not. Aside from Campaneris, only Dick Howser ever stole more than twenty bases in a season. In 1955, the A's stole twenty-two bases - as a team. They replicated the feat in 1958. In 1960, they stole sixteen bases. I can't help but wonder if baseball commentators in the 1950s bemoaned the lack of stolen bases and complained about how players did not play the game "the right way" like players did back in the 1930s.
4. Wayne Causey 1961-1966
689 games .270/.350/.371
74 Win Shares
Causey played all over the infield in five seasons in Kansas City after being acquired in a seven player deal from the Orioles. Causey didn't hit for a lot of power, as most infielders did not in those days, but he drew quite a few walks - second most in Kansas City Athletics history. He enjoyed two solid seasons in 1964 and 1965, hitting at least .280 each season, earning MVP votes. In 1964, he finished fourth in the league in walks, sixth in hits, fifth in doubles, and was on base more times than any other player in the league. After he slumped to .261 in 1965, Causey was dealt to the White Sox. By age 31, he was out of baseball, a brief career for a promising young infielder, much like a Kansas City player twenty years later - Kurt Stillwell.
3. Jerry Lumpe 1959-1963
715 games .279/.334./377
78 Win Shares
Lumpe was an infielder for the Yankees before the A's acquired him in 1959 in the Ralph Terry/Hector Lopez deal. He is the All-Time leader in hits and runs scored for Kansas City A's. A native Missourian, he was named the starter at second base for the A's and hit .272 in his first full season in Kansas City. He was a high contact hitter, usually drawing more walks than strikeouts. He enjoyed his finest season in 1962, hitting .301 with a career high 83 RBI, and reaching double digits in home runs for the only time in his career with ten. He was eighth in batting average and second in triples, and garnered MVP votes. He slumped to .271 in 1963, but drew a career high 58 walks. That winter he was involved in a five player deal to land Tigers slugger Rocky Colavito.
Did that trade make Kansas Citians think the A's were on the verge of competing? Colavito was coming off a down year, but he was still a serious home run threat, one year removed from an MVP-type season. And Kansas City landed him for Lumpe and two mediocre pitchers. The A's were coming off a 73 win season, their best in Kansas City. Fans then must have been as excited as we were when we landed Juan Gonzalez. Colavito actually fared well in 1964, but aside from Jim Gentile, there was little support, and the pitching was awful. After just one season, he was dealt to Cleveland.
2. Ed Charles
1962-1967
726 games .268/.337/.406
83 Win Shares
Charles was a third baseman signed by the Boston Braves, but he had All-Star Joe Adcock in front of him, so he languished in the minors for years. To deal with the racism he faced as a minor leaguer in the Deep South, he wrote poetry, earning him the nickname "The Poet." You can listen to his reading on his inspiration, Jackie Robinson, here.
He ripped at the sod along the base path
As he ran in advance of a base.
On his feet were your hopes and mine
For a victory for the black man's case.
And the world is grateful for the legacy
Which he left for all humanity.
Thanks, Jackie, wherever you are.
You will always be our first superstar.
Finally, in 1962 the Braves dealt the twenty-nine year old Charles to Kansas City where he made his Major League debut. He had a sensational rookie season, hitting .288 with seventeen home runs and 74 RBI and twenty stolen bases. He posted similar numbers in 1963, hitting .267 with fifteen home runs and fifteen steals. He slumped to .241 the next year, but managed sixteen home runs and drew a career high 64 walks. Owner Charlie Finley would move the fences on Municipal Stadium back in 1965. Charles' power numbers would slip and he would fail to hit double digits in home runs the next two seasons. He did manage a career high .286 batting average in 1966. The next season he was dealt to the awful Mets. Two years later those awful Mets would stun the baseball world as World Champs with Charles at third base.
1. Norm Siebern 1960-1963
611 games .289/.381/.463
89 Win Shares
Norm was hands down the best Kansas City Athletics player in history. He is the All-Time leader in home runs and RBI. He was a St. Louis kid who signed with the Yankees. He enjoyed two fine seasons in the Bronx before he was dealt to Kansas City along with broken down vets Don Larsen and Hank Bauer, as well as first baseman Marv Throneberry for a shortstop Joe DeMaestri, first baseman Kent Hadley, and a young outfielder named Roger Maris.
The Maris deal may seem awful now, but when Maris was dealt, he seemed like a pretty ordinary power hitter. He was an All-Star in '59 with the A's, but with just sixteen home runs, it seemed unlikely he would ever chase Babe's record.
Meanwhile, the A's got four excellent seasons out of Siebern. He led the ballclub in home runs, RBI and slugging all four years in Kansas City. He was a three-time All-Star, garnering MVP votes all three seasons. He finished in the top ten in hitting twice in Kansas City, and twice finished in the top ten in RBI. His finest season was 1962. He played every single game, hit .308, drew 110 walks, hit 25 home runs, 117 RBI and finished seventh in MVP balloting. He led the A's to 72 wins, the most they had ever won in Kansas City.
