Oakland Athletics: 30 Worst Players in Franchise History

Who were the 30 worst players in Oakland Athletics history?

Although there have been plenty of superstars and major league greats in Oakland Athletics history, there have also been plenty of flops. Between bad trades, bad drafts, and bad free agent deals, the A’s have had their share of players who just didn’t live up to expectations.

The Swingin’ A’s staff took a look at some of the most notoriously bad A’s players throughout the years, narrowing it down to 30 worst in our memories. Every fan has their own personal list of the players they least enjoyed rooting for, so feel free to share your thoughts about who we’ve missed in the comments – or who is on this list that shouldn’t be.

So who were the A’s most frustrating players? In no particular order, let’s get started:

*Editor’s note: Special thanks to Rich Paloma and Samantha Riley, who contributed to this article.

Jim Johnson

Even though Jim Johnson was only with the Oakland Athletics for one season, his performance – or lack thereof – earns him a spot on this list. After the 2013 season, the A’s decided to spend big on a closer to replace their beloved Grant Balfour, whom they had lost in free agency. Oakland traded for Johnson and ended up agreeing in arbitration to pay him $10 million for the 2014 season. Because of his past results as closer for the Baltimore Orioles, he seemed like a good pickup at the time. But, he went down in flames during the first month of the season.

From the start, Johnson was not dominant. He allowed hits, walked batters, and blew saves. By the end of the first month of the 2014 season, A’s fans were booing Johnson whenever he came out of the pen. Oakland finally decided to revoke Johnson’s closer title in early May ,and Sean Doolittle was later rewarded with this open position. Johnson continued to perform poorly as a reliever throughout the season, and Oakland released him in August.

When he left the Athletics, Johnson had a 7.14 ERA with a 2.06 WHIP. He allowed 60 hits, 32 earned runs, and 23 walks in just 40.1 innings pitched. In his 38 appearances with the Athletics, he only didn’t allow a baserunner four times. Ultimately, he was so bad while with the A’s that he made franchise history by being the second all-time worst in hits allowed per nine innings. Because of his past success, it made sense as to why the Athletics wanted to acquire Johnson. However, he crashed and burned quickly, leaving Oakland with no closer and plenty of disgruntled fans.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Billy Beane

Billy Beane

Billy Beane’s name will be remembered for a long time in Oakland Athletics’ history for the role he has played in their front office. It has yet to be determined if he will be remembered in a positive or negative light as an executive, but he will certainly not be forgotten. However, many do not remember Beane’s days as a baseball player with the A’s quite as fondly – or at all.

Beane was a highly touted prospect when he was drafted in the first round in 1980 by the New York Mets. Even though he struggled offensively in the Minors, he was finally promoted to the big leagues in 1984. He only played in 13 games for the Mets over the 1984 and 1985 seasons before being traded to the Minnesota Twins. He continued to struggle at the plate with the Twins because he could not make the necessary adjustments to improve his swing.

His final season in MLB ended up being with the Oakland Athletics. Beane continued to swing and miss and only received 82 at-bats with the Green and Gold. During that time, Beane hit .241/.238/.304. This was not his worst season, but it definitely put the nail in the coffin of Beane’s big league career.

Beane decided to leave Major League Baseball as a player in 1990. He was a frustrated batter with a .246 career on-base percentage, and had only three home runs and 29 RBIs in his six-year career in the Majors. Beane had a lot of potential, but he could not translate that to success at the major league level.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer spent the last four years of his MLB career with the Oakland Athletics, but he unfortunately did not find that much success while wearing Green and Gold. Even though he had already had a long, mediocre career, his skills continued to decline further by the time he joined Oakland. The A’s originally acquired Meyer in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in 1981. Meyer had an average first season with Oakland in 1982, but it went downhill from there.

During the 1983 season, Meyer batted below .200 in his first 69 games played that season and ended up spending most of the year on the bench. Because of his poor offense, Meyers started the 1984 season in the Minor Leagues. He did pretty well with the A’s Triple-A affiliate that year and was called up in September. He put up impressive numbers in the 20 games he played, batting .318 with a .864 OPS. Unfortunately, his success did not last.

