Oakland Athletics Top Ten Pitchers in Franchise History

#3: LHP Eddie Plank

One of the great things about having a franchise that is over a century old is that its player ranks are rich with history. Eddie Plank is an example of a historical great that A’s fans should be proud to call their own.

Plank was born in 1875 and started with the Philadelphia Athletics back in 1901, where he stayed through the 1914 season when his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Terriers.

How good was Plank? He is the Athletics franchise all-time WAR leader at +76 for his career. He never had a losing season with the A’s. He was a rotation centerpiece for the A’s 1905, 1911, 1913, and 1914 World Series campaigns, two of which they won (he did not pitch in the 1910 World Series victory, as Chief Bender and Jack Coombs pitched all 45 innings of that series).

Plank was instrumental in helping the Athletics form their identity. He was one of the members of the original 1901 Philadelphia Athletics, and he was a staple of the first dozen years of the Connie Mack era which were extraordinarily successful.

Perhaps it is telling that Plank left the team after the 1914 season, and the A’s didn’t have another winning season until 1925. Well done, Gettysburg Eddie, you deserve a spot on this list.

Next: Top Ten Pitchers: #2