Rickey Henderson

For the Australian rules football player, see Ricky Henderson.
"Man of Steal" redirects here. For the basketball player with this nickname, see Eric Murdock.

Rickey Henderson
Henderson at the 2011 Hall of Fame parade
Left fielder
Born: (1958-12-25) December 25, 1958 (age 65)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 24, 1979, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 19, 2003, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average.279
Hits3,055
Home runs297
Runs batted in1,115
Stolen bases1,406
Runs2,295
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player

As coach

Career highlights and awards

MLB records

  • 1,406 career stolen bases
  • 2,295 career runs
  • 130 stolen bases, single season
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2009
Vote94.8% (first ballot)

Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958), nicknamed Man of Steal, is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. He is widely regarded as baseball's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner.[1][2] He holds MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Henderson holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times (in 1980, 1982, and 1983). His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland Athletics[3] and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988 to 2011.[4][5] He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was twice the lead-off hitter for World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland Athletics and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. A 12-time stolen base champion, Henderson led the league in runs five times. His 24-year career elevated him to the top ten in several other categories, including career at-bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances. His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dominant and innovative players of all time. He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric, and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans. Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."[6]

  1. ^ Bloom, Barry M. (January 12, 2009). "Henderson, Rice earn Hall passes". MLB.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  2. ^ Davis, Nate (April 18, 2001). "Henderson tops list of leadoff hitters". USATODAY.com. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  3. ^ "Oakland A's All-Time steals leaders". Oakland.athletics.mlb.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ "Jeter passes Rickey as Yankees' steals leader". New York Yankees.
  5. ^ "New York Yankees All-Time steals leaders". Newyork.yankees.mlb.com. Retrieved May 30, 2009.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Free Press. p. 654. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.