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Minor Leagues 1976-1979
Drafted in the 4th Round (96th Overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 1976, Henderson
began his professional career at single-A Boise and hit .336 with 29 stolen bases. He moved up the single-A ladder to Modesto
in 1977 and continued to succeed, batting .345 and leading the league with 95 stolen bases.
Promoted to AA Jersey City in 1978, Henderson
again led his league in steals with 81, and posted his third straight .300 + season (.310).
The rising prospect continued his rapid ascent up the organization's ladder in 1979.
Henderson began the season at AAA Ogden and was promoted to the big club on June 23.
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Oakland
Athletics 1979-1984
Henderson
made his major league debut on June 23, 1979. He went on to lead the club in stolen bases that season with 33 despite appearing
in just 89 games. In 1980 he appeared in his first All Star Game en route
to becoming the third player in history to steal 100 bases in season. During
the strike shortened 1981 season Henderson led the A's to the first half AL West title and finished a close second to Rollie
Fingers in the MVP voting.
Henderson burst into the national conscience in 1982, setting the single season stolen
base record with 130. In 1983 he eclipsed the 100 stolen base mark
for the third straight season, leading the majors with 108. On August 21 he became
the youngest player ever to amass 400 steals.
In 1984 Henderson again led the AL in steals with 66, marking the
fifth consecutive season he accomplished the feat. He was traded to the New York Yankees on Dec 8 with P Bert Bradley for
OF Stan Javier and pitching prospects Jay Howell, Tim Birtsas, Eric Plunk, and Jose Rijo.
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New
York Yankees 1985-1989
After
beginning the season on the DL and completing a rehab assignment in Ft. Lauderdale, Henderson went onto to have one of his
finest all around seasons in 1985. The leadoff man scored a league leading 146
runs in just 143 games while hitting .314 with 24 HR and 80 steals. He finished third in the MVP voting following the season.
Henderson
led the AL in steals for the seventh consecutive season in 1986 with 87. He stole his 600th career base on May 18.
The 1987 season was a trying one for Henderson, as injuries limited him to just 95 games - his lowest total since 1979.
He rebounded in 1988 to lead the AL with 93 steals and make his seventh straight All Star appearance. Henderson scored
his 1000th career run on July 17.
Henderson began the 1989 season in New
York, but was dealt back to Oakland on June 21 for P Eric Plunk, P Greg Cadaret, and OF Luis Polonia.
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Oakland Athletics 1989-1993
Henderson's return to the Bay Area was a triumphant
one. He led the AL with 77 steals, won the ALCS MVP, and helped the A's sweep
the neighboring Giants in the World Series.
1990 was Henderson's
finest season. He led AL with 65 steals and 119 runs, finished second with a
.325 average, and captured his only MVP award. The A's won their third consecutive
AL Pennant, but were swept by the underdog Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
Henderson passed Lou Brock with his 939th stolen base on May 1, 1991 to become the games' all time leader. He led the AL with 58 thefts; marking the 11th time in 12 years he topped the league in that department.
Henderson broke new ground on May 1, 1992 when he became the first person
in history to steal 1,000 bases. He began the 1993 season in Oakland, but was
traded to Toronto on July 31 for P Steve Karsay and OF Jose Herrera.
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Toronto Blue Jays 1993
Henderson was brought to Toronto to help the
Jays win a second straight World Series, and did just that. The hired gun hit
.370 in the Blue Jay's six game victory over Philadelphia in the Fall Classic.
The free agent outfielder was re-signed by Oakland on December 17.
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Oakland Athletics
1994-1995
Injuries limited to Henderson to 87 games in
1994, he hit .260 and stole 22 bases. He rebounded to hit .300 in 122 games for
the A's in 1995. He left Oakland, signing a free agent contract with San Diego
on January 2, 1996.
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San Diego Padres 1996-1997
Henderson helped the Padres win the NL West
Crown in '96. His NL debut was highlighted by a .410 OBP and 37 steals. Henderson began the '97 campaign in San Diego, but was dealt to Anaheim on August
13 for P Ryan Hancock, P Stevenson Agosto, and IF George Arias.
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Anaheim Angels 1997
Henderson's stay in Anaheim was brief; he played
in just 32 games and hit a miserable .183. He returned to Oakland following the
season, signing a free agent contract.
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Oakland Athletics 1998
Henderson experienced a rebirth during his fourth
stint in Oakland. The 39 year old became the oldest person to lead the league
in steals with 66. It was his 13th season with 50 or more thefts, which tied
Lou Brock's record. Henderson headed east following the season, signing a free
agent contract with the Mets on December 13.
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New York Mets 1999-2000
Henderson continued his strong play in 1999,
hitting .315 with 37 steals. The 40 year old helped the Mets secure a Wild Card
berth and advance to the NLCS. 2000, however, did not begin well. After a poor start and a dispute with management, Henderson was released on May 13. Like always, he landed on his feet, inking a deal with Seattle four days later.
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Seattle Mariners 2000
Henderson
appeared in the post season for the second straight year. He helped the Mariners
earn a Wild Card berth and advance to the ALCS. He picked up his 2,000th career
walk on May 23. The free agent signed a minor league deal with San Diego on March
19, 2001.
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San Diego Padres 2001
After a 9 game tune-up at Triple
A Portland, Henderson joined the Padres and began his assault on the record books.
On April
25, he drew his 2,063rd walk passing Babe Ruth to become the all time leader. On October 4, Henderson hit a solo home run
off LA's Luke Prokopec and slid home to become the game's all time leader in runs scored, with 2,246. Ty Cobb previously
held the mark. Three days later, on his final at bat of the season, Henderson became the 25th player to reach the
3,000 hit plateau. The milestone was reached on a double off of Colorado's John Thomson.
Once
again a free agent, Henderson inked a minor league contract with Boston on February 13, 2002.
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Boston Red Sox 2002
Henderson played sparingly in Boston,
appearing in just 72 games. He stole his 1,400th career base on May 29 when he
swiped two bases at Toronto.
Following the
season, Henderson was unable to find a home in the major leagues. He ended up signing with the Newark Bears of the independant
Atlantic League on April 24, 2003.
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Newark Bears 2003
Henderson's stay in Newark was a successfull
one. He hit .339 with 8 HR and won the Atlantic League's All Star Game MVP.
The
Los Angeles Dodgers took notice, and signed the veteran on July 14 to help bolster their offense.
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Los Angeles Dodgers 2003
Henderson joined the Dodgers after the
All Star break. It was his 25th big league season. Rickey started strong, but played little late in the
season, partly due to a bad shoulder.
Henderson hit .208 in 30 games during what
would be his final big league stop. In 25 major league seasons, Rickey hit .279/.401/.419 with 3,055 hits,
297 homers, 1,115 RBI and an all time record 2,295 runs and 1,406 steals.
After not receiving any interest from a major
league organization, Henderson re-joined the Newark Bears in May 2004.
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Newark Bears 2004
Henderson began his second stint in Newark in
May. While the big leagues never came calling, the 45-year-old did play well for the Bears, hitting .281 with
.462 on-base-percentage and stealing 37 bases in 39 attempts.
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San Diego Surf Dawgs 2005
Rickey signed with the independant Golden
Baseball League team in May and helped them win the innagural league title. The 46-year-old hit .270, reached base at
a .456 clip, stole 16 bases in 18 attempts and hit five homers.
After 29 years and 30 seasons, Henderson's playing
days came to an end, although he has still never formally announced his retirement. Rickey was inducted into
the Hall of Fame with 94.8% of the vote in 2009, his first year of eligbility.
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Rickey @ Wikipedia
Rickey @ Baseball-Reference.com
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