MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals. Lou Brock. 9. player. 32. . 1961-1979
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.
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