Sluggers make the highlight reels, but don’t forget the table-setters. With that in mind, we present the top 30 MLB leadoff hitters of all-time.
Home run hitters and RBI guys make the SportsCenter and MLB Network highlight reels, but don’t forget about the table-setters that set the tone for a ballgame with a bunt for a base hit, a sharp single up the box or a leadoff triple that can pave the way for a crooked number in the first inning.
Without question, Rickey Henderson is the best of the best and he is the player to which all other leadoff hitters are measured, but a great top of the order hitter can take many forms. While we often think base stealers that are capable of turning a single into a double, the most important thing he must do is get on base. After all, you can’t steal first base.
Therefore, several of the greatest leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball history aren’t speedsters. In fact, one of our top 30 had fewer career stolen bases (24) than Rickey had with the New York Mets (37 in 1999 and 5 in 2000), Seattle Mariners (31 in 2000) and San Diego Padres (25 in 2001) in three separate seasons after he turned 40 years old.
A few old-timers made our list, but it mostly consists of players from the past 50 years. Billy Hamilton (the Hall of Famer, not the Cincinnati Reds’ current leadoff hitter), should certainly be considered. Hamilton hit .344/.455/.432 from 1888-1901 and stole 100 or more bases four times, but he played in an era that can really be described as a different game.
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Stan Hack, who led off a franchise record 1,358 times for the Chicago Cubs from 1932-47, compiled a terrific .301/.394/.397 slash. Harry Hooper stole 375 bases in 17 combined seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox from 1909-1925 and hit .281/.368/.387 along the way. Lloyd Waner collected 2,459 hits, scored 1,201 runs and compiled a healthy .316/.353/.393 slash across 18 big league seasons, but all three narrowly missed the list.
Some great leadoff hitters of the modern era also missed the cut, some of which did extraordinary things at the top of the order.
For example, Bobby Bonds hit 11 leadoff home runs in 1973, which ranks second among National Leaguers in a single season. Jacque Jones also had 11 in 2002, which was the third best mark in American League history, behind two players that are on our list. Others like Dwight Evans, Lenny Dykstra and Chuck Knoblauch had great stints among baseball’s best top of the order performers, but either spent too little time on the top of the lineup card or couldn’t put it together over a long enough timeline.
So, who are the 29 best leadoff hitters in big league history not named Rickey Henderson? Let’s take a look.
Next: Jacoby Ellsbury
There are only a couple of active players that should be considered among the top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time.
Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen have spent time in the role but were quickly penciled in lower in the order because of their run production capability. Shin-Soo Choo was great atop the lineup card in 2014, but he hasn’t been used there at all so far in 2015. Matt Carpenter has scored more runs than anyone in Major League Baseball over the past two seasons, but he’s only been a leadoff hitter since 2013, so it’s too early to include him.
But among active players, Jacoby Ellsbury has all the tools, plus a track record of production at the top of the order. He could emerge as one of the all-time greats if he (1) stays healthy and (2) isn’t needed lower in the order to drive in more runs.
To date, Ellsbury has hit .293/.347/.434 in nine big league seasons. He became the primary leadoff man for the Boston Red Sox in his first full season with the club in 2008 and put up solid numbers, including an American League leading 50 stolen bases.
In 2009, Ellsbury hit .301/.355/.415 and led all of baseball with 70 stolen bases and led the AL with 10 triples, further establishing himself in the mold of the prototypical speedy, singles-hitting leadoff man.
After missing most of the 2010 season due to injury, Ellsbury exploded in 2011 when he was the runner-up for the AL MVP Award. In a Major League leading 732 plate appearances, the left-handed hitter compiled a .321/.376/.552 line with 212 hits, 46 doubles, 32 home runs, 105 RBI, 39 stolen bases and 119 runs scored mostly out of the leadoff spot.
He hasn’t put up numbers that good since, but Ellsbury has shown flashes with 52 stolen bases in 2013 – his last season in Boston – and 16 home runs and 70 RBI (mostly in the three hole) last year with the New York Yankees.
Now 31 years old, Ellsbury still has plenty of time to climb closer to the top of this list, especially since he’s an everyday leadoff hitter again.
Next: Tony Phillips
If he hadn’t spent a few years as a utility man on the same team as Rickey Henderson, Tony Phillips might have climbed a little higher on this list. But with well over 1,000 career games in the leadoff spot across 18 combined big league seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, California (and Anaheim) Angels, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, Phillips did enough to secure a spot among the top 30 leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball history.
A switch-hitter that could play anywhere in the infield or outfield, Phillips racked up more strikeouts than you would prefer from your leadoff hitter (1,499 career K’s, including five years with more than 100), but he was also a very patient hitter capable of working himself on base with a walk.
