Best All-Time Shortstops in MLB History
Best All-Time Shortstops Bert Campaneris
"“You can talk about Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and Sal Bando, all those great players, but it was Campy who made everything go.”—Charlie Finley, Athletics owner."
Bert Campaneris was one of those 1970s shortstops who didn’t hit much but was great in the field, stole bases, and laid down plenty of sacrifice bunts. His career wRC+ was 90, meaning he was 10 percent below average on offense after league and ballpark effects were taken into account.
On the bases, Campy led the league in steals six times and had a stretch from 1965 to 1972 during which he averaged 51 steals per season. He also led the league in caught stealing three times.
He didn’t bunt as much early in his career, but when he was in his 30s he bunted more often. In 1977 and 1978, he led the league in sacrifice bunts with 40 and 25, respectively. The Rangers had six different managers over those two seasons. Apparently, they all loved “small ball.”
Long before he reached the major leagues, Campaneris was a boy playing baseball in Cuba. He was seen by a Kansas City Athletics’ scout at the Pan-Am Games in Costa Rica in 1961 and offered a $1,000 signing bonus. He jumped at the chance and left Cuba not long before the Castro revolution occurred that made it much more difficult for baseball players to leave the country.
After two-and-a-half minor league seasons, Campaneris made the big leagues in 1964. The next season, he would lead the league in steals and caught stealing. He also played all nine positions in a game on September 8, 1965.
After pitching both right-handed and left-handed in the eighth inning, the 5-foot-10, 160 pounder played catcher, where he suffered an injury on a collision at the plate that caused him to miss five games. When Will Ferrell played all nine positions in five spring training games three years ago, he did so to honor Campaneris.
The Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968 and Campaneris had his first all-star season. He led the league in plate appearances, hits, steals and caught stealing. The A’s continued to improve and became a dynasty in the early 1970s.
Campaneris was a key part of the teams that made the playoffs five straight years from 1971 to 1975. He was an all-star the last four of those years and helped the A’s win the World Series three straight years from 1972 to 1974.
When free agency hit baseball in the mid-1970s, A’s owner Charlie Finley couldn’t keep the team together. Campaneris was among the many players who left the A’s. He signed with the Texas Rangers and was an all-star his first year in the Longhorn State, but his playing time dwindled when he hit .186/.245/.238 in 98 games in 1978.
He would continue to struggle with the bat for most of the rest of his career. The Rangers traded him to the Angels in 1979. He played with the Angels through the 1981 season then spent a year in the Mexican League. In 1983, he signed with the Yankees and had one last stretch of success, hitting .322/.355/.357 in a part-time role.
After his playing career ended, Campaneris coached with a few teams, including the Seibu Lions in the Japanese League. He played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 at the age of 47. He’s also appeared at numerous Old Timers games around the country. He just loved baseball.