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Eric Chavez career timeline

Path to the bigs

Drafted out of Mount Carmel High School in California with high expectations as the 10th overall pick in the 1996 MLB Draft, Eric Chavez fast-tracked through the Minors and reached Oakland in September 1998

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May 15, 1999: First big fly

A 21-year-old Chavez showcased his power by lacing a pitch from LaTroy Hawkins over the Coliseum’s center-field wall for his first career homer

May 15, 1999

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June 21, 2000: History at the Coliseum

The A’s moved into the Oakland Coliseum back in 1968, but it wasn’t until 2000 that the stadium witnessed its first cycle as Chavez completed the feat against the Orioles

June 21, 2000

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Aug. 8, 2000: Underrated wheels

He was never known as a speedster, but as his inside-the-parker against Roger Clemens at Yankee Stadium showed, Chavez could turn on the jets on the basepaths when he needed to

August 8, 2000

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June 10, 2003: An iconic slide

Of the many dazzling plays you can find on Chavez’s defensive highlight reel, it doesn’t get much better than when the third baseman chased a fly ball in the Coliseum’s spacious foul territory and made a sensational sliding catch at the top step of the A’s dugout

June 10, 2003

2004: The contract

Of the many stars to play for the A’s in the early 2000s, Oakland chose Eric Chavez as its face of the franchise by rewarding him in '04 with a six-year, $66 million contract extension that remains the largest contract ever handed out by the club

2001-06: Golden age of defense

Chavez established himself as an elite defender with six consecutive AL Gold Glove Awards from 2001-06. During that six-year stretch, he also impressed as a hitter, slashing .273/.351/.495 with 173 home runs and 574 RBIs over 882 games

2002-06: Acting chops

Chavez got a chance to show off his comedic side with a starring role in several hilarious A’s commercials that became a hit with fans

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March 30, 2018: Anniversary squad

On the 50th anniversary of the A’s moving to Oakland, Chavez was named one of the club’s top 50 players of the Oakland era and took part in a special pregame ceremony on Opening Night

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2022: Hall of Fame

Prior to the A’s-Mets game on Aug. 7 at the Coliseum, Chavez was inducted into A’s Hall of Fame, receiving his green jacket and addressing the crowd during a pregame ceremony

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