List of Major League Baseball batting champions


In the sport of baseball, batting average is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. A batting average is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats. In Major League Baseball, a player in each league wins the batting title for having the highest batting average each season. This article presents a list of players who have been so recognized as "batting champions".

Background

Awards

The American League winner is known as the "Rod Carew American League Batting Champion", while the National League leader is designated the "Tony Gwynn National League Batting Champion". At the 2016 [Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2016 MLB All-Star Game], MLB announced that the AL and NL batting champions would henceforth be named in honor of Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn, respectively. Gwynn won all eight titles in the NL with the San Diego Padres, while Carew was a seven-time AL batting champion.

Criteria

Since 1957, a player must have 3.1 plate appearances per scheduled game in that league to qualify for the batting title in Major League Baseball.
If a player's lead in average is sufficiently large that enough hitless at bats can be added to reach this requirement and the player still would have the highest batting average, he wins the title. Tony Gwynn, for example, had 159 hits in 451 ABs in 1996 but only 498 PAs. Gwynn's batting average would have dropped to.349 with four hitless ABs added to reach the 502 PA requirement—as such, Gwynn's average would still have been higher than other eligible players, thus Gwynn was awarded the 1996 batting title for the National League.

Other recognized leagues

There are several other historical leagues that are also considered to have had "major" status by MLB, and their statistics are recognized as such. Three such leagues operated in the late 19th century: the American Association, Union Association, and Players' League. A fourth, the Federal League, operated during 1914 and 1915.
In December 2020, MLB announced that the records of Negro league baseball from 1920 to 1948 would be designated as major-league status. From 2020 to 2024, MLB and the Elias Sports Bureau completed a comprehensive review of the Seamheads.com database in coordination with Retrosheet. The MLB database combines statistics from the Negro leagues with existing data from the AL, NL, and other historical major leagues. MLB officially incorporated relevant Negro league statistics into its record book in 2024.

History

The first batting average champion in the NL was Ross Barnes; in the league's inaugural 1876 season, Barnes batted.429 for the Chicago White Stockings. The AL was established in 1901, and National [Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame] second baseman Nap Lajoie led that league with a.426 average for the Philadelphia Athletics.
Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers led the AL in average in 11 seasons. Honus Wagner and Gwynn are tied for the second-most titles, with eight apiece in the NL. It is unclear whether Lajoie or Cobb won the 1910 AL title, with some sources attributing the title to each man. If Cobb is credited with the 1910 title, he won 9 consecutive titles from 1907 to 1915 and 12 total titles for his career. Otherwise, Rogers Hornsby won the most consecutive titles, with six from 1920 to 1925. Without the 1910 title, Cobb still led the league in five consecutive seasons from 1911 to 1915. Cobb holds the record for highest average in two and three consecutive seasons, but Hornsby holds the record for four and five consecutive seasons. Wagner, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, and Gwynn each won four consecutive titles. Lajoie also had a streak of four league-leading seasons from 1901 to 1904, if he is credited with the contested AL title in 1902.
Under the current 3.1 PA qualification, players have posted a.400 batting average for a season 28 times. Ted Williams'.4057 in 1941 is the most recent such season, one of 13 to occur since 1900. George Brett in 1980 is the only player to maintain a.400 average into September since 1941. Additionally, only Brett and John Olerud in 1993 maintained such an average into August. With the modern scarcity of.400 hitters, recent players who have been above.400 early in the season, such as Chipper Jones in 2008, have drawn significant attention in the media. Brett's.390 in 1980 and Gwynn's.394 in 1994 are the only seasons in which a player reached.390 since 1941.
Carl Yastrzemski's.301 in the 1968 American League was the lowest batting average ever to lead a league. In 2025, Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies captured the National League batting title with a.304 average – the lowest mark ever for an NL champion. Turner edged out Tony Gwynn’s previous NL low of.313 in 1988. Only three batting champions accomplished the feat without hitting a home run: Willie Keeler in 1897, Zack Wheat in 1918, and Rod Carew in 1972. Joe Mauer's 2006 title made him the first catcher to ever win an AL batting title, and his third title in 2009 surpassed Ernie Lombardi's previous record of two titles for a catcher in any league.

