Who Has The Most Stolen Bases In Major League Baseball?
Major League Baseball has been keeping track of who has the most stolen bases since the 19th century. Today, we take a look at the top five players in MLB history with the most stolen bases.
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson is a retired American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003. He is widely regarded as baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for stolen bases (1,406), unintentional walks (2,129) and leadoff home runs (81). At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport’s top 100 all-time home run hitters (53rd) and was its all-time leader in bases on balls. Upon his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, he was celebrated as “the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history”.
Henderson is the only player in MLB history to have competed in both a World Series and an All-Star Game in three different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s). He stole a base for a record 30th time in 1992, eclipsing Ty Cobb’s mark of 29. Henderson also broke Cobb’s all-time stolen base record in 1991. In 1999 he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team as one of only four active players – along with Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire – and was also voted The Sporting News’ “Major League Player of the Century”. In his first season with the Athletics, Henderson led off each game with a home run; he is the only player ever to do so.
Lou Brock
As of the most recent MLB season, Lou Brock holds the record for the most stolen bases in Major League Baseball history. Brock stole 938 bases in his career, which spanned from 1961 to 1979. He played for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb, who played for the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Athletics, is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 897. He is followed by Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds with 741 stolen bases.
Tim Raines
From 1986 to 1987, Tim Raines led the major leagues in stolen bases with 220. That’s an average of 110 stolen bases per season, which is pretty incredible. In fact, his career total of 808 stolen bases is good for fourth all-time. Not bad for a player who was considered too small to play professional baseball!
Vince Coleman
With 752 stolen bases, Vince Coleman holds the record for the most stolen bases in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1985 to 1990 and again in 1995. He also played for the New York Mets from 1991 to 1993 and for the Kansas City Royals in 1994.