His performance fell in 1963, even though the A's improved to 73 wins. He still managed to hit .273 with 16 home runs and 83 RBI, while drawing 79 walks. At the end of the year, the A's dealt him to Baltimore for slugger Jim Gentile and cash. The A's were always strapped for cash.
So there are the greats of Kansas City Athletics history. Maybe we try to forget them and their laughably bad years like a family tries to forget the black sheep of the family who besmirches their good name. Instead, I think we should embrace them. Embrace them for their awfulness. Embrace them because they represent our first shot at the big leagues. Embrace them because they are a reflection of us - our city, our community, ourselves.
Here's to you, Kansas City Athletics.
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8 comments:
I enjoyed your list and appreciate the work you put into it. The baseball cards were a nifty touch, too! I don't know much about Win Shares, but I was shocked Vic Power wasn't on the list. He was perhaps the best fielding first baseman of his era -- really one of the best of all-time. He finished second in batting average in 1955 and twice placed in the top 10 in base hits during his time here. Beyond all that -- and I know this doesn't have anything to do with stats -- he was one of the first Puerto Rican stars in the majors.
Again, I really enjoyed reading your list and look forward to viewing your page in the future.
Great tribute. I grew up watching the A's from 63-67, age 6-10. I still have three green Louisville Sluggers from bat days: Jim Gentile, Billy Bryan, and Tim Talton. The Kansas City Athletics by Ernest Mehl (Holt, 1956), The Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History, 1954-1967 by John E. Peterson (McFarland, 2003), and The Kansas City A's and the Wrong Half of the Yankees: How the Yankees Controlled Two of the Eight American League Franchises During the 1950s by Jeff Katz (Potomac, 2007) are the basic texts.
Another manager that played for the KC A's was Tommy Lasorda - pitched 18 games in 1956
"but I was shocked Vic Power wasn't on the list. "
Wow, I can't believe I messed up this badly, but Power should be on the list. He had 48 Win Shares, good enough for 8th on the list. I'm really shocked I overlooked him because I'm a big Vic Power fan. I grew up reading Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison's biographies, and Power was part of those fun 60's Twins teams.
Power was a great Kansas City Athletic, earning MVP votes all three full seasons in KC. He was a .300 hitter who hardly ever struck out, who had decent power, and was a gifted defender. I definitely erred by overlooking Vic, and will have to make amends by giving him his own entry.
As an eight-year old in 1955, I saw the A's beat the Tigers 6-2 in their first game. I followed them religiously until they left K.C. after 1967 while I was in college.
Their best year, from the standing point of winning percentage, was 1958 when they finished 73-81. Until they faded at the end, the A's threatened finishing in the first division. Bob Cerv was the star of that team. He wound up with 38 HR and 104 Rbi's and a .592 slugging percentage. The homerun total has not been surpassed in the history of KC baseball. He did this despite playing about a month on a liquid diet after he broke his jaw in a plate collision with Red Wilson of the Tigers. He was also selected by a vote of the players to start the 1958 All-Star game, despite the presence of Ted Williams who had hit .388 the previous year.
Although he does not have enough win shares to qualify among the best of the A's, the stint of Bud Daley with the A's should be mentioned. Daley holds the A's record for the most wins in a season. Although originally a farmhand of the Indians, the A's acquired him in April of 1958 from the Orioles for the always disappointing Arnold Portocarrero (Of course, with the luck of the A's, 1958 was the year that Portocarrero had his best season, winning 15 games).
Bud, a soft-throwing lefthander with a big curve, came into his own in 1959. After losing his first start to the Yankees due to a ninth inning rally, his next start at home (which I saw) resulted in a 4-hit 16-0 shutout of White Sox. He wound up with a 16-13 record, a 3.17 ERA, 12 CG, and a selection to the All-Star game.
In 1960 his successes continued early on as he led the American League with a 12-4 record at the All-Star break. He also pitched a scoreless ninth inning at the All-Star game held at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. However, that was the end of his tenure as a first-rate starting pitcher. His pitching collapsed in the second half of 1960 and his final was only 16-16, with a 4.56 ERA.
In 1961, after early struggles, new owner Charlie Finley traded him to the Yankees for former A's
pitcher, Art Ditmar, and young third baseman-outfielder Deron Johnson. Daley had decent success as a starter and reliever for the Yankees in 1961-1962 and was the winning pitcher in relief for the final game of the 1961 World Series against Cincinnati.
Bud, a soft-throwing lefthander with a big curve, came into his own in 1959. After losing his first start to the Yankees due to a ninth inning rally, his next start at home (which I saw) resulted in a 4-hit 16-0 shutout of White Sox. He wound up with a 16-13 record, a 3.17 ERA, 12 CG, and a selection to the All-Star game.
One of the reasons why I like visiting your blog so much is because it has become a daily reference I can use in order to learn new nice stuff. It's like a curiosities box that surprises you over and over again.
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