In 1985, Meyer went hitless in 12 at-bats to begin the season. He just could not produce offensively that year, and the A’s decided to let him go on May 26. He bounced around in the Minor Leagues after being released, but never appeared in the majors again. Looking back on his career, Meyer is considered one of the worst players of the 20th century even though many thought he was quite good during his playing days. Like many of the other players on this list, his lack of production makes him one of the worst players in Athletics history.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Charles Thomas

Charles Thomas

Charles Thomas did not have much time to make his mark in the majors. He only spent two seasons in the big leagues, one of them being with the Oakland Athletics. After being picked all the way down in the 19th round of the draft in 2000, Thomas made his debut with the Braves in 2004 and exceeded expectations. He batted close to .300, hit 31 RBIs, and was named to the National League All-Star Team. This outfielder showed a lot of potential offensively and demonstrated outstanding defense during his rookie year.

So, when the Atlanta Braves traded him to the Oakland Athletics in 2005 for Tim Hudson, many were quite excited about this young player joining the Green and Gold. However, he quickly flopped. He started in 20 games that season, but only got five hits. He was demoted to Triple-A after only batting .109 with a .363 OPS in 46 at-bats with the A’s. It seemed as though Thomas had just completely lost his mojo.

Thomas stayed in Triple-A for the rest of the 2005 season and the Oakland Athletics kept him in the Minors until 2007. Since he was not playing well even at a lower level, the Athletics finally traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers for JD Closser on May 4. He finished out the 2007 season in their minor league system, and did not play professional baseball in the United States ever again. When he first came to the A’s, it seemed as though he would have a prosperous career an MLB player. Unfortunately, it did not pan out for Thomas.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Jack Cust

Jack Cust

Out of the ten years that Jack Cust spent in Major League Baseball, the team he played the most games with was the Oakland Athletics. Cust came to the A’s in 2004, but his first season with the Green and Gold did not start off very well. He spent that whole year in Triple-A. Once he was granted free agency at the season ended, Cust decided to sign a Minor League contract with the San Diego Padres.

Despite spending all of 2006 in San Diego’s farm system with no sign of improvement, Oakland wanted him back for some odd reason. The A’s and Padres made a trade that sent Cust back to the Athletics. As their backup designated hitter, Cust got off to a hot start with six homers in his first seven at bats after returning to Oakland. However, he quickly declined from there.

Even though Cust had some timely hitting moments, he was a swing and miss type of hitter. Cust either hit homers or did not hit at all. In 2007, he led Major League Baseball in strikeouts. The very next year, he topped that feat by breaking the American League record for most strikeouts in one season. He struck out 197 times that year. In 2009, he led the league in strikeouts yet again.

Overall, Cust’s OPS was decent, but he just struck out too many times to really justify having him on the roster for long.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday was an established three-time All-Star who helped the Colorado Rockies get to the World Series in 2007. Now, he’s a superstar for the St. Louis Cardinals, with four more All-Star selections under his belt.

Unfortunately, in his short time with the Oakland Athletics, he was not as successful – at least, not compared to his usual standards. Added to the fact that the trade the A’s made to acquire Holliday has gone down as one of the worst transactions Billy Beane has ever made, a major disappointment.

Holliday came to Oakland in a blockbuster deal prior to the 2009 season. In exchange for the Rockies’ outstanding outfielder, the A’s gave Colorado pitchers Huston Street and Greg Smith – and outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez was suppose to be the Athletics’ future outfielder, but they shipped him off to Colorado. While with the Rockies, he became their staple outfielder, was nominated to two All-Star teams, and finished third in the 2010 MVP vote. So the A’s traded away one of their more promising players for a power hitter who did not even want to be playing in Oakland. Right off the bat, it was implied that Holliday was not excited about going to the Athletics, and it’s probably that his batting statistics were affected by his negative attitude.

After batting over .300 for the past five seasons, Holliday hit only .286/.378/.454 in 400 plate appearances. Those numbers would be good for most players, but not for Holliday. He was also brought down by minor injuries while with the A’s. Even though the team as a whole was performing poorly, Holliday’s bat started to get hot. This made him a great trading piece for the A’s during the trade deadline that season. They decided to send Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 24, 2009.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Arthur Rhodes

Arthur Rhodes

Arthur Rhodes already had a long and established career in Major League Baseball before coming to the Oakland Athletics. Rhodes broke into the big leagues in 1991 with the Baltimore Orieles. He was a consistent reliever for Baltimore for 12 years and then became one of the best setup men in the league during his four seasons with the Seattle Mariners. So, when the A’s signed Rhodes in 2004, many thought he would boost their bullpen.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Ken Macha, the Athletics manager at the time, wanted to use Rhodes as a closer. He immediately did not thrive in this role. Throughout the season, Rhodes was able to accumulate nine saves, but blew five save opportunities. Additionally, his ERA was above 5.00 for the first time in four seasons. Out of the 20 years he pitched in the Majors, this was one of five seasons where his WAR was negative.