Winning margins

The closest finish in a batting race came in 1945 when Snuffy Stirnweiss batted.309, topping Tony Cuccinello's.308 average for the American League title by.00008. George Kell beat out Williams in 1949 by.00015. The closest race in the National League came in 2003 when Albert Pujols held off Todd Helton on the last day of the season by.00022. The closest National League race before that was in 1931 with Chick Hafey edging out Bill Terry by.00028.
Lajoie's.426 average in 1901 was 86 points higher than runner-up Mike Donlin's.340, the largest margin of victory for a batting champion. Cap Anson's.399 in 1881 was 71 points higher than Joe Start in 1881, the widest margin in the National League.

Champions of two leagues

In 2020, D.J. LeMahieu of the New York Yankees won the AL batting title, thereby becoming the first player to definitively win batting titles in both the American and National Leagues; he had also won the NL batting title in 2016 as a member of the Colorado Rockies. However, Ed Delahanty would have that distinction if he is credited with the disputed 1902 American League title, as he was also the 1899 National League champion.
The only other player to win titles in multiple leagues was Pete Browning, who won American Association titles in 1882 and 1885, along with the lone Players' League championship in 1890. Barnes and Deacon White each won National Association and National League titles, but the National Association is not regarded as an official league. In addition, Oscar Charleston won batting championships in the Negro National League and Eastern Colored League. In 1921, Charleston posted a career-best batting average of.434 with the St. Louis Giants.

Champions with multiple teams

In 1990, Willie McGee posted a.335 average over 542 at-bats in the NL for the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to the Oakland Athletics of the AL on August 29. Although McGee finished the season in the AL, he had enough PA's in the NL to qualify for the NL batting title, which he won narrowly over Eddie Murray's.330. However, McGee batted.274 that season in the AL, bringing down his overall average to.324; this allowed Murray to lead the major leagues in batting average, yet he did not win a batting title.
In 2024, Luis Arráez became the first player in major-league history to win a batting title with three different teams, and in three consecutive seasons: Minnesota Twins in 2022; Miami Marlins in 2023; and San Diego Padres in 2024. Arráez played 33 games with the Miami Marlins and 117 games with the San Diego Padres in 2024, resulting in a.314 average, with a combined 200 hits in 637 at-bats.

