MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
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