The Oakland Athletics did not want to give Rhodes another chance. They decided to trade him after the 2004 season to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rhodes officially retired in 2015. Overall, he established himself as a consistent and reliable reliever throughout his long career. However, his time in Oakland was just the opposite and he was not one of their best closers.
Ricardo Rincon’s name may be best known from the movie Moneyball rather than his days actually pitching for the Oakland Athletics. In the film, Billy Beane, who is played by Brad Pitt, is on the phone with the Cleveland Indian’s GM trying to make a deal to bring Rincon to Oakland.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Johnnie LeMaster

Johnnie LeMaster

To give you a sense of how bad Johnnie LeMaster really was, he is most remembered in the baseball community for the time he switch his last name to “Boo” on his jersey while with the San Francisco Giants, because the fans always welcomed LeMaster to the field with a chorus of boos. Despite having a pretty dismal career, LeMaster did play in the MLB for 12 years, and one of those seasons was with the Oakland Athletics.

LeMaster did not come to Oakland until the last season of his baseball career, in 1987. As one might imagine, his first 11 seasons did not go so well, and that did not change during his stint with the Athletics. Even though he had done well in the minors during the 1986 season, LeMaster had not improved at the Major League level.

The Athletics kept LeMaster in Triple-A for most of 1987, but he did appear in 20 games that season. In those games, he only batted 0.083,with just two hits and one RBI over 25 plate appearances. By the time he retired after that one season with the A’s, LeMaster had a career batting average of .222 with 22 home runs in 1039 games played. Because of his poor offense, it is honestly surprising that he lasted in the big leagues for that long.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Todd Van Poppel

Keith Ginter

The last time Keith Ginter played at the Major League level was with the Oakland Athletics in 2005. Ginter’s baseball career was not a long one, as he only spent six years playing at the MLB level. There was only one season back in 2003 that Ginter played the entire year with a Major League team. Every other season he split his time between Triple-A and the big league club.

Ginter came to the Oakland Athletics in 2005, but did not see much time at the O.co Coliseum. Like many of his other years playing in professional baseball, Ginter moved between Triple-A and the A’s throughout the season. He did end up playing in 51 games with the Green and Gold, but it was not that impressive of a performance.

While with Oakland, Ginter hit .161/.234./.263, giving him a .497 OPS. Additionally, he only had 22 hits and 12 runs.. He stayed with the Athletics organization for the 2006 season, but played in Triple-A the entire year. Ginter performed acceptably while with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, but did nothing impressive enough to bring him back up to the Majors.

Ginter spent the rest of his baseball career in the Minor Leagues. He also played in an independent league in 2010, before retiring.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Travis Buck

Travis Buck

Unlike many of the names on this list, Travis Buck started his MLB career with the Oakland Athletics rather than ending it there. He was drafted by the A’s in 2005 and was the 35th overall pick that year. Throughout his time in the Athletics’ farm system, he was a top rated prospect and was even rated as the #50 top prospect in all of Major League Baseball. Oakland was eager to call him up to make his debut at the O.co Coliseum.

He made Oakland’s Opening Day roster in 2007, just two years after he was drafted, because there was a space open on the roster after Dan Johnson incurred an injury. He had a pretty good season with the A’s that year as he went .288/.377/.474 with an .850 OPS over 82 games played. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there.

Buck started off the 2008 season with the Oakland Athletics but was demoted to Triple-A for most of the year. He was recalled in September, but he was just not as strong offensively. Buck’s offense continued to dwindle and his batting average went from .226 in 2008 to .219 in 2009. Despite performing well in the Minors, he just could not find success in the big leagues. Ultimately, the Oakland Athletics decided to non-tender his contract after the 2009 season. Buck spent the rest of his Major League career as a quintessential Four-A Player, journeying up and down between the major and minor leagues with various organizations.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda had an lengthy Minor League career, yet only three season of big league playing time under his belt. In one of those seasons, he played with the Kansas City Athletics. Although Lasorda is now a storied baseball veteran, what he was not cut out for is being a major league pitcher.

