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Oakland A’s history: Five Hall of Famers you forgot were A’s

By David Hill

Ty Cobb, American baseball player, 1910s. Tyrus Raymond 'Ty' Cobb (1886-1961) was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He led the American League in batting every year from 1907 to 1919, with the exception of 1916. He played for the Detroit Tigers from 1905-1927 before finishing his career with the Philadelphia Athletics, retiring after the 1928 season. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Ty Cobb, American baseball player, 1910s. Tyrus Raymond 'Ty' Cobb (1886-1961) was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He led the American League in batting every year from 1907 to 1919, with the exception of 1916. He played for the Detroit Tigers from 1905-1927 before finishing his career with the Philadelphia Athletics, retiring after the 1928 season. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) /

Tris Speaker (1928)

Like Ty Cobb before him, Tris Speaker was considered one of the great centerfielders of his time. And, like Cobb, his career ended in Philadelphia.

Before the days of Babe Ruth, the great debate in the American League was whether or not Cobb or Speaker were the best player in the game. Speaker’s Hall of Fame plaque refers to him as the “greatest center fielder of his day,” but that was in reference to his fielding. While Speaker holds the career record with 792 doubles, Cobb was better with the bat and on the bases.

Cobb and Speaker were both brought together in a cheating scandal, where they were accused of conspiring to throw a game. However, due to relatively flimsy evidence and the refusal of the accuser to testify, those allegations were dismissed. Nonetheless, Speaker’s time in Cleveland was over, as he headed to the Senators for 1927.

At the end of that season, Speaker joined Cobb in Philadelphia. He actually set a record as a member of the A’s franchise – his 14 consecutive games with an RBI set an American League record. However, he had just two more RBI after that streak, ending the year with a .267/.310/.450 batting line, hitting 22 doubles and driving in 30 runs.

Tris Speaker was not the player he had been during his time with the A’s, but he still set a record. Not bad for just 60 games with the franchise.