Author: rincon

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Baseball lost an all-time great on Saturday.

Rickey Henderson, who is widely regarded as the best leadoff hitter of all time, passed away at the age of 65. The “Man of Steal” was undoubtedly the most dynamic baserunner in MLB history, would routinely have a major impact on the game with his ability to get on base and advance on the basepaths on his own.

In a career that spanned 25 seasons and nine teams, there was only one Rickey Henderson. The longtime Oakland Athletic tallied 10 All-Star appearances, three Silver Slugger awards, two World Series titles, an MVP, a Gold Glove and, eventually, a ticket to Cooperstown.

So, just how dominant was Henderson? Here are some of the best numbers from his Hall of Fame career: 

• 0: In one of the most unbelievable box score performances in MLB history, Henderson posted five steals and four runs, all while not registering a single at-bat and finishing 0-0. (He walked in all four plate appearances).
• 1: One of one, Henderson is the only player in MLB history to collect 3,000 hits and have 2,000 walks in his career.
• 2: One of only two players in the Modern Era to steal 100 or more bases in three different seasons, joining Vince Coleman.
• 5: He is one of just five players to have scored 100 or more runs in more than 12 MLB seasons, joining Hank Aaron (15), Álex Rodríguez (13), Derek Jeter (13) and Lou Gehrig (13).
• 10: Nicknamed the “Man of Steal” he lived up to the billing. He is the only player in MLB history to have 10 or more games in a season with three steals or more. Stealing three or more bases in 12 games in 1983 and 10 games in 1988.
• 12: A dynamo, Henderson led the American League in steals 12 different times, an MLB-record
• 13: Henderson compiled 13 different seasons in his career with 75 or more runs and 50 or more stolen bases, more than any other play in MLB history.
• 81: Known as the best leadoff hitter in MLB history, Rickey delivered the boom, connecting on 81 leadoff homers in his career, most in the game’s history.
• 755: As dynamic as any player ever to take the field, Henderson routinely created offense for his teams. His 755 games with at least one run scored AND one stolen base are by far the most in MLB history, 235 more than Ty Cobb (520) who has the second-most games.
• 1,337: From 1980-2000, Rickey Henderson swiped 1,337 bags, more than 500 more than any other player during that span. It was also more than the Red Sox had as a team in those 20 years (1,276).
• 1,406: Henderson stole a preposterous 1,406 stolen bases in his career, almost 500 more than any other player in MLB history. No other player has even reached 950 career steals in their careers. To put this in perspective, the top four active leaders in stolen bases who played last year (Starling Marte (354), Jose Altuve (315), Trea Turner (279) and José Ramírez (243) have just 1,191 stolen bases combined in their careers, more than 200 fewer than Henderson.
• 2,129: An underplayed aspect of his career, Henderson was a maestro in the batter’s box, working walks better than anyone in the game’s history. Nobody in MLB history has drawn more unintentional walks, including the walks king Barry Bonds, than Henderson (2,129).
• 2,295: One of the most productive players, Rickey still to this day has the MLB record with 2,295 runs scored in his career. Again to put that in perspective, that is more than Mookie Betts (1,071) and Jose Altuve (1,156) have combined.

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Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

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Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases and runs scored, has died at 65, per multiple reports.

The New York Post, San Jose Mercury News, Newsweek and TMZ were among those to confirm the news.

Henderson, a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, stole 1,406 bases in his 24-year career — a record that remains intact to this day. In fact, that’s 468 more steals than Lou Brock, who is second all-time with 938.

He is also MLB’s all-time leader in runs scored, having touched home plate 2,295 times in his career. And he ranks second all-time in walks to Barry Bonds.

Henderson led the league in steals 12 times, in runs five times and in walks four times.

The 1990 American League MVP, Henderson also holds the MLB single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982). He’s the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

Henderson, a Gold Glove Award recipient (1981) and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, was part of nine different clubs, but was most widely known for his time spent with the Oakland Athletics (1979-84, 1989-93, 1994-95, 1998).

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Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

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Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases and runs scored, has died at 65, per multiple reports.

Henderson, a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, stole 1,406 bases in his 24-year career — a record that remains intact to this day.

He is also MLB’s all-time leader in runs scored, having touched home plate 2,295 times in his career.

Henderson led the league in steals 12 times, and in runs five times.

The 1990 American League MVP, Henderson also holds the MLB single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982). He’s the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

Henderson, a Gold Glove Award recipient (1981) and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, was part of nine different clubs, but was most widely known for his time spent with the Oakland Athletics (1979-84, 1989-93, 1994-95, 1998).

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Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

It took just one year for Juan Soto to set a new record for the largest contract in sports history. It’s anyone’s guess how long it will take before his deal with the Mets is surpassed. 