While with the Kansas City Athletics, Lasorda had a 6.15 ERA with 49 runs allowed over just 58.1 innings pitched. Over his entire major league career, Lasorda had a 6.48 ERA in 26 games. During his playing days, Lasorda pitched in both the Athletics and Dodgers organizations, but he just could not figure out how to be a successful pitcher in the big leagues.

Thankfully for him, he did much better as a coach. He first became a Minor League scout in 1961 and rose through the ranks until be became the Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager in 1976, where managed the team for two decades. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997. He’s the perfect example of someone who doesn’t have the physical talent to succeed himself, but understand the fundamentals so well that he can still be a high quality coach and manager.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Scott Hemond

Scott Hemond

Serving as a back-up catcher to Terry Steinbach during parts of the 1989 to 1994 seasons, 1986 first round draft pick Scott Hemond never met expectations and seemed satisfied with his role as just a “back-up”, with a career .217 batting average.

Coming out of the University of South Florida where he was a two-time All American, Hemond was of high interest to many teams and was touted as one of ESPN’s ‘Top Three” picks coming out of the draft. Going into his first season of minor league ball, Hemond was the 1986 Batting Champ (.305) and Cape Cod League MVP – but the highlights end there.

Hemond’s best season with the Athletics was 1993 when he appeared in 91 games, hitting .256 with 6 HRs, after Steinbach landed on the disabled list for part of the season due to a broken wrist after the All-Star break.

In 1993, Hemond had a .990 fielding percentage and 10 passed balls, and he was no better than average at throwing out runners. Because of this lack of success behind the dish, he was tried as a back-up infielder due to injuries to Mark McGwire and Carney Lansford that season. He appeared in 43 games at first, second and third base with only 39 games behind the plate that season. His .960 fielding percentage around the horn and .222 BA (only .280 OBP) at the plate showed that wasn’t going to work either, and he was released at season’s end.

Although he set a single-season base stealing mark for Oakland Athletics catchers, with 14 – as if the A’s have ever had base thieves that were also backstops – Hemond also was not the best base runner, getting thrown out at ill-opportune times trying to stretch out hits. In his career, he got caught stealing 13 times in 31 attempts (including 6 of 13 in ’94) while with the A’s.

In 1995 Hemond was picked up by the Cardinals and got into 57 games. He hit just .144 in that final stint in the majors.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Herb Washington

Herb Washington

Lured by A’s owner Charlie Finley from a track career to become the “designated runner” for the then two-time World Champion Oakland A’s, world-class sprinter Herb Washington had a brief career in Major League Baseball in 1974 and 1975.

His history at Michigan State included being a four-time all-American, winning a NCAA title and seven Big Ten titles. He also tied or broke the world record in the 50- and 60-yard dashes several times, which is what caught Finley’s eye. His teammates, who acknowledged his talents as an athlete, felt his presence as a player was considered somewhere between a danger and a joke.

After crashing on to the MLB team with no professional baseball experience, the A’s brought in legendary base stealer Maury Wills to mentor Washington, who had to learn tendencies of opposing pitchers and aquaint himself with base running techniques.

The 22-year-old Washington appeared in 92 games for the ’74 team, stealing 29 bases in 45 attempts. Of his 29 runs scored, 13 either tied the score or put the A’s ahead.

While Washington may have helped the A’s reach the World Series again, where they defeated the Dodgers in five games, there’s no doubt to baseball fans that his most memorable moment in the brief career was a dubious one. In the ninth inning of Game 2 in the 1974 Series, with the A’s down by a run, Manager Alvin Dark – presumably on orders from Finley – had Washington pinch-run for a surprised and reluctant-to-leave Joe Rudi, who was no slouch in the area of speed himself. Washington was then promptly picked off first base by Dodger pitcher Mike Marshall while representing the tying run.

“The only thing embarrassing about that is that it happened in front of 60 million people watching on television,” Wills said in a news article.

Washington played in 13 more games in 1975, stealing only two bases and scoring four runs, before the A’s released him in early May.

“I’d feel sorry for him if he were a player,” A’s Captain Sal Bando said at the time.

Washington is one of only seven players (not pitchers) to have more game appearances than plate appearances. Alan Wyatt, also featured in this piece, is another one of the seven.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Doug Jennings

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

Larry Haney

A’s catcher Larry Haney had a habit of always reappearing on the A’s roster over the course of eight seasons. He was traded to the A’s by the Seattle Pilots in exchange for John Donaldson in 1969, appearing in 53 games that year (.151 average and two home runs). He was then brought up in 1970 before getting sent to the minors and returning again in 1972 as a September call up. He appeared briefly in 1973 before he was sold to the Cardinals, then returned back to the A’s as part of a trade in 1974 – this time staying until 1976.

