Rickey Henderson, baseball player, 297 home runs, 1979-2003

Rickey Henderson

⭐ Hall of Fame 2009

Born: 12/25/1958 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 12/20/2024 in Oakland, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-06-24 | Final Game: 2003-09-19

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson

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Biography

Rickey Henderson, born in 1958, was a dynamic position player whose career spanned from 1979 to 2003. Renowned for his exceptional speed and ability to get on base, Henderson played a total of 3,081 games, accumulating 3,055 hits and 297 home runs. His career batting average stood at .279, and he recorded 1,115 RBIs. Henderson's most remarkable achievement was his unprecedented total of 1,406 stolen bases, a record that remains unmatched in Major League Baseball history. His playing style revolutionized the leadoff position, as he combined power with speed, making him a formidable offensive threat throughout his career. Henderson was a ten-time All-Star and earned the ALCS MVP award, highlighting his contributions in critical postseason moments. In recognition of his significant impact on the game, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. Throughout the late 20th century, during which he played, he became a symbol of the changing dynamics of baseball, exemplifying the shift towards speed and athleticism in the sport. Henderson's legacy endures not only in his impressive statistics but also in the way he influenced future generations of players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
3081 10961 2295 3055 510 66 297 1115 1406 2190 1694 0.279 0.401 0.419 0.820 37428.0

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.

Career OBP .401 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +21.5% above league average.

Career SLG .419 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.820 vs. league average 0.734 across their career seasons — +11.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1979 OAK AL 89 351 49 96 13 3 1 26 33 34 39 0.274 .265 (+3%) .329 (+3%) .397 (-15%) .727 (-7%) -398.9
1980 OAK AL 158 591 111 179 22 4 9 53 100 117 54 0.303 .264 (+14%) .326 (+29%) .387 (+3%) .714 (+15%) 2532.5
1981 OAK AL 108 423 89 135 18 7 6 35 56 64 68 0.319 .255 (+25%) .320 (+27%) .368 (+19%) .688 (+23%) 1998.0
1982 OAK AL 149 536 119 143 24 4 10 51 130 116 94 0.267 .261 (+2%) .324 (+23%) .388 (-2%) .712 (+9%) 1641.9
1983 OAK AL 145 513 105 150 25 7 9 48 108 103 80 0.292 .260 (+12%) .324 (+27%) .389 (+8%) .714 (+17%) 2290.1
1984 OAK AL 142 502 113 147 27 4 16 58 66 86 81 0.293 .259 (+13%) .322 (+24%) .384 (+19%) .707 (+21%) 2459.7
1985 NYY AL 143 547 146 172 28 5 24 72 80 99 65 0.314 .257 (+22%) .323 (+30%) .390 (+32%) .714 (+31%) 3752.7
1986 NYY AL 153 608 130 160 31 5 28 74 87 89 81 0.263 .257 (+2%) .325 (+10%) .395 (+19%) .720 (+15%) 1940.6
1987 NYY AL 95 358 78 104 17 3 17 37 41 80 52 0.291 .262 (+10%) .331 (+28%) .415 (+20%) .746 (+23%) 1959.2
1988 NYY AL 140 554 118 169 30 2 6 50 93 82 54 0.305 .254 (+20%) .317 (+24%) .377 (+6%) .695 (+14%) 1871.3
1989 NYY AL 65 235 41 58 13 1 3 22 25 56 29 0.247 .254 (-3%) .319 (+23%) .375 (-7%) .694 (+7%) 549.5
1989 OAK AL 85 306 72 90 13 2 9 35 52 70 39 0.294 .254 (+16%) .319 (+33%) .375 (+17%) .694 (+24%) 549.5
1990 OAK AL 136 489 119 159 33 3 28 61 65 97 60 0.325 .257 (+26%) .324 (+35%) .385 (+50%) .710 (+43%) 4548.5
1991 OAK AL 134 470 105 126 17 1 18 57 58 98 73 0.268 .255 (+5%) .323 (+24%) .384 (+10%) .708 (+16%) 2009.1
1992 OAK AL 117 396 77 112 18 3 15 46 48 95 56 0.283 .255 (+11%) .322 (+32%) .377 (+21%) .699 (+26%) 2498.5
1993 OAK AL 90 318 77 104 19 1 17 47 31 85 46 0.327 .265 (+23%) .332 (+41%) .403 (+37%) .735 (+39%) 2830.0
1993 TOR AL 44 163 37 35 3 1 4 12 22 35 19 0.215 .265 (-19%) .332 (+7%) .403 (-21%) .735 (-8%) 2830.0
1994 OAK AL 87 296 66 77 13 0 6 20 22 72 45 0.260 .269 (-4%) .338 (+21%) .424 (-14%) .763 (+2%) 477.2
1995 OAK AL 112 407 67 122 31 1 9 54 32 72 66 0.300 .266 (+12%) .337 (+21%) .417 (+7%) .755 (+13%) 1341.5
1996 SDP NL 148 465 110 112 17 2 9 29 37 125 90 0.241 .269 (-11%) .340 (+21%) .426 (-19%) .767 (-2%) 569.0
1997 SDP NL 88 288 63 79 11 0 6 27 29 71 62 0.274 .266 (+3%) .336 (+25%) .419 (-11%) .756 (+5%) 703.8
1997 LAA AL 32 115 21 21 3 0 2 7 16 26 23 0.183 .266 (-32%) .336 (+2%) .419 (-38%) .756 (-20%) 703.8
1998 OAK AL 152 542 101 128 16 1 14 57 66 118 114 0.236 .266 (-11%) .335 (+12%) .420 (-17%) .755 (-4%) 49.2
1999 NYN NL 121 438 89 138 30 0 12 42 37 82 82 0.315 .271 (+16%) .344 (+23%) .433 (+7%) .778 (+14%) 1628.7
2000 NYN NL 31 96 17 21 1 0 0 2 5 25 20 0.219 .270 (-19%) .344 (+12%) .437 (-48%) .782 (-21%) -247.8
2000 SEA AL 92 324 58 77 13 2 4 30 31 63 55 0.238 .270 (-12%) .344 (+5%) .437 (-25%) .782 (-12%) -247.8
2001 SDP NL 123 379 70 86 17 3 8 42 25 81 84 0.227 .263 (-14%) .332 (+10%) .426 (-18%) .758 (-6%) -130.6
2002 BOS AL 72 179 40 40 6 1 5 16 8 38 47 0.223 .261 (-14%) .331 (+12%) .416 (-16%) .747 (-4%) 38.5
2003 LAD NL 30 72 7 15 1 0 2 5 3 11 16 0.208 .264 (-21%) .332 (-3%) .422 (-28%) .754 (-17%) -177.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
60 222 47 63 12 4 5 20 37 32 0.284

