When Billy Beane was also set to take over as the A’s GM with Alderson’s departure, he made sure that he was the one that traded away Mark McGwire\u2014a move the team felt had to happen\u2014so that Beane could start with a clean slate and not have that trade be his introduction to the fans. <\/p>\n
Dave Henderson manned center for the A’s from 1988-93 and helped the club to four postseason appearances during his six seasons as an Athletic. Hendu had career-highs in batting (.304) and RBI (94) in his first season in 1988, and slugged a career-high 25 home runs in 1991 when he was named to the American League All-Star team. <\/p>\n
He hit two home runs and had four RBI in Game 3 of the 1989 World Series against San Francisco and batted .308 in the A\u2019s four-game sweep of the Giants. He was a fan favorite in his time in the Green and Gold, with the fans in the bleachers hoisting signs that said Henduland and Hendu\u2019s Bad Boy Club. Henderson passed away in 2015 and will be represented by his widow, Nancy, and son, Trent.<\/p>\n
Mark Ellis is arguably the most underrated player in A’s history<\/a>. His defense was superb before analytics became as widespread as they are now, and he was a steady bat in the lineup during his nine seasons with the club. He remains the Athletics career leader for home runs by a second baseman with 84.<\/p>\n John “Blue Moon” Odom played for both the Kansas City and Oakland A\u2019s and was 80-76 with a 3.53 ERA in 269 games, including 214 starts, in 12 seasons with the Athletics from 1964-75. He played on the A\u2019s three straight World Series Championship teams from 1972-74 and logged a 3-1 record and a 1.13 ERA in 10 career postseason appearances, including four starts. <\/p>\n This is a terrific class that has something for all types of A’s fans. <\/p>\n For more A’s insight and analysis, make sure to follow Jason on X\u00a0@ByJasonB<\/a>\u00a0or BlueSky\u00a0@JasonBurke<\/a>\u00a0and the site’s\u00a0Facebook page<\/a>!<\/p>\n
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