His minor league stats should have been a clue to the A’s. In his minor league career, Haney led California League catchers in a bad way, hitting into 18 double plays and allowing 38 passed balls while playing for the Stockton Ports in 1962. He then led Eastern League catchers with 17 double plays while playing for the Elmira Pioneers in 1963.

Haney, known mostly for his defensive ability, was acquired three separate times by the Athletics during the 70s, and was on their roster during their entire World Championship year of 1974, playing in 74 games as he finished the season with just a .165 batting average.

Haney was such a bad hitter that the A’s hitting coach in 1969, Joe DiMaggio, refused to work with him, citing him as a lost cause. His defensive skills and ability to work with pitchers is what kept him in the big leagues for so long.

In addition to his .985 fielding percentage, he only threw out 110 of 282 stolen base attempts (39 percent). In his 7 seasons and 273 games with the A’s, Haney amounted to just a .189 batting average and only 5 homeruns. He never had more than 177 at-bats in a season (1976).

One last interesting note: Haney was such an unknown that Topps used a photo of Dave Duncan for his 1975 baseball card.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Allan Lewis

Allan Lewis

Allan Lewis, the “Panamanian Express”. When A’s fans think about the “designated runner,” minds go to Herb Washington and 1974. But prior to the ’74 season, the Oakland A’s had another player whom they often called in for pinch running situations, from 1968 to 1973.

Allan Lewis, classified as an outfielder, was brought into MLB by owner Charlie Finley. Finley required managers to use the speedster in late inning situations where a stolen base could lead to wins. Lewis was nicknamed “The Panamanian Express” by Finley for his country of origin, in reference to the train run called the Panama Limited.

Lewis appeared in 156 games in those six season, and actually had 29 at-bats – remember, this was prior to the DH when rosters were depleted in extra-inning games and Lewis would actually have to play the field and hit after being called in. He even hit one home run in his career, which is more home runs than Herb Washington, Tony LaRussa and Shooty Babbit hit, combined.

Lewis only averaged about 7 steals a season and stole 44 bases in 61 attempts for his career – a 72-percent success rate when baseball wisdom holds that a success rate of 67-percent is your basic player. (Rickey Henderson had an 81-percent average and other speedsters who could play and hit were higher).

In 1970, after Lewis was picked off base twice in a September series against the Angels, one sarcastic newspaperman remarked, “The Panamanian Express is a local that stops between first and second.”

Many A’s players (and fans too) felt Lewis, a one-dimensional player, was wasting a roster spot that could have been more effectively filled to benefit the team. This lead 1971 Manager Dick Williams to quip, “He can fly around the bases, but can’t do much of anything else.”

In 1972, after Reggie Jackson got hurt in Game 5 of the ALCS and put on the DL, Lewis was activated for the 1972 World Series. He appeared in six of the seven games, getting thrown out twice by Johnny Bench attempting to steal but did score two runs in other pinch running situations, however better-than-average speed may not have contributed to those runs scored. Because of his limited contributions throughout the season and believing the World Series roster spot should have gone to an all-around position player, Lewis only received a 1/10 share of the Series earnings.

In 1974 Lewis was replaced as the “designated runner” by track star Herb Washington.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Shooty Babitt

Shooty Babitt

Calling Shooty Babitt a “former A’s infielder” as he’s known and credited on the CSN broadcasts is kind of a stretch when it comes to Oakland Athletics lore.

In 1981, Mack Neal ‘Shooty’ Babitt made his MLB debut as part of the opening night line-up against the Twins in a 5-1 victory that saw the fresh-start A’s rack off 11 wins to start the season. A’s fans were high on the local rookie from Berkeley that began his career with a seven-game hitting streak, the second such longest streak in Oakland A’s history for the start of their debut. Any more highlights from Babitt’s career ends there. By September, in only 49 more games played – and that’s a strike shortened season where half of June and all of July was lost – Babitt had played his last game in Major League Ball even though the A’s were off to both the ALDS and ALCS.

Babitt, who would be caught stealing as many times as he was successful (5 of 10) for the run-happy A’s of Billy Ball and who killed rallies with grounded into double plays would have Athletics manager Billy Martin later comment, “If you ever see Shooty Babitt play second base for me again, I want you to Shooty me.”

