Oakland Athletics: Best Seasons At Shortstop in Franchise History
By Phil Watson
7. Bert Campaneris, 1973
| Year ▾ | Age | G | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 31 | 151 | 671 | 89 | 150 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 46 | 34 | 10 | 50 | 79 | .250 | .308 | .318 | .626 | 81 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/9/2014.
Campaneris was voted to start his first All-Star Game in 1973, even after the unfortunate press from his incident with Lerrin LaGrow of the Detroit Tigers in the previous season’s ALCS. When Campaneris returned from his seven-game suspension to open the season, he put together another solid season.
He was third in the American League with a Defensive WAR of 3.3, was fifth in stolen-base percentage (34-for-44), sixth with 34 stolen bases and eighth with 89 runs.
Although he slumped in the second half, Campaneris got his bat going again in the postseason, slugging two home runs in the ALCS against the Orioles and another, series-winning homer, in the third inning of Game 7 of the World Series against the Mets—that after hitting only four home runs the entire regular season. His postseason performance earned him the Babe Ruth Award from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America for his World Series exploits. He was 7-for-21 with three runs, three RBI and three steals against Baltimore and 9-for-31 with six runs, a triple, three RBI and three stolen bases against the Mets.