Oakland Athletics All-Time Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

#10: Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson‘s career with the Philadelphia Athletics began in 1933. He was one of the first true power hitters, striking fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers throughout his career. In his rookie season, he hit 21 home runs and posted a .290 average for the A’s.

Johnson went on to play ten years in a Philadelphia uniform, before spending one season with the Senators and two with the Boston Red Sox. During his ten years with the Athletics, he hit .298/.395/.520, with 252 home runs and 104o RBIs. When he retired at age 39 after in the 1945 season, he had 2051 total hits.

A seven-time All-Star, Johnson was not elected to the Hall of Fame despite being the kind of player who received MVP votes in six of his 13 seasons. For the majority of his career, he was a top-ten player in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, leading the AL in OPS in 1944, just before retirement. In fact, his career .899 OPS is ranked 64th all-time.

Johnson might not be the most exciting name on the list, but he was one of the greatest early sluggers in the game.

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