Babitt now provides pre-game and post-game babble for the “Ath-a-letics” CSN broadcasts during the season.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Ruben Sierra

Ruben Sierra

Monday night, August 31, 1992 vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

The A’s come to bat in the first inning and slugger Jose Canseco gets called back from the on-deck circle and replaced by Lance Blankenship. The reason? Athletics’ general manager Sandy Alderson had just agreed to trade the slugger to the Rangers for fellow 1992 All-Star outfielder Ruben Sierra, starting pitcher Bobby Witt, and reliever Jeff Russell. If you thought the July 2014 Cespedes deal dropped your mouth, imagine that 10-fold in 1992.

No player had more than Canseco’s 230 home runs from his rookie year of 1986 through that time. He, at 28, was in his prime and widely regarded as the best player in baseball – a key cog for an A’s team that had won the pennant in three of the last four years.

“First there are guys like Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco,” Carney Lansford said of the ’92 team at the time. “Then there’s everybody else.”

And Ruben Sierra? Well Sierra at that time was quarantined due to the chicken pox and didn’t appear for the A’s until Sept. 6. There was some hope. Sierra was only 26, and a three-time All-Star in his seventh season in the starting lineup for a mediocre Rangers team. Though he wasn’t the best at any part of the game, he’d shown the ability to hit for average, some power, and some speed. He was having an awful season, he was a soon-to-be free agentl, and he was not accepted with the Arlington Stadium fans. It was well-known at the time that Rangers GM Tom Grieve didn`t want Sierra, which meant ownership didn’t have to make the dreaded financial decision on him. Even today, there is a joke that Grieve and Alderson that each gave up their “problem children” in the deal.

The move didn’t come through. The A’s at the time were a lock for another AL West title, but lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 ALCS and faultered for the next seven seasons. Sierra put up moderately disappointing numbers over the next 2 1/2 seasons in Oakland – in 1,560 plate appearances, he hit only 60 homers with a .253 average – before the A’s traded him with a pitching prospect to the Yankees for Danny Tartabull in 1995. Sierra would switch uniforms another 13 times before being out of baseball in 2005.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Jeremy Giambi

Jeremy Giambi

Those who remember Athletics’ outfielder and first baseman Jeremy Giambi are more likely to remember him for his role in the movie Moneyball rather than any particularly exciting baseball moment. The younger Giambi may have had some decent plate discipline, but that’s about it. While his bat was powerful, it wasn’t even a fraction of the power his brother showed, and he was all but useless in the field.

It’s crazy to think that someone could make the list of worst players despite having a .819 OPS and .272 average with the A’s, but Giambi just never made the kind of long-term impact that the Athletics were hoping for. After a fairly rough 2000 – .761 OPS, with just 10 home runs, 32 walks, and 50 RBIs, Giambi had a decent year as a part-time player. In 2001, he posted a .841 OPS and knocked in a career-high 57 RBIs.

The Athletics, though, were not impressed. They were even less impressed when he failed to slide home in a play at the plate during the 2001 ALCS, getting thrown out by Derek Jeter in a very memorable moment. By mid-2002, Giambi was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Giambi’s off-field troubles included a 2001 marijuana citation, after he tried to take the illegal drug through airport security, as well as being included in the Mitchell Report as a steroid user. Giambi, take steroids? Who would have guessed?

Jeremy Giambi was certainly no Jason, but perhaps the fault should lie with people who expected him to become his brother, rather than with him for not living up to those standards.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Daric Barton

Daric Barton

Daric Barton was perhaps the biggest tease in the history of the franchise. In 2007, the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2003 first round draft pick made his major league debut as an Oakland Athletic, batting .347/.429/.639 in 18 games. He hit four home runs and nine doubles, swiping a base and walking 10 times in the process.

Then, Barton became the most average player one could imagine. For two years, he made a minimal impact on the game and showed few signs of the power or plate discipline that had made him so useful that first season. He bounced between the majors and minors, filling in when injuries or trades made it necessary but never really  nabbing a full-time job.

In 2010, Barton led the league in walks with 110. He still couldn’t crack .798 for his OPS, thanks to a continuing lack of extra-base power. That was the last time he played a full season, as he spent most of the next four years in the minors.

