MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
20. player. 96. . 1964-1983. A's, Rangers, Angels, Yankees. Bert Campaneris
The primary leadoff hitter for one of the greatest dynasties in Major League Baseball history, Bert Campaneris set the table for the Swingin’ A’s in 1972 and ’73 and was the two-hitter for club’s third consecutive World Series title in 1974.
Of course, before the glory days of the franchise, Campaneris slogged away on some terrible late 1960s Kansas City Athletics squads and played for two teams that lost more than 100 games and another that dropped 99 before the franchise moved to Oakland.
During that time, he took part in two games of trivial interest:
- (1) Campaneris hit a home run in his first big league at bat in 1964 (becoming the 14th player in AL history to do so) and hit two home runs in his Major League debut (just the second in MLB history)
- (2) He also played all nine positions in a 1965 game against the Los Angeles Angels.
A speedster that led the American League in stolen bases six times, Campaneris recorded 649 career steals, which ranks 14th on the all-time list. He led off in 1,445 of his 2,328 games and compiled a modest career slash of .259/.311/.342 with 2,249 hits combined with the A’s, Texas Rangers, California Angels and New York Yankees.
Campaneris was selected to six All-Star teams as a shortstop and started three games at the position. His first All-Star season was his best and Campaneris led the American League with 177 hits and 62 stolen bases.
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