The best leadoff hitters in baseball history
Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. (Photo by Tim Vizer/Icon Sportswire)
May 4th, 2020
It takes a good eye, solid contact skills, and sharp speed to be a leadoff hitter, and these Hall of Fame-worthy hitters possessed all three in spades.
5. Lou Brock
Lou Brock was never the perfect leadoff hitter, as he struck out 107 times per 162-game season, but he occupied that spot for the Cardinals for 15 years and won two World Series in the process.
40 Years Ago Today: St. Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock joins the 3,000 hit club with a single off Chicago Cubs pitcher Dennis Lamp! (August 13, 1979) #MLB #History #STLCards pic.twitter.com/8y164EPhbs
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) August 13, 2019
Brock hit .291 from the top spot in the order and tallied 2,210 of his 3,023 career hits. His base-stealing prowess made up for his strikeout tendencies, as he retired as the all-time leader in swiped bags with 938. He led the majors in stolen bases six times, including his incredible 118 stolen-base season in 1974 at age 35.
4. Ichiro Suzuki
He may not have had the best lineups behind him, but Ichiro always gave his Mariners a chance to score early and often at the top of their order.
Willie Keeler (1898) and Ichiro Suzuki (2004, 2007) are the only two players in MLB history who have compiled 200 singles in a season. pic.twitter.com/aa6CAqTiWm
— A Haunted Game (@AHauntedGame) April 30, 2020
He led the majors in hits (242) and stolen bases (56) in his rookie season, taking home Rookie of the Year honors as well as an AL MVP Award in 2001. In 2004, Ichiro again led the majors in hits, and by collecting 262 hits he passed George Sisler for most hits in one season. Ichiro would amass the most hits in baseball five more times before hanging up his cleats in 2019.
3. Tim Raines
Tim Raines was feared both at the plate and on the basepaths during his 23-year career, especially during his 13 years in Montreal.
#OTD in 1987, Tim Raines was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/8oE3CQTNBR
— ExposBlog (@ExposBlog) July 14, 2019
From 1981 to 1984, Raines led the National League in stolen bases and came away with 71 steals in just 88 games during his rookie campaign. In 1986, "Rock" led the NL in both batting average (.334) and on-base percentage (.413). Raines retired in 2002 with 808 stolen bases (fifth all-time) and a robust .385 on-base percentage.
2. Pete Rose
Approximately two-thirds of Pete Rose’s all-time high 15,890 plate appearances came from the leadoff spot, and he tallied a staggering 2,924 hits there. He had a Hall of Fame-worthy career even before you consider the rest of his numbers.
Dating back to 1880 (3) men have served as MLB's all-time leader in Hits:
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) April 26, 2020
Cap Anson (1880-1922)
Ty Cobb (1923-1984)
Pete Rose (1985-Present) pic.twitter.com/Pw6kOCReBc
"Charlie Hustle" never tallied more than 20 stolen bases in a season, but he led the NL in OBP twice, batting average three times, and hits on seven occasions. Rose, a 17-time All-Star, was also Rookie of the Year in 1963 and NL MVP in 1973.
1. Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson once proclaimed himself "the greatest of all-time," and it’s hard to make an argument against him when it comes to batting leadoff.
#OTD in 1991, Rickey Henderson passed Lou Brock for the most SB (939) in @MLB history.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 1, 2020
In order for someone to break Rickey's record of 1,406 they would have to average 56 SB a year for 25 seasons! pic.twitter.com/85AfrZlc8q
Henderson is known, first and foremost, for holding the all-time stolen bases record (1,406), but he was so much more than that. The longtime Oakland A’s left fielder had a career OBP of .401. He won AL MVP for 1990 on the strength of a major-league leading 1.016 OPS. His 293 career leadoff homers are far and away the most in MLB history.
"The Man of Steal" is unequivocally the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time.
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