Most people remember Barton’s defense for his ability to stretch and pick a ball out of the dirt, but he also led the league in errors in 2008. He was ranked second and third, respectively, in 2010 and 2011, so it’s not as though he just had a bad year. The best description for Barton is probably a “Four-A” player – not quite good enough for the big leagues, but far too good for the minors.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel

Although Octavio Dotel was not particularly bad, it’s his longevity that makes his mediocrity stand out. Altogether, the right-handed reliever has pitched 15 years in the big leagues – and played for nearly half the teams in the league. The Athletics were one of those 13 teams, when Dotel graced them with his presence from 2004 to 2005.

In that time, Dotel was 7-4 with a 3.95 ERA, which doesn’t sound so bad, but his FIP (fielding independent pitching) crept up to 4.00, and his WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) was a 1.212. He allowed nearly one walk per every two appearances, which is fairly astonishing for a relief pitcher. If he allowed a base runner in every other game, not even including runners who reach on hits or fielding miscues, it seems that his ERA would be much, much higher.

Dotel was not the worst reliever to ever come through the Athletics’ system, but he was certainly not one of the best. The fact that he’s managed to convince so many teams to sign him is impressive, given that he’s never been more than a middling middle-reliever, and he allows more traffic on the base paths than bullpen guys should.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: T.J. Mathews

T.J. Mathews

After beginning his career as an outstanding reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, the A’s thought they were getting a prize when they dealt for right-hander T.J. Mathews in 1997. Instead, they got someone who flopped as an Athletic.

Mathews earned a 4.78 ERA during his five year stint with the A’s, allowing more than one walk for every strikeout. He pitched 243 innings, so this was not a small sample size. If we’re talking about bad WHIPs, his was an astonishing 1.436 – no small feat for a relief pitcher.

In 1998 and 1999, Mathews allowed more than a third of his inherited runners to score. This was part of what the Athletics got in exchange for slugger Mark McGwire, making him one of the biggest disappointments of all time. How a pitcher can be so good with one club and then turn around and fail – in a pitcher-friendly park, no less – is perplexing.

After returning to the Cardinals briefly in 2001, Mathews finished his major league the following season as a Houston Astro. After that, he spent plenty of time in independent league baseball – a level much more suited to his abilities.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Marv Throneberry

Marv Throneberry

Marv Throneberry played for the Kansas City Athletics from 1960 to 1961, but his biggest claim to fame is being part of the ’62 Mets team that lost the most games in modern baseball history. After making his debut with the New York Yankees in 1955, the Athletics received him as part of a six-player deal for slugger Roger Maris following the 1959 season.

With the Athletics, Throneberry hit .246/.323/.432, and managed to not be worst than league-average in terms of defense. That doesn’t mean he was good – but he didn’t necessarily cost the team runs every time he took the field. It was his offense that was truly bad, making him a liability in the lineup.

Throneberry is best known for being a terrible first baseman for that terrible Mets team, failing at base running, hitting and even defending. That said, fans still loved him as kind of a “cult favorite” kind of player – much more than can be said for the majority of names on this list – or the majority of names on that Mets team.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Tony LaRussa

Tony La Russa

Tony La Russa debuted as a major league player in 1963, but he was no where near as good at playing the game as he was at managing. Although he played 34 games that year with the A’s, he was just 11-for-44 with only two extra-base hits. By the time he returned from a lengthy stint in the minors in 1968, the Athletics had moved to Oakland.

La Russa spent most of his playing career as an Athletic, until he was purchased by the Atlanta Braves in 1971. In that time, he hit .195/.289/.249, with absolutely no home runs or stolen bases, and 36 strikeouts in 169 at-bats. Those are some impressively bad numbers.

It’s quite likely that when La Russa left Oakland, not a single person thought he would become a Hall of Famer. Of course, he accomplished the feat as the St. Louis Cardinals’ manager, not as their light-hitting middle infielder, but it is still surprisingly to consider how many terrible players go on to have some of the best managerial careers in history. La Russa will be fondly remembered forever, but he certainly would not have been had he continued his career as a player.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Curt Blefary

Curt Blefary

Curt Blefary did not spend even one whole season with the Oakland Athletics, rather spending half of 1971 and a tiny portion of 1972 with the team. In that time, he hit just .241/.333/.411, which was shockingly one of the best stretches of his career.

By the time the Athletics dealt Blefary to the Padres in 1972, he was on the verge of retirement. At the end of the season, he hung up his cleats for good.

Like Daric Barton, Blefary was a disappointment not because he did not play well, but because he got everyone’s hopes up. In 1965, he took home the American League Rookie of the Year Award, and the following season he was a part of the Baltimore Orioles club that won a World Championship.

