Athletes - Rickey Henderson

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	Athletes - Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is a professional baseball player. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s his on-base percentage and high stolen-base totals made him one of baseball's premier leadoff hitters. He is Major League Baseball's all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases, and holds the single-season record for stolen bases. Statistician Bill James was once asked if he thought Rickey Henderson was a Hall of Famer. James' reply: "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."

Early years

Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in the city of Oakland, California and became friends with Oakland Athletics owner Charles O. Finley as a boy. Henderson, blessed with speed and explosiveness, was eventually drafted by Oakland in 1976 and worked his way through the minor leagues in just three seasons. He made his big league debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979.

Early playing career with the Athletics

Henderson batted .274 with 33 stolen bases in little more than half a season and (it could be argued) was as strong a Rookie of the Year candidate in 1979 as either of the co-winners (John Castino and Alfredo Griffin). However, Henderson did not receive any votes for that award.

Finley hired legendary manager Billy Martin in 1980, and his "Billy-Ball" propelled Rickey into stardom, when he became the third modern-era player to ever steal 100 bases in a season (Maury Wills (104) and Lou Brock (118) had preceded him). (Henderson would finish his career with three 100+ SB seasons-- 1980 (100), 1982 (a record 130), and 1983 (108), a feat matched only by Vince Coleman from 1985-87, and by 19th-century player Billy Hamilton. Baseball has thus far seen 20 individual seasons of 100 steals, but a dozen of those all occurred between 1887 and 1891 when rules counted extra bases taken on another player's hit or sacrifice as stolen bases.)

Henderson was a Most Valuable Player candidate a year later, when he hit .319, fourth in the American League, and again led the league in steals with 56 in a season shortened by a players' strike. Finishing second to Rollie Fingers in the MVP voting, Henderson's flashy fielding that season also earned him his only Gold Glove Award. Rickey Henderson would later become known for his showboating "snatch catches," in which he would flick his glove out at incoming flyballs, then whip his arm behind his back.

In 1982, Henderson shattered Lou Brock's modern major league record by stealing 130 bases, a record that hasn't been approached since (Vince Coleman's 110 three years later was the closest). That season, Henderson had an astounding 84 stolen bases before the All-Star break - a full 21 more than any other player in history. In comparison, no one has stolen 84 bases in an entire season since 1988 (when Henderson himself stole 93). He also continued to develop as a hitter, and even began to hit for some power, eventually owning the record for home runs to lead off a game.

Years with the Yankees

In 1985, he was traded to the New York Yankees, and that year he scored 146 runs in just 142 games, with 24 home runs and 80 steals. He later hit 28 homers in two separate seasons.

He had an off-season, by his standards, in 1987, beginning a problematic relationship with frustrated Yankee fans and the New York media. It wasn't until 1989 that Rickey bounced back after a mid-season trade to Oakland, eventually re-establishing himself as one of the game's greatest players during that postseason. He was MVP of the American League Championship Series with 8 steals in 5 games to go with a 1.000 slugging percentage. Leading the A's to their first World Series title since 1974, he hit .474 with a "mere" .895 slugging average.

A year later, he finished second in the league in batting average with a mark of .325, losing out to George Brett on the final day of the season. He had a remarkably consistent season, with his batting average falling below .320 for only one game-- the third of the year. Reaching safely by a hit or a walk in 125 of his 136 games, his on-base average was a league-leading .439. With 119 runs scored, 28 homers, 61 RBI and 65 stolen bases, he won the 1990 MVP award and helped Oakland to another pennant. He again performed well in the World Series (.333 batting, .667 slugging, 3 steals in 4 games) but the A's were swept by the underdog Cincinnati Reds.

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Athletes - Rickey Henderson

Early years

Early playing career with the Athletics

Years with the Yankees

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