Oakland Athletics: The Athletics’ All-Time 25-Man Roster

Shortstop: Miguel Tejada

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Miguel Tejada started off his Major League Baseball career with the Oakland Athletics in 1997. As he slowly improved over the next two years, he became the starting shortstop in 1998 and also became part of a young successful core that got the A’s to the postseason in 2000 to 2003.

The 2002 season was Tejada’s breakout year with the Athletics, when he hit .308 with an .861 OPS. He demonstrated that he was not only strong at driving runs in, with 131 RBIs, but also was a speedy and calculated base runner. His performance that year earned him the American League MVP Award.

Tejada went on to play for six different baseball organizations. Despite his alleged steroid use, he is known as one of the better shortstops in the 21st century. He is a two-time Silver Slugger and a six-time All Star. He also played in 1,152 consecutive games from 2001 to 2007. Overall, he was a powerful athlete that helped get the Oakland Athletics back on their feet after they struggled in the 1990s.

Runner Up: Bert Campaneris

Bert Campaneris, also known as Campy, was thrown back into the limelight prior to the 2015 season when Will Ferrell attempt to recreate Campy’s game where he played all nine baseball positions. When Campaneris completed this feat back in 1965 with the Kansas City Athletics, it was a promotional stunt to display Campy’s athleticism and attract fans. However, Campaneris was much more than a trick pony, and he spent 13 of his successful 19 years in baseball with the Athletics organization. During that time, he hit .262/.314/.348, but swiped 566 bases. He was also a six-time All Star, and he lead the league in stolen bases in six seasons during his career.

Next: The Infield: Third Base