Blefary, however, just wasn’t a good defender. He played at outfield, first base and catcher for the Orioles, but he just couldn’t find a position that he wasn’t completely terrible at. He didn’t get any better during his time with the A’s, struggling both at the plate and in the field. His teammates often made fun of him for just how bad he was at defense.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Vin Mazzaro

Vin Mazzaro

As a third-round draft pick and top prospect, Vin Mazzaro was expected to do big things for the Oakland Athletics. Instead, he right-hander was so terrible during his major league tenure that he was eventually dealt along with a minor league pitcher to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for mediocre outfielder David DeJesus. DeJesus is barely a step up from Sam Fuld, so it’s hard to imagine how bad a pitcher would have to be to warrant needing additional pieces in order to make the trade happen..

Mazzaro was 10-17 during his career as a starter for the A’s, earning a 4.72 ERA in two seasons. He walked 89 batters and struck out just 138 in 213.2 innings.

His advanced metrics were even worse – a 5.04 FIP (fielding independent pitching) and 1.573 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) are among some of the worst marks in franchise history. He was terrible on the mound, and absolutely did not live up to his draft expectations.

Mazzaro was not just disappointing, he was downright bad. After two years as a mediocre starter for the Royals, he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates immediately turned him into a reliever rather than a stater, and he was lights-out that year – posting an 8-2 record and a 2.81 ERA in 57 games. He’s since fallen off a little, but he’s pitched nothing like the terrible years in Oakland.

Apparently, all he needed was a transition to the bullpen. Why didn’t the A’s think of that when he was still in Oakland?

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Craig Paquette

Craig Paquette

Because Craig Paquette was an eighth round draft pick for the A’s, there were far lower expectations for his career. That’s a good thing. He hit .217/.243/.382 in three seasons with the Athletics, beginning with his debut in 1993. Pacquette was not particularly good at defense or offense, making him a terrible choice as an outfielder/corner infielder.

Most defensively inept outfielders at least have power to show. Not Paquette. He had 99 career home runs, but that was spread out over 11 seasons, and during his three years with the A’s, he hit just 25.

Of course, in 1994, he barely spent any time at all on a major league playing field – he had just 50 at-bats, in which he had 7 hits and a stolen base.

By the time Paquette finished his career, he had bumped his average all the way up to .239, with a .685 OPS. Like many other players on this list, it’s shocking that he was able to play for as many seasons as he did, including time with the Royals, Mets, Cardinals and Tigers.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Juan Cruz

Juan Cruz

The Oakland Athletics acquired Juan Cruz in a deal with two other players – both of whom are on this list – in exchange for Tim Hudson. Together, Cruz, Dan Meyer and Charles Thomas make up one of the worst returns in the history of the franchise.

Cruz made the club in 2005, but by mid-season, he was back in Triple-A Sacramento. The right-hander when 0-3 in 28 appearances, with a 7.44 ERA in 32.2 innings. He walked 22 batters, despite striking out 34, which is likely what led to his struggles. He also gave up five home runs, nearly one every five appearances.

Cruz went on to post respectable numbers for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Royals and Rays, but his time in Oakland is truly one of the worst seasons in recent memory. Thankfully, they only had to watch him pitch for one season.

Next: The Worst A's Players in History: Ricardo Rincon

Jemile Weeks

Jemile Weeks began his career by hitting .303/.340/.421 in his rookie season, swiping 22 bases and hitting two home runs in 97 games. For a light-hitting utility man, those were unexpected numbers.

But Weeks quickly correctly for a hot start to his career, hitting just .221/.305/.304 the following season. Despite playing in 118 games, he stole only 16 bases in 21 tries, and his .609 OPS was one of the worst. In a lineup full of better hitters, Weeks was a disappointment.

Before the 2014 season, the Oakland Athletics traded him and a player to be named later to the Baltimore Orioles, in exchange for Jim Johnson. Weeks proceeded to become a valuable asset to the Orioles, and then the Red Sox, although in limited playing time.

Weeks make this list not because of his overall career numbers, but because his hot season followed by two terrible years resulted in him being dealt away. That isn’t how teams want their first round draft picks to pan out.

Next: Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

(Editor’s Note: We tried to stay away from current players on the A’s roster, just because it’s entirely possible that they’ll turn things around, but yes, Billy Butler did come up in discussion.)

Don’t forget to comment below – let us know where you think the A’s have gone wrong throughout history.