Hitting Leadoff Homers Society for American Baseball Research
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Wade Boggs, right, was a 12-time All-Star.The "Chicken Man" ran the bases with a baby grand on his back. "Nails" hammered the third pitch over the right-field wall at Fenway Park in Boston, and on one swing of the bat, the mighty Met effectively turned the momentum of the series. More discipline at the plate would have put Willie Wilson several spots higher in the order. The switch-hitter could work a count, draw a walk and steal a base, all of which made him a worthy successor to Bert Campaneris at the top of the order. Only a subpar 61 percent stolen-base percentage prevents a higher rank here.
National leadoff batters scored their greatest home run year in 1965 when they scored 28 leadoff homers. The National’s 1972 total of 6 included 2 by Bobby Bonds, League leader, upping his lifetime mark to 17. The National's 1972 total of 6 included 2 by Bobby Bonds, League leader, upping his lifetime mark to 17.
Blue Jays' George Springer continues climbing all-time leadoff home runs list
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. 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. As one of the most prolific base stealers in baseball history, Lou Brock was a natural in the leadoff spot. When the Cardinals won the World Series in 1964 and 1967, Brock was usually the catalyst at the top of the order. As alluded to in the Biggio blurb above, Springer established the Astros’ single-season mark by going off for 12 leadoff blasts in ’19.
Yost himself batted 6 leadoff homers in 1959 to share in this most unusual seasonal home run record. Molitor is the only one of the five players with more than 200 career home runs, making the seven-time all-star one of the best power hitters among the great leadoff hitters in MLB history. Only as a rookie did the Philadelphia icon lead the National League in stolen bases.
future leadoff hitters — 1 per organization – MLB.com
Vince Coleman was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1985.Only the Busch Stadium Killer Tarp could slow down this one-tool player. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. 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. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet.
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Most career leadoff home runs in MLB history
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 stays healthy and isn’t needed lower in the order to drive in more runs. Ottavino spent seven seasons in the Colorado bullpen before joining the New York Yankees in free agency prior to the 2019 season. He had a 3.41 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 361 appearances during his time with the Rockies and has a 3.34 ERA at Coors Field. The list of pitchers who have enjoyed that level of success at altitude is a short one.
Derek Jeter, left, won five World Series with the Yankees."The Captain" spent more time in the second hole, but his numbers were virtually identical in both spots. So when the five-time batting champ led off, which he did 46 percent of the time, it was for one reason and one reason only — to get on base. Alfonso Soriano was a seven-time All-Star.Why did "Fonz" prefer the leadoff position more than any other?
What is a good OBP for a leadoff hitter?
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. Biggio hit 291 career home runs, and his 53 leadoff homers rank third on the all-time list. In the American circuit, only 11 leadoff homers were recorded, with 4 being struck by Red Socker Tommy Harper to bring his lifetime total to 16. The National leadoff hitters slugged only 6 homers to open their games, the lowest mark for the senior circuit swatters since 1956. The total of 17 for the two majors was a tremendous decline from the 46 batted in 1971, when the American artists scored their most impressive all-time record total of 36.
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. 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. 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.
Brady Andersonhit at the top of the lineup a franchise record 1,281 times for the Baltimore Orioles in his 14 seasons with the club. 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.
After making a name for himself as a slugging spark plug leadoff batter early on, however, Soriano spent large chunks of his playing days in the heart of the order, where his aggressive approach was a more appropriate fit. The Brewers have a hole to plug on the infield at either second base or third base, with Luis Urías capable of handling either position. They signed Andrew McCutchen to a one-year, $8.5 million deal to provide a veteran presence and some run production last year, and a similar deal with Longoria could shore up the lineup and the clubhouse. The White Sox have holes to fill in the outfield and at second base, and while Oscar Colas, one of their top prospects, could be an option before the 2023 season is over, adding another corner outfielder should still be a priority. Rolling the dice on Conforto could give the South Siders another middle-of-the-order run producer if he returns to his pre-injury form after he missed 2022 while recovering from shoulder surgery.
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. Eddie Yosthit just .254 but is one of the top table setters in baseball history because he still managed to post a staggering .394 career on-base percentage. Most of the players on this list have high career batting averages, many of them coming in at .300 or better. 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 1980, his first full season, he became the first American Leaguer to steal 100 bases; two years later, he shattered Lou Brock’s single season record with 130 swipes—surpassing Brock at 119 on a pitchout. With 108 more a year later, Henderson became the first player to steal over 100 in successive seasons. Lou Brock, the talented Cardinal outfielder and leadoff man, has slugged 21 leadoff homers `to lead the active players in this department. Second to Yost in the all-time listing is a player long since forgotten, who batted 22 lead-off fourbaggers in the period from 1888 through 1902 with the old Chicago White Stockings and Washington’s American League Senators. 19th century outfielder, it was James E. Ryan, familiarly known to the fans of his day as Jimmy. Second to Yost in the all-time listing is a player long since forgotten, who batted 22 lead-off fourbaggers in the period from 1888 through 1902 with the old Chicago White Stockings and Washington's American League Senators.
Vince, the most under-rated, led the NL in assists 3 seasons and putouts twice. Well, the first three batters in a game have never hit successive home runs. But there have, been 16 instances where the first two batters have banged back-to-back game-opening fourbaggers. Stanton belted the first 500-foot homer in Statcast™ history by extending way up the Coors Field bleachers in the left-center power gap. It took a Stanton-ian combination of a 115.8-mph exit velocity and a very low 18-degree launch angle for Stanton to reach that part of the park. As a result, Aroldis Chapman is credited with throwing the fastest pitch in MLB history.
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