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

#49: Scott Hatteberg

Scott Hatteberg? Really? Yes. Without Scott Hatteberg, there is no 20-game win streak (theoretically), making him pretty important in A’s lore. Sure, we could go into hypotheticals – perhaps there would have been a better player, with more consistency, who would have had equal or better results. But for simplicity’s sake, Hatteberg saved the Athletics from merely tying the 19-game streak record.

Everyone knows the story of Hatteberg. After a fairly successful seven-year stint in Boston, his career was abruptly halted by an arm injury that made it difficult for him to throw. The Athletics signed him to be their first baseman in 2002, banking on his high on-base percentage ability.

Hatteberg certainly didn’t disappoint in that area. He hit just .269 during his four seasons with the A’s, but his OBP was .355. He might not have been one of the best players in history, but he is certainly one of the most infamously important parts of the team’s story. Not just because his character was a key player in the movie Moneyball – but because his impact on Oakland’s win streak is that important to this history of the organization.

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