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2000 ALCS SEA 3 9 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 2 0.222
2000 ALDS2 SEA 3 5 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.400
1999 NLCS NYN 6 23 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 0.174
1999 NLDS2 NYN 4 15 5 6 0 0 0 1 3 1 0.400
1996 NLDS2 SDN 3 12 2 4 0 0 1 1 2 3 0.333
1993 ALCS TOR 6 25 4 3 2 0 0 0 4 5 0.120
1993 WS TOR 6 22 6 5 2 0 0 2 5 2 0.227
1992 ALCS OAK 6 23 5 6 0 0 0 1 4 4 0.261
1990 ALCS OAK 4 17 1 5 0 0 0 3 1 2 0.294
1990 WS OAK 4 15 2 5 2 0 1 1 3 4 0.333
1989 ALCS OAK 5 15 8 6 1 1 2 5 7 0 0.400
1989 WS OAK 4 19 4 9 1 2 1 3 2 2 0.474
1981 ALCS OAK 3 11 0 4 2 1 0 1 1 2 0.364
1981 AWDIV OAK 3 11 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.182

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2826 2757 6468 131 141 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 OAK OF 88 89 215 5 6 0
1980 OAK OF 157 157 407 15 7 1
1981 OAK OF 107 107 327 7 7 0
1982 OAK OF 144 144 379 2 9 0
1983 OAK OF 142 136 349 9 3 1
1984 OAK OF 140 132 341 7 11 1
1985 NYA OF 141 140 439 7 9 3
1986 NYA OF 146 144 426 4 6 0
1987 NYA OF 69 69 189 3 4 1
1988 NYA OF 136 135 320 7 12 5
1989 NYA OF 65 64 144 3 1 0
1989 OAK OF 82 81 191 3 3 1
1990 OAK OF 118 118 289 5 5 0
1991 OAK OF 119 118 249 10 8 1
1992 OAK OF 108 105 231 9 4 2
1993 OAK OF 74 74 182 5 5 1
1993 TOR OF 44 44 76 1 2 0
1994 OAK OF 71 70 166 4 4 0
1995 OAK OF 90 89 162 5 2 1
1996 SDN OF 134 122 228 3 6 0
1997 SDN OF 78 74 160 4 7 1
1997 ANA OF 13 12 26 0 0 0
1998 OAK OF 151 144 327 3 4 1
1999 NYN OF 116 113 168 0 2 0
2000 NYN OF 29 29 35 0 2 0
2000 SEA OF 88 87 181 0 3 0
2001 SDN OF 104 98 158 5 3 2
2002 BOS OF 54 45 83 4 5 0
2003 LAN OF 18 17 20 1 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 2421
Center Field 446
Right Field 27
Designated Hitter 149

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1999 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-09-28
1990 Most Valuable Player
1990 Player of the Week Week of 1990-05-05
1990 Player of the Week Week of 1990-07-07
1990 Silver Slugger OF
1990 TSN All-Star OF
1989 ALCS MVP
1985 Player of the Month June
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-06-21
1985 Silver Slugger OF
1985 TSN All-Star OF
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-08-27
1981 Gold Glove OF
1981 Silver Slugger OF
1981 TSN All-Star OF

Featured In Rankings

#12
Top 30 Outfielders in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 12 of 30
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2002 BOS AL $350,000
2001 SDN NL $300,000
2000 NYN NL $2,000,000
1999 NYN NL $1,900,000
1998 OAK AL $1,150,000
1997 SDN NL $3,045,000
1996 SDN NL $3,250,000
1995 OAK AL $3,800,000
1994 OAK AL $4,800,000
1993 OAK AL $3,550,000
1992 OAK AL $3,250,000
1991 OAK AL $3,250,000
1990 OAK AL $2,350,000
1989 NYA AL $2,120,000
1988 NYA AL $1,770,000
1987 NYA AL $1,670,000
1986 NYA AL $1,570,000
1985 NYA AL $1,470,000
Total Career Earnings $41,595,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 317.0 392 14
1989 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 67.0 392 0
1988 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 8.0 392 0
1985 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 174.0 392 0
1983 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 1.0 392 0
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 38.0 392 0
1981 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 308.0 392 12
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 51.0 392 0