Jack Of All Trades: Rickey Henderson

When future generations see the ludicrous offensive numbers Rickey Henderson put up, they are going to be shocked when they see how many times he changed teams during his career. Thirteen times, Rickey Henderson found a new employer (even though, much of the time, he returned to previous employers). Four times, Henderson got traded. So what exactly can a team expect to give up for the greatest leadoff hitter of all time? Surprisingly little, on balance. Let's travel back to a time when a player of Henderson's caliber made a small fraction of Jayson Werth's annual salary. Henderson began his career with Oakland, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. He made quick work of the farm system, and debuted at age 20 in 1979. By 1980, he was the player he'd be for essentially the next two decades, with an OPS+ of 134, 100 stolen bases, and 117 walks. However, the New York Yankees sought Henderson, and were willing to give up a ton of prospects to get t...