There are so many great stories to tell about Rickey Henderson. Many of them mention “cockiness” or “showboating” right off the bat, which is a putdown Rickey heard many times during his career. Who cares? I say to that, but also, if anyone earned the right to strut as much as he wanted, surely it was Rickey Henderson.
Some quick stats:
- MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs
- Gold Glove winner
- AL MVP
- He was a power hitter who walked a ton and had speed to spare on the basepaths (what a combo)
- Single-season MLB record of 130 stolen bases
- Stole 100 or more bases in a season three times
- Third player to hit a home run in four different decades (And the company he keeps!