Phillips amassed 1,319 walks in his career, which ranks 39th all-time. He has more walks, plate appearances (9,110), at bats (7,617), games played (2,161), and scored more runs (1,300) than any player to never make an All-Star Team in the modern era.
His five years with the Detroit Tigers were the best of Phillips’ career, and not surprisingly were the best years he had as a leadoff man.
In Detroit, he posted a .392 on-base percentage as the team’s leadoff hitter, which is the best mark in franchise history for those with more than 300 games on top of the lineup card. His 446 bases on balls for the club are also a team record (and gave him one more than the next man on our list).
Next: Lou Whitaker
In 19 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Lou Whitaker compiled a .276/.363/.426 slash that included 2,369 hits, 244 home runs and 1,084 RBI in 2,390 games. And though he spent chunks of his career hitting in the second or third spots in the order, he hit leadoff 911 times for the Tigers, which is the most in franchise history. Whitaker also holds Detroit’s all-time marks with 1,069 hits, 622 runs, 103 home runs and 414 RBI at the top of the order.
He’s also a Detroit legend, and his time as the franchise’s leadoff role is a fond memory for many Tiger fans. As Dan Holmes put it:
"One of the things that made it a Tigers game in the 1980s was the sight of Lou Whitaker tip-toeing to the batters’ box in the first inning to lead off the game for Detroit. #1 on the back of his jersey and #1 in the lineup, Sweet Lou was an excellent leadoff hitter, spending about half his career in that role for the Bengals."
Whitaker did not possess world-class speed – in fact, he only once stole 20 bases in a season, as a 22-year old in 1979 – but he was a great option atop the lineup card because he was a patient hitter that drew 1,197 walks during his career, which means he walked 98 more times than he struck out.
Next: Luis Aparicio
One of the best shortstops ever to play the game, Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio was also one of the best leadoff hitters of his generation.
A ten-time American League All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner, Aparicio burst onto the scene and won the 1956 AL Rookie of the Year Award as a 22-year old member of the Chicago White Sox. Aparicio led the American League with 21 stolen bases that year – the first of nine consecutive seasons in which he led the junior circuit in steals – and though he spent most of the season hitting eighth, he led off periodically and proved ready to become the regular leadoff hitter in 1957.
Aparicio led off 768 times for the White Sox in two stints with the club from 1956-62 and from 1968-70, which is the most in franchise history, and spent roughly half of his 721 games with the Baltimore Orioles hitting at the top of the order. He also made sporadic appearances there with the Boston Red Sox during the final three seasons of his career.
In 18 seasons in the big leagues, Little Louie hit .262/.311/.343 with 2,677 hits, scored 1,335 runs and stole 506 bases. Aparicio was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1984.
Next: Dom DiMaggio
Trivia Question: Who has led off more games for the Boston Red Sox than anyone else in franchise history?
Answer: Dom DiMaggio, who spent 1,053 games atop the lineup card from 1940 to 1953.
Better known today (and then) as Joe’s brother, DiMaggio compiled a .298/.383/.419 slash in 11 seasons in the big leagues and made the American League All-Star team in seven of those years. He had a career mark of .298/.383/.419 with 1,680 hits, 308 doubles and scored 1,046 runs.
Often on base for the legendary Ted Williams, DiMaggio scored more than 110 runs six times. The right-handed hitting outfielder led all of Major League Baseball with a career-high 131 runs in 1950 and led the American League in runs with 113 the following year.
In the 1940s and early 1950s, stolen bases were not a key part of a leadoff hitter’s repertoire and DiMaggio led the American League with just 15 in 1950. He stole an even 100 bases in his career. Still, if not for three years lost to military service from 1943-45, and an abrupt retirement after three games in 1953, DiMaggio might have gone down as one of the top ten leadoff hitters in Major League history.
Next: Jimmy Rollins
Though he’s “not an ideal choice for the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter,” Jimmy Rollins is one of the only players on our list that is currently active in the role. In the first 19 games of the 2015 season (17 of them with Rollins listed on the top spot on the lineup card), the shortstop is hitting just .178/.282/.301. However, that doesn’t mean the switch-hitter hasn’t been a terrific leadoff hitter in years past.
Over the first 15 years of his career, Rollins led off 1,456 times for the Philadelphia Phillies and entered the season second among active players behind Ichiro Suzuki.
He doesn’t possess the ideal patient approach (he’s got just a .327 career on-base percentage to date), but Rollins provides a good spark at the top of the order and great speed, as evidenced by his 456 career stolen bases and 112 triples (he’s led the National league in triples four times).
When Rollins won the National League MVP Award and Silver Slugger in 2007, he did it primarily as the team’s table-setter. That season, Rollins hit .296/.344/.531 and set career-highs with 30 home runs, 94 RBI, 139 runs, 20 triples, 212 hits, 778 plate appearances and 716 at bats.
