Oakland Athletics All-Time Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

#2: Jimmie Foxx

The Philadelphia Athletics found Jimmie Foxx in 1925, when he was just 17 years old. He barely saw any playing time at all during the first three years of his career, totaling just 191 plate appearances. However, things begain to take off for him in 1928, and by the following season, he was the A’s everyday first baseman.

Foxx led the league in home runs four times in his career, starting in 1932 when he was only 24 years old. He was a nine-time All-Star, earning a selection each season from 1933 to 1941, including three years with the A’s. Before the 1936 season, Connie Mack sold Foxx’s contract to the Boston Red Sox, where he would play for the next six seasons.

Foxx was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951, appearing on nearly 80 percent of ballots. If he had been left off, it would have been a travesty. In addition to his many All-Star appearances, Foxx was a three-time MVP, twice with the Athletics. He won the batting title in each of those seasons, and also won the Triple Crown in his 1933 MVP season – leading the league in homers, average and RBIs.

Throughout his two-decade long career, Foxx left behind a fascinating legacy. He was the second player in history to hit 500 home runs, and the youngest player to do so before Alex Rodriguez broke that particular record. Foxx led the league in RBIs and on-base percentage three times each, as well as five times in slugging percentage and four times in home runs. By the end of his career, he had his 534 homers – 18th all-time in history.

Foxx was truly one of the great power hitters, in an era long before power hitters were as common as they are today.

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