MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
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.
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