In addition to his performance leading off, Rollins is a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop. He’s been part of two World Series teams and won a ring with the Phillies in 2008.
Next: Alfonso Soriano
He may not have spent the majority of his career as a leadoff hitter, but it’s impossible to ignore the production a young Alfonso Soriano had at the top of the lineup.
In 2002, Soriano had one of the greatest single-season performances ever for a leadoff hitter. In 156 games, all of them atop the order, he hit .300/.322/.547 with 39 home runs and 102 RBI. Soriano led the Major Leagues in plate appearances (741), at bats (696), hits (209), and runs (128). He also led the American League with 41 stolen bases and finished third in MVP voting.
With the Washington Nationals in 2006, Soriano spent some time hitting fifth and some time in the three hole, but led off the majority of the season. In 159 games, he hit a career high 46 home runs, drove in 95 runs, scored 119 times and stole 41 bases – making him the fourth and final (to date) member of the 40-40 Club.
Not only does Rafael Soriano rank second all-time in home runs to lead off a ball game with 54 in only 768 opportunities, he holds both the American League and National League records for most homers by a leadoff hitter to start a game with 13 in 2003 with the New York Yankees and 12 with the Chicago Cubs in 2007.
Next: Rafael Furcal
If he hadn’t been derailed by injuries in the prime of his career, Rafael Furcal may have become not only one of the best leadoff hitters of the 2000s, but perhaps one of the best in baseball history.
Following six years as the shortstop and leadoff man for the Atlanta Braves in which he hit .284/.348/.409 with 924 hits and 554 runs scored in 817 games (making him arguably the best leadoff hitter in franchise history), Furcal signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His first year in LA was his best and the switch-hitter put up a .300/.369/.445 slash with 31 doubles, a career-high 11 triples, 12 home runs and 58 RBI. He also set a single-season personal best with 73 walks. Furcal was solid the following season and was off to a torrid start in 2008 before missing more than 100 games due to injury – and he had trouble shaking off the injury bug the rest of his career.
In 14 Major League seasons, the rocket-armed shortstop hit atop the batting order 1,381 times and started the game with a home run on 30 occasions, which ranks 12th all-time. He posted a solid career slash of .281/.346/.402, won the 2000 National League Rookie of the Year Award, was a three-time All-Star, hit .300 twice, hit double-digit triples twice, and stole 314 bases.
Overall, Furcal had a very solid career. Unfortunately, from 2008 to 2014, he played more than 100 games only twice and played less than 40 games four times.
Next: Davey Lopes
One of the best leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball history is longtime Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes. In 16 years in the big leagues (including late stops with the Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros), Lopes hit .263/.349/.388 and became one of the most powerful leadoff hitters of his day.
Lopes led off in 1,194 of his 1,812 career games, including the bulk of his four All-Star seasons from 1978-81. In 1979, Lopes set career highs with 28 home runs and 73 RBI, 97 walks and 109 runs scored.
A great base stealer, Lopes recorded 557 stolen bases – which ranks 26th all-time – and was caught just 114 times in his career. He led the Majors with 77 thefts in 1975 and had a National League leading 63 stolen bases in 1976.
Lopes posted a .262/.349/.380 slash in 5,308 plate appearances across 1,130 games as the Dodgers leadoff hitter. He scored 759 runs and sole 418 bases at the top of the order, second only to Maury Wills in franchise history.
He was also the table-setter for the Dodgers clubs that made it to the World Series in 1974, ’77 and ’78 and for the club that won it all in 1981.
Next: George Burns
One of the first great leadoff hitters in baseball history, George Burns predominantly held the top spot in the New York Giants lineup from 1915 until he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1921.
In 15 seasons in the National League, Burns hit .287/.366/.384 as an outfielder. He led the league in runs five times and passed the century mark on six occasions. In the mold of today’s top leadoff hitters, he also consistently ranked among the league’s leaders in walks (taking the top spot on the leaderboard five times) and showed a knack for stealing bases, swiping 383 bags and leading the NL twice.
According to an article by R.J. Leach:
"Though Burns is hardly remembered today, John McGraw described him as “one of the most valuable ball players that ever wore the uniform of the Giants.” He consistently ranked among the NL leaders in hits, runs, walks, and stolen bases. George was tremendously strong even though he stood just 5’7″ and weighed only 160 lbs.; an excellent boxer and wrestler, he was one of the Giants who couldn’t resist challenging the much larger Jim Thorpe to wrestling matches before McGraw forbade the practice. He also demonstrated his strength by wielding a 42″, 52-oz. bat, which was a tree trunk even by Deadball Era standards."
Burns spent three years atop the order in Cincinnati and one more with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1925 before playing and coaching through 1930 in minor leagues, including the International League, the New York-Penn League and the Blue Ridge League. In 1931, Burns coached under his former Giants manager John McGraw.
