GOAT Index

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Rickey Henderson: the case for the GOAT

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    Rickey Henderson: the case for the GOAT

    LF · Athletics · Born 25 December 1958, Chicago, Illinois, USA · Died 2024 · Career 1979–2003

    Left fielder and leadoff hitter best known for four stints with the Oakland Athletics, playing for nine teams across 25 seasons.

    Career highlights

    Why Rickey Henderson could be the GOAT

    Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter ever, holding the career records for stolen bases and runs scored. His steals record is nearly 50% higher than the next man's. He also hit for power and drew huge numbers of walks, making him the most disruptive player on this list.

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    Rickey Henderson head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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