He was traded after the 1984 season to Oakland, where, despite his reluctance to draw walks and a tendency to be overaggressive on the basepaths, he began to harness the offensive promise that he showed in 1980 when he set an AL record for most triples by a switch-hitter with a league-leading 15. He also had some very bad seasons: in 1990 he became the last player to finish last in the National League, of those who qualified for the batting title, in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging average.