Next: Bert Campaneris
The primary leadoff hitter for one of the greatest dynasties in Major League Baseball history, Bert Campaneris set the table for the Swingin’ A’s in 1972 and ’73 and was the two-hitter for club’s third consecutive World Series title in 1974.
Of course, before the glory days of the franchise, Campaneris slogged away on some terrible late 1960s Kansas City Athletics squads and played for two teams that lost more than 100 games and another that dropped 99 before the franchise moved to Oakland.
During that time, he took part in two games of trivial interest:
- (1) Campaneris hit a home run in his first big league at bat in 1964 (becoming the 14th player in AL history to do so) and hit two home runs in his Major League debut (just the second in MLB history)
- (2) He also played all nine positions in a 1965 game against the Los Angeles Angels.
A speedster that led the American League in stolen bases six times, Campaneris recorded 649 career steals, which ranks 14th on the all-time list. He led off in 1,445 of his 2,328 games and compiled a modest career slash of .259/.311/.342 with 2,249 hits combined with the A’s, Texas Rangers, California Angels and New York Yankees.
Campaneris was selected to six All-Star teams as a shortstop and started three games at the position. His first All-Star season was his best and Campaneris led the American League with 177 hits and 62 stolen bases.
Next: Devon White
Sometimes great leadoff hitters have to grow into the role. After parts of two seasons in the big leagues in 1985 and 1986, Devon White hit all over the lineup for the California Angels as the team’s everyday centerfielder from 1987 to 1990. White was an All-Star in 1988 and won Gold Gloves in ’88 and ’89, but didn’t become a bona fide star until he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 1991 season.
The switch-hitter was inserted into the top spot of the order for the Blue Jays on Opening Day and never looked back. White led off in all 156 games he played in ’91 and hit .282/.342/.455 with 40 doubles, 10 triples, 17 home runs and 60 RBI and stole 33 bases in 43 attempts.
In five seasons with the Blue Jays, White led off more than 95% of the time, posted a .270/.327/.432 slash, scored 452 runs and stole 126 bases in what was the most consistent offensive stretch of his career. Always a terrific defender, White also won a Gold Glove in each of his five seasons with Toronto.
With White leading the charge at the top of the order, the Blue Jays made it to the postseason in 1991 and won back-to-back World Series titles in ‘92 and ‘93. He signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent in 1996 and won a third World Series ring in ’97. White was an All-Star with Arizona in 1998, spent two seasons with the Dodgers and finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001.
Next: Brady Anderson
One of the most unique leadoff hitters of all-time, Brady Anderson hit at the top of the lineup a franchise record 1,281 times for the Baltimore Orioles in his 14 seasons with the club.
A three-time All-Star, Anderson had a knack for drawing walks and getting hit by pitches, which helped boost his on-base percentage despite regularly modest batting averages (he never hit .300). Anderson walked 80 or more times six times and earned 75 or more free passes twice more. Overall, he had a 12.4% career walk rate. Anderson was also hit by a pitch on 154 occasions in his career and led the American League three times.
Always a threat to go deep (his 44 career leadoff home runs are fifth most in MLB history), Anderson exploded for 50 home runs and 110 RBI in 1996. He spent the majority of the season atop the batting order (with 35 of his long balls coming in the leadoff spot), but as his power numbers increased Anderson also spent time in the two hole.
Overall, Anderson hit 210 home runs across 15 Major League seasons and his 50-homer campaign was the only year he hit more than 24. The left-handed hitter with the long sideburns compiled a .256/.362/.425 career slash line with 1,661 hits, 338 doubles, 67 triples and 761 RBI.
Next: Eddie Yost
Most of the players on this list have high career batting averages, many of them coming in at .300 or better. Eddie Yost hit just .254 but is one of the top table setters in baseball history (and arguably the best of his generation) because he still managed to post a staggering .394 career on-base percentage.
Nicknamed “The Walking Man,” Yost is one of the most patient hitters in Major League history. His 1,614 career free passes still rank 11th all-time. Yost walked 123 or more times in eight different seasons, led the big leagues in bases on balls six times, and once more he led the American League. He was also helped to first base 99 times as the result of a hit by pitch.
No wonder he held the top spot in the lineup 1,661 times in 2,109 games combined with the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. As a result of his good work, Yost scored more than 100 runs in a season five times.
Yost made his big league debut with the Senators in 1944 at the age of 17. After a year off due to military service, he recorded 1,521 hits and hit 101 home runs in Washington and made the All-Star team in 1952.
Next: Vince Coleman
If speed were the only ingredient necessary to become the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, Vince Coleman would have a shot at the top spot. Coleman exploded onto the scene in 1985 and stole a Major League leading 110 bases on his way to Rookie of the Year honors. He also helped the St. Louis Cardinals make it to the World Series that year.
