Oakland Athletics: 30 Worst Players in Franchise History

Doug Jennings

Doug Jennings was picked up from the Angels by the A’s as a Rule 5 draft in 1987 – meaning he had to stay on the 1988 big league roster the entire season. The left-handed outfielder and first baseman never met the high expectations the A’s front office had for him, despite hitting over .300 and slugging a total of 47 HRs and 200 RBIs his last two seasons in the minor leagues.

Jennings seemed to be impressive in his first start in 1989 against the Seattle Mariners on April 13, going 4-for-4 with a HR. However, the career highlights pretty much end there. Despite being surrounded with the likes of that season’s MVP Jose Canseco, 1988 ROY Mark McGwire, Dave Parker and Don Baylor in Jennings’s 71 games for the AL Pennant winners, he only amounted to a .209 BA and 1 HR (the one he hit in the debut) and was quickly sent to AAA Tacoma for the 1989 season.

Jennings was brought back up for the second half of the 1990 season after hitting .346 in AAA. He still showed he could not handle major league pitching, with a .192 BA in 64 games for the Athletics. He also struck out in a third of his at-bats.

Jennings did make the World Series roster, getting a pinch-hit single off Jose Rijo in Game 1 – his only appearance and probably only other career highlight. He got in eight more games for the Athletics in 1991 and, after getting only one hit in eight games played, was released.

After a couple more years in the Orioles minor league organization, he was signed by the Cubs in 1993 to a minor league contract and brought up during the second half of the season. After 42 games with another high percentage of strikeouts, he played his last major league game on Sept 26, 1993.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Larry Haney