Oakland Athletics All-Time Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

#9: Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco is another named tied to PEDs. He’s also a named tied to making outlandish, sometimes insane statements on social media, which has cast a bit of a shadow on his career. However, when it came to his time as one of the “Bash Brothers” in Oakland, Canseco was untouchable.

Beginning in 1985, when he hit .302 in his debut year, Canseco seemed special. The following season, he won the Rookie of the Year Award and was selected to the first of six career All-Star Games. In his career, he took home four Silver Slugger Awards, as well as the 1988 MVP Award.

Aside from being a decorated player, Canseco was also a powerful slugger. His MVP season came after he nearly won the Triple Crown, leading the league in home runs (42) and RBIs (124), but falling short with a ninth-place finish in batting average (.307). Regardless, he repeated his feat of leading the league in homers three seasons later, in 1991, when he hit 44 of them.

In 1992, Canseco was dealt to the Texas Rangers, and he spent time with several other teams – including a brief return to Oakland in 1997. When all was said and done, he had played 17 years in the league and hit 462 home runs. Canseco may only be remembered now for the crazy things he says online, but at one time, he was one of the greatest hitters in the game.

Next: Top 20 A's Hitters: #8