Coleman stole more than 100 bases in 1986 and 1987 as well, led the Majors both seasons, and also led the National League with 81 steals in ’88, 65 in ’89 and again led all of baseball with 77 thefts in 1990. During that time the switch-hitting left fielder made it to the All Star Game twice and finished in the top 12 of the NL MVP voting on two other occasions.
However, one of the key ingredients to becoming an all-time great leadoff hitter is getting on base in order to use one’s world-class speed. Coleman hit .267 or worse in half of his first six seasons and had an on-base percentage of .320 or less four times. Simply, he didn’t walk enough and struck out way too much (including three seasons of 100-plus K’s).
As he aged, Coleman put the ball in play more often, but never had a batting average above .292 or an OBP better than .363. In 13 big league seasons, Coleman hit .264/.324/.345 and collected 1,425 hits, but struck out 960 times and walked only 477 times.
If he had been a more patient or consistent hitter, Coleman would have had more opportunities to steal bases. As it stands, he swiped 752 bags, which is still sixth in the MLB record books.
Next: Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon began his career as a leadoff hitter with the 1995 Kansas City Royals as a 21-year old late-season call-up, but spent most of the next two seasons floating around the bottom half of the order.
In 1998, Damon was penciled in atop the lineup card and responded with a breakout campaign that included 30 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, 66 RBI and 26 stolen bases – all career-highs at the time – and a .277/.339/.439 slash.
Damon spent most of his final three seasons in KC at the top of the order, and had a career year in 2000 with a .327/.382/.495 slash, 214 hits, 42 doubles, 10 triples, 16 homers and 88 RBI. He also led the AL with 136 runs scored and 46 stolen bases and finished in the top 20 in the MVP voting.
After an off-season trade to the Oakland A’s, Damon made it to the playoffs for the first time in 2001, though he would emerge as a postseason star a few years later with the Boston Red Sox.
Damon signed with the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 2002 season and put together the best four-year stint of his career as the primary leadoff hitter in Boston. He hit .300 twice, made two AL All-Star teams, and most importantly helped the Sox end an 86-year World Series title drought when the club won the ring in 2004. In 2009, he won his second World Series as a member of the New York Yankees.
When he retired in 2012, Damon amassed 2,769 hits, scored 1,668 runs and stole 408 bases across 18 seasons in the big leagues and compiled a .284/.352/.433 slash.
Next: Richie Ashburn
Like many leadoff hitters, Richie Ashburn made a living by getting on base and using good speed to score runs. A career .308/.396/.382 hitter across 15 seasons from 1948-1962, Ashburn was consistently one of the top performing leadoff hitters of his generation.
The left-handed hitting outfielder led off in 1,410 of 2,189 career games, mainly with the Philadelphia Phillies, though he also often held the top spot in the order with the Chicago Cubs in 1960 and 1961 as well as with the New York Mets in 1962.
Primarily a singles hitter, Ashburn hit .300 or better nine times and won the National League batting title twice. He was one of the most patient hitters of his generation and led the NL in walks four times, on-base percentage four times and times on base on four more occasions.
A five-time All-Star, Ashburn collected 2,574 career hits, including 109 triples, scored 1,322 times and stole 234 bases. His 32 steals as a rookie in 1948 led the Majors and two years later he helped lead the “Whiz Kids” to the 1950 World Series.
After failing to get the necessary votes for Hall of Fame induction by the Baseball Writers Association of American from 1968 to 1982, the Veterans Committee elected Ashburn to the Hall of Fame in 1995.
Next: Wade Boggs
When most people think of the greatest leadoff hitters of all-time, they think first of great base stealers that not only got on base, but helped put themselves into scoring position by swiping a bag before being driven home by those in the heart of the order.
He’s certainly not your typical leadoff hitter (he had just 24 career stolen bases, after all), but Wade Boggs hit .321/.413/.428 in 3,714 plate appearances atop the lineup.
Overall, Boggs was a .328/.415/.443 hitter in 18 Major League seasons and finished his career with 3,010 hits. He won five AL batting titles, each time hitting .357 or better, and also led the Majors in on-base percentage six times thanks not only to his ability to hit the ball to all fields, but also for his keen knowledge of the strike zone and patience.
Never considered a slugger (he had only 118 career home runs), Boggs was still highly respected as a dangerous hitter and led the American League in intentional walks from 1987 to 1992. An 11-time All-Star (and elected ten times as a starter at third base), Boggs also won eight Sliver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves.
Overall, Boggs ranks 42nd in MLB history in Wins Above Replacement (91.1 according to Baseball-Reference.com), 33rd all-time in Offensive WAR (80.6), 19th in singles (2,253), 20th in doubles (578) and 26th in walks (1,412).
A World Champion with the Yankees in 1996, Boggs was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Next: Jose Reyes
One of the top active leadoff hitters in the game, Jose Reyes can still climb this list before his career ends. Just 32 years old, the switch-hitting shortstop has a .291/.340/.434 slash through Monday and is one of the most dangerous table setters and base runners of his generation.
In 1,050 games with the New York Mets, Reyes hit leadoff 945 times. He made the National League All-Star team four times, led the NL in stolen bases three times (and MLB twice), and led the big leagues in triples on four occasions. In his final season in New York, Reyes won the 2011 NL batting title with a .337 average.
Reyes signed with the Miami Marlins prior to the 2012 season and though he led the NL with 716 plate appearances, he spent the second half of the season as the team’s No. 3 hitter. A trade to the Toronto Blue Jays meant Reyes could return to the top of the lineup where’s he’s been for most of the last two-plus seasons.
To date, Reyes has 1,787 hits, 315 doubles, 115 triples (second among active players), has scored 979 runs and has stolen 458 bases (which ranks third among active players and 50th all-time).
Next: Willie Wilson
Some consider the 1980s as the golden era for leadoff-hitting base stealers, and Willie Wilson was one of the very best.
After parts of three seasons in the big leagues from 1976-78, Wilson became the primary leadoff hitter for the Kansas City Royals in May 1979. A switch-hitter with lightning speed, Wilson hit .315/.351/.420 and led all of baseball with 83 stolen bases that season.
In 1980, the Montgomery, AL native put together the best year of his career with a .326/.357/.421 slash in 161 games (all but three of them atop the lineup). Wilson led Major League Baseball in plate appearances (745), at bats (705), hits (230), runs (133) and triples (15) that season, and also swiped 79 bases in 89 attempts.
Despite hitting only three home runs and driving in only 49 runs, Wilson finished fourth in the 1980 AL MVP voting and earned a Silver Slugger Award. He was also awarded a Gold Glove.
Overall, Wilson led off 1,321 times for Kansas City, won the 1982 batting title (.332) and made the AL All-Star team for the first time that season. He led the Majors in triples five times – he collected 15 three-baggers three times and hit 21 in 1985, the year he and the Royals won the World Series.
In 19 big league seasons, Wilson hit .285/.326/.376 with 2,207 hits, 1,169 runs and stole 668 bases (which sits 12th on the all-time list).
Next: Maury Wills
No member of the Los Angeles Dodgers led off a game more than Maury Wills, who hit atop the order 1,276 times for the franchise from 1959-66 and 1969-72. He also spent time as a leadoff man with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-68) and Montreal Expos (1969).
One of the first great stolen base artists of the last century, the switch-hitting Wills swiped 586 bags in 14 Major League seasons, which still ranks 20th all-time, and led the National League in the category six times.
Wills won the National League MVP Award in 1962. That season he appeared in 165 games and led the Major Leagues in plate appearances (759), at bats (695), and set a modern day record for stolen bases in a season with 104 (and was caught just 13 times, a success rate of 88.9%). He hit .299/.347/.373 with 130 runs scored, 208 hits, 13 doubles, six home runs, 48 RBI and also won the NL Gold Glove at shortstop.
Altogether, Wills hit .281/.330/.331 with 2,134 hits and scored 1,067 runs. He was part of four Dodgers teams to make it to the World Series and won a ring with the squad in 1959, 1963 and 1965.
Next: Lou Brock
Hall of Famer Lou Brock is certainly one of the top ten leadoff hitters in Major League history, though you might have expected to see him a little higher on the list.
In 19 Major League seasons, Brock collected 3,023 hits, scored 1,610 runs and stole 938 bases and most of that production (2,310 hits, 1,254 runs and 762 stolen bases in 8,653 plate appearances) came as his team’s leadoff hitter. And while Brock had a very respectable .293 career batting average, his .343 career on-base percentage and 1,730 career strikeouts are holding him back from a spot in the top five.
A six-time All-Star, Brock began his career with the Chicago Cubs but blossomed after a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964. He led the Majors in runs scored in 1967 and 1971, in doubles and triples in 1968 and was the greatest base stealer of his generation.
In 1974, at the age of 35, Brock was the runner-up for the National League MVP Award. He hit .306/.368/.381 for the Cardinals that season with 25 doubles, seven triples, three home runs and 48 RBI in 153 games. He scored 105 runs (the seventh time in his career he surpassed 100) and stole a then-Major League Baseball record 118 bases.
Brock retired with the Major League record for stolen bases in a career, and now sits second on the all-time list.
Next: Brett Butler
An underrated player both today and during his career, Brett Butler is certainly one of the best leadoff hitters of all-time.
A career .290/.377/.376 hitter across 17 Major League seasons with five clubs, the left-handed outfielder made just one All-Star team – in 1991. That season, Butler led the National League with 730 plate appearances, 112 runs scored and 108 walks in 161 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a solid .296/.401/.343 and got one base more times than anyone else in the National League (291). Despite only hitting 13 doubles, two home runs and collecting 38 RBI, he finished seventh in voting for the NL MVP.
Overall, Butler was an ideal leadoff hitter and spent 1,845 games atop the order. He had 2,375 career hits, 1,129 walks and scored 1,359 runs, all of which rank in the top 125 in Major League history.
Arguably the best bunter ever, especially when it came to bunting for a base hit, Butler was also a triples machine. He had 131 career triples, which ranks in the top 100 all-time, led his league on four occasions, led the Majors twice and collected double-digit triples five times throughout his career.
Butler also put that great speed to use stealing bases. He stole 558 bags in his career, which ranks 25th in Major League history, and his speed also came in handy defensively. Butler flashed terrific range in center and though he never won a Gold Glove, Butler led his league in fielding percentage three times, including the 1991 and 1993 seasons in which he was perfect.
Next: Kenny Lofton
The man that set the prototype for today’s leadoff man is Kenny Lofton. A 6-foot, 180-pound left-handed center fielder, Lofton didn’t make his Major League debut until he was 24 years old but didn’t stop until he was in his 40s.
After playing 20 games for the Houston Astros in 1991, Lofton was traded to Cleveland the following off-season. There, he exploded onto the scene with the Indians and led the American League with 66 stolen bases and finished as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award.
Lofton led the AL in steals for five straight seasons through 1996 and led Major League Baseball three times during that span. In 17 big league seasons, he finished with 622 stolen bases, which ranks 15th all-time.
A six-time All-Star, Lofton was also a four-time Gold Glove Award winner. He hit .299/.372/.423 with 2,428 hits and scored 1,528 runs combined during stints with 12 Major League teams. Lofton’s best season came in the strike-shortened 1994 campaign in which he hit .349/.412/.536. He had nine triples, 12 home runs, 57 RBI and an AL-best 160 hits in 112 games.
Lofton hit .297/.371/.423 in 7,929 plate appearances across 1,705 games as his team’s leadoff hitter. He collected 2,065 hits, walked 826 times and scored 1,317 runs while hitting atop the order. He led of a game with a home run 29 times in his career, which is the 14th most in MLB history.
Next: Paul Molitor
Like some that have come before him on this list, Paul Molitor eventually outgrew the leadoff spot. However, he spent enough time atop the batting order he is still considered one of the best in the history of the game.
Molitor is one of only four men in baseball history to hit .300 or better in more than 3,000 plate appearances out of the leadoff spot. In 7,291 such plate appearances, Molitor hit .300/.365/.439 with 1,953 hits, 654 walks, and 138 home runs. He scored 1,131 runs and stole 100 bases as his team’s table setter.
“The Ignitor” had his best season as a leadoff hitter in his final year as a Brewer, 1992. Molitor led the Majors in plate appearances (752), at bats (665), hits (216) runs (133) and led the AL in triples (13). He hit .325/.399/.489 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI and set a career high with 77 walks.
The following season, hitting primarily in the No. 3 spot in the order, Molitor helped the Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series and finished second in the voting for the AL MVP.
Overall, Molitor hit .306/.369/.448 and collected 3,319 career hits (10th all-time) in 21 big league seasons. A seven-time All-Star, Molitor ranks in the top 30 all-time in at bats (10,835, 14th), plate appearances (12,167, 15th), singles (2,366, 11th), doubles (605, 11th), and times on base (4,460, 19th). He also stole 504 bases in his career.
In 2004, Molitor was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Next: Tim Raines
One of the greatest leadoff hitters of all-time is Tim Raines, whose best years came as the primary table-setter for the Montreal Expos in the 1980s. However, Raines played 23 seasons in the big leagues, including stints with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Florida Marlins. He was a member of the World Series champion Yankees in 1996.
Raines, a switch-hitter, made his Major League debut in 1979 at the age of 19 but didn’t become an everyday player until 1981 – the first of seven consecutive All-Star seasons. He won the National League batting title in 1986 when he hit .334 and also led the NL that season with a .413 on-base percentage.
“Rock” led Major League Baseball in stolen bases in 1981 and 1984, led the NL in steals in 1982 and 1983 and currently ranks fifth on the all-time list with 808. He was caught only 146 times for a career success rate of 84.7%.
A .294/.385/.425 career hitter, Raines had 2,605 hits in his career and scored 1,571 runs, with 1,646 and 1,011 of those, respectively, coming in just under 1,400 games as his team’s leadoff hitter. However, Raines also made 1,565 career plate appearances in the No. 3 hole, where he got on base at an even higher rate of .407, and spent his later years hitting lower in the order.
Had he spent a little more time at the top of the lineup, Raines would have made a strong case for the No. 2 spot on our list.
Next: Ichiro
If he hadn’t spent his first nine professional seasons in Japan (where he had 1,278 hits), Ichiro Suzuki might have been worthy of the top spot on this list. Ichiro is knocking on the door of 3,000 Major League hits (2,858 as of Monday) despite not appearing in a big league game until he was 27 years old.
Simply, Ichiro has the best batting average ever for a leadoff hitter. At the end of the 2012 season (the year in which he was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees and stopped hitting leadoff regularly), Ichiro made 8,141 plate appearances at the top spot in the lineup and produced a .324/.368/.375 slash with 2,445 hits and 1,138 runs scored.
Arguably the greatest season ever for a leadoff hitter, Ichiro won the American League MVP Award as well as the Rookie of the Year Award in 2001. He won the AL batting title with a .350 average and led the Majors with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases in 157 games – 155 of them atop the batting order. He also contributed 34 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 69 RBI and scored 127 runs.
The only blemish (other than the team losing to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series) was taking just 30 walks (ten of which were intentional), which resulted in a .381 on-base percentage.
A ten-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger, Ichiro has a career .317/.359/.411 line in the Major Leagues, collected more than 200 hits in each of his first ten MLB seasons, hit .350 or better four times and has yet to appear in less than 143 games in a season (and playing 161 or 162 eight times).
Next: Craig Biggio
A member of the newly elected Hall of Fame class of 2015, Craig Biggio is certainly one of the greatest players of all-time and he spent the majority of his 20-year Major League career hitting leadoff for the Houston Astros.
A catcher early in his career, Biggio and Jason Kendall are the only catchers in Major League history to leadoff more than ten games in a season at the position. Of course, he moved to second base and then the outfield later in his career (and was never a great defender at any position), but was one of the best ever when it came to getting on base.
Biggio hit .281/.363/.433 with 3,060 hits (1,800 of which came atop the order) and 1,160 walks (704 hitting leadoff) in his career, but one part of Biggio’s success that often goes unnoticed was his ability to get on base via hit by pitch. Biggio was hit 285 times in his career, which is second all-time. He was hit more than 22 times in six separate seasons, and led the Majors in the category five times.
Overall, that totals 4,505 career times on base, which is 18th most in baseball history. Biggio also scored 1,844 runs, which ranks 15th all-time and only four players have hit more doubles than the 668 he collected for the Astros. He also stole 414 bases, which ranks 66th in MLB history. Biggio hit 291 career home runs, and his 53 leadoff homers rank third on the all-time list.
Next: Pete Rose
Pete Rose wasn’t a speed demon by any means – he stole only 198 career basses and was caught stealing 149 times – but the all-time hit king got on base better than anyone in Major League Baseball history.
In 20 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, plus five with the Philadelphia Phillies and 95 games with the Montreal Expos, Rose collected a record 4,256 hits. He got on base 5,929 times in 14,053 at bats and 15,890 plate appearances across 3,562 games, 3,215 with a single, all of which are Major League records.
A 17-time All-Star (in which he started at second base, left field, right field, third base and first base), the NL MVP in 1972 and the 1963 Rookie of the Year, Charlie Hustle also ranks second all-time with 746 doubles and sixth in runs scored (2,165). He helped his team reach the World Series six times, winning two rings with the Big Red Machine in 1975 (when he was named the series MVP) and 1976, plus again in 1980 with the Phillies.
Rose made 10,170 plate appearances as his team’s leadoff hitter and had 2,924 hits in the role. He was a career .308/.379/.419 hitter at the top of the order (.303/.375/.409 overall), with only Ichiro and Wade Boggs hitting for a higher average among those that made more than 3,000 plate appearances as a leadoff man.
Next: Rickey Henderson
When it comes to naming the top leadoff hitter of all-time, there’s no question. Rickey Henderson isn’t only the best ever to hit atop the batting order – he’s one of the best to ever play the game, period.
A fourth round pick in the 1976 draft, Henderson made his Major League debut in 1979 at the age of 20. Across 25 years and with ten different teams, Henderson scored more runs (2,295) and stole more bases (1,406) than any player in MLB history. He still holds the single-season record for most stolen bases in a season with 130 in 1982 (Note: stolen bases were calculated differently when Hugh Nicol had 138 in 1887) and passed the century mark three times in his first five big league seasons.
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Henderson excelled getting on base and finished his career with a .401 on base percentage, which ranks 53rd all-time, thanks in large part to 2,190 career walks – second only to Barry Bonds in the record books.
The 1990 American League MVP and a ten-time All-Star, Henderson collected 3,055 hits, 297 home runs, 1,115 RBI and a slash of .279/.401/.419 for his career. He played in 3,081 career games and hit leadoff in an amazing 2,875 of them. On 81 occasions he led off a game with a home run, which is yet another career Major League record.
Henderson played in the World Series three times, won a ring in 1989 with the Oakland A’s and also in 1993 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
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