Soto’s 15-year, $765 million pact didn’t even include any deferred money, making it worth about $300 million more than Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 million agreement with the Dodgers. 

Over the years, athletes’ salaries have skyrocketed amid billion-dollar television deals. In 1979, Nolan Ryan became the first pro athlete to earn $1 million per season upon signing with the Astros. Now, dozens of NFL players make more than $1 million per game, while the highest-paid NBA players are approaching that figure for a day’s work.

But the largest overall contract values primarily belong to baseball players. Soto became the 17th player across the four North American professional sports leagues to have a deal worth at least $300 million; 15 of those are in MLB. Interestingly, every player who’s signed a $300 million deal is still active.

Here’s the complete list.

(Note: these values are based on data from Spotrac.com)

1. Juan Soto: 15 years, $765M, New York Mets

• The contract reportedly has escalators that raise the value to over $800 million.
• His $51 million average annual value is tied for 25th-highest among the four major sports leagues.

2. Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• His $70 million average annual value is the largest among the four major sports leagues.
• $680 million of the contract is deferred, with annual payments of $68 million beginning in 2034, which lowers the present-day value of the deal to $460,814,760.

3. Patrick Mahomes: 10 years, $450M, Kansas City Chiefs

• Mahomes has restructured his contract on multiple occasions. He restructured in 2023 to receive $208.1 million between the 2023 and 2026 seasons. He restructured again during the 2024 offseason to help the team create cap space.

4. Mike Trout: 12 years, $426.5M, Los Angeles Angels

• The contract was the largest in North American sports history at the time of signing in March 2019.
• His $35.4 average annual value is currently tied for the eighth-highest in baseball.

5. Mookie Betts: 12 years, $365M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Betts agreed to the extension just a few months after being traded to the Dodgers in 2020.
• His $30.4 million average annual value is the 16th-highest in the league.

6. Aaron Judge: 9 years, $360M, New York Yankees

• Judge’s nine-year deal is the largest in the history of the Yankees, turning down greater offers during the 2022-23 offseason.
• His $40 million average annual value is the fourth-highest in MLB.

7. Manny Machado: 11 years, $350M, San Diego Padres

• Machado agreed to the extension in February 2023, four years after signing a 10-year, $300 million deal to join the organization.
• His $31.8 million average annual value is the 14th-highest in the majors.

8. Francisco Lindor: 10 years, $341M, New York Mets

• Lindor agreed to the extension less than three months after being traded to the Mets in 2021.
• His $34.1 million average annual value is the 10th-highest in MLB.

9. Fernando Tatís Jr. : 14 years, $340M, San Diego Padres

• Tatis agreed to the extension ahead of the 2021 season following his second year in the league, making it the third-largest contract in MLB history at the time.
• His $24.3 million average annual value is the 40th-highest in MLB.

10. Bryce Harper: 13 years, $330M, Philadelphia Phillies

• Harper’s contract was the largest in MLB history when he signed it as a free agent in March 2019, holding that record for just a few weeks.
• His $25.4 million average annual value is the 30th-highest in MLB.

T11. Giancarlo Stanton: 13 years, $325M, New York Yankees

• Stanton signed the extension when he was with the Miami Marlins following his 37-home run season in 2014, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at the time.
• His $25 million average annual value is tied for the 33rd-highest in baseball.

T11. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, $325M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Yamamoto’s contract is the largest ever for an MLB pitcher, breaking the previous record by $1 million.
• His $27.1 million average annual value is the 20th-highest in MLB.

T11. Corey Seager: 10 years, $325M, Texas Rangers

• Seager’s contract is the largest ever for a shortstop in free agency.
• His $32.5 million average annual value is tied for the 12th-highest in MLB.

14. Gerrit Cole: 9 years, $324M, New York Yankees

• Cole’s contract was the largest ever for an MLB pitcher at the time of signing in December 2019.
• His $36 million average annual value was also the highest in MLB at the time of the deal. It ranks seventh in baseball now.

15. Jayson Tatum: 5 years, $313.9M, Boston Celtics

• Tatum’s extension, which he signed in July 2024, is the largest contract in NBA history.
• His $62.8 million average annual value is the third-highest among the four major professional leagues.

16. Rafael Devers: 10 years, $313.5M, Boston Red Sox 

• Devers’ extension, which he signed in January 2023, is the largest contract in Red Sox history.
• His $31.4 million average annual value is the 15th-highest in MLB.

17. Trea Turner: 11 years, $300M, Philadelphia Phillies

• Turner’s extension made the Phillies the first team to ever sign two players from other teams on $300 million deals in free agency.
• His $27.3 million average annual value is the 17th-highest in MLB.

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Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports