Fansided

MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Mar 24, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) heads toward the dugout during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) heads toward the dugout during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Senators, Tigers, Angels. Eddie Yost. 17. player. 90. . 1944-1962

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.

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