Oakland Athletics: The Top 50 Oakland A’s of All-Time

#41: Rich Harden

Rich Harden is one of two Canadian-born players on this list. The right-hander made his debut in 2003 for the Oakland Athletics, and ended his career in an A’s uniform as well, in 2011. In between, he pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers.

Harden’s win-loss record of 59-38, as well as his career 3.76 ERA, make him one of the better pitchers to appear for the Oakland A’s. But it is his ability to get strikeouts that makes him a top-50 player.

In his career, Harden struck out nearly 25 percent of the batters he faced. With a fastball that could hit 100 mph on a good day, he was hard to hit, and he relied on deception to fool hitters. His 3.71 FIP in 2004 was the seventh-best in the AL, and in 2008, he posted the tenth-highest war for pitchers in the major leagues.

Harden’s name is rarely mentioned, but he deserves recognition for his strikeout-inducing abilities.

Next: Top 50 Oakland Athletics: #40