List of batting champions

National League

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.429Chicago White Stockings.366
.387Boston Red Caps.378
.358Providence Grays.354
.357Providence Grays.348
.360Chicago White Stockings.337
.399Chicago White Stockings.338
.368Buffalo Bisons.362
.374Buffalo Bisons.357
.354Chicago White Stockings.347
.371New York Giants.359
.388Chicago White Stockings.371
.372Detroit Wolverines.347
.344Chicago White Stockings.332
.373Boston Beaneaters.352
.336New York Giants.325
.340Philadelphia Phillies.319
.335Brooklyn Grooms.330
.380Philadelphia Phillies.370
.440Boston Beaneaters.418
.405Cleveland Spiders.404
.410Cleveland Spiders.401
.424Baltimore Orioles.390
.385Baltimore Orioles.369
.410Philadelphia Phillies.396
.381Pittsburgh Pirates.367
.376St. Louis Cardinals.354
.357Pittsburgh Pirates.333
.355Pittsburgh Pirates.351
.349Pittsburgh Pirates.329
.377Cincinnati Reds.363
.339Pittsburgh Pirates.327
.350Pittsburgh Pirates.328
.354Pittsburgh Pirates.334
.339Pittsburgh Pirates.310
.331Philadelphia Phillies.326
.334Pittsburgh Pirates.333
.372Chicago Cubs.358
.350Brooklyn Superbas.341
.329Brooklyn Robins.325
.320New York Giants.315
.339Cincinnati Reds.316
.341Cincinnati Reds.327
.335Brooklyn Robins.333
.321Cincinnati Reds.318
.370St. Louis Cardinals.351
.397St. Louis Cardinals.352
.401St. Louis Cardinals.354
.384St. Louis Cardinals.371
.424St. Louis Cardinals.375
.403St. Louis Cardinals.367
.353Cincinnati Reds.350
.380Pittsburgh Pirates.361
.387Boston Braves.370
.398Philadelphia Phillies.381
.401New York Giants.393
.349St. Louis Cardinals.349
.368Brooklyn Dodgers.350
.368Philadelphia Phillies.349
.362Pittsburgh Pirates.354
.385Pittsburgh Pirates.353
.373Pittsburgh Pirates.367
.374St. Louis Cardinals.364
.342Cincinnati Reds.337
.349St. Louis Cardinals.332
.355Pittsburgh Pirates.319
.343Brooklyn Dodgers.319
.330Boston Braves.318
.357St. Louis Cardinals.330
.357Brooklyn Dodgers.347
.355Chicago Cubs.352
.365St. Louis Cardinals.333
.363St. Louis Cardinals
Philadelphia Phillies
.317
.376St. Louis Cardinals.333
.342Brooklyn Dodgers.338
.346St. Louis Cardinals.328
.355St. Louis Cardinals.344
.336St. Louis Cardinals.325
.344Brooklyn Dodgers.342
.345New York Giants.342
.338Philadelphia Phillies.319
.328Milwaukee Braves.319
.351St. Louis Cardinals.333
.350Philadelphia Phillies.347
.355Milwaukee Braves.345
.325Pittsburgh Pirates.323
.351Pittsburgh Pirates.343
.346Los Angeles Dodgers.342
.326Los Angeles Dodgers.320
.339Pittsburgh Pirates.330
.329Pittsburgh Pirates.318
.342Pittsburgh Pirates.327
.357Pittsburgh Pirates.339
.335Cincinnati Reds.332
.348Cincinnati Reds.345
.366Atlanta Braves.325
.363St. Louis Cardinals.343
.333Chicago Cubs.325
.338Cincinnati Reds.320
.353Atlanta Braves.321
.354Chicago Cubs.332
.339Chicago Cubs.336
.338Pittsburgh Pirates.336
.334Pittsburgh Pirates.316
.344St. Louis Cardinals.331
.324Chicago Cubs.321
.341Pittsburgh Pirates.325
.331Montreal Expos.319
.323Pittsburgh Pirates.321
.351San Diego Padres.321
.353St. Louis Cardinals.320
.334Montreal Expos.332
.370San Diego Padres.338
.313San Diego Padres.307
.336San Diego Padres.333
.335St. Louis Cardinals.330
.319Atlanta Braves.318
.330San Diego Padres.324
.370Colorado Rockies.358
.394San Diego Padres.368
.368San Diego Padres.346
.353San Diego Padres.344
.372San Diego Padres.366
.363Colorado Rockies.354
.379Colorado Rockies.336
.372Colorado Rockies.355
.350Colorado Rockies.336
.370San Francisco Giants.338
.359St. Louis Cardinals.358
.362San Francisco Giants.347
.335Chicago Cubs.330
.344Pittsburgh Pirates.339
.340Colorado Rockies.337
.364Atlanta Braves.357
.342Florida Marlins.330
.336Colorado Rockies.324
.337New York Mets.332
.336San Francisco Giants.327
.331Colorado Rockies.321
.319Colorado Rockies.315
.333Miami Marlins.330
.348Colorado Rockies.347
.331Colorado Rockies.322
.326Milwaukee Brewers.310
.329Milwaukee Brewers.329
.351Washington Nationals.341
.328Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Dodgers
.313
Jeff McNeil.326New York MetsFreddie Freeman.325
Luis Arráez.354Miami MarlinsRonald Acuña Jr..337
Luis Arráez.314Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres
Shohei Ohtani.310
Trea Turner.304Philadelphia PhilliesNico Hoerner.297

American League

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
1901 [Major League Baseball season|1901].426Philadelphia Athletics.340
1902 [Major League Baseball season|1902].376Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators].361
1903.344Cleveland Naps.335
.376Cleveland Naps.343
.308Cleveland Naps.302
.358St. Louis Browns.355
.350Detroit Tigers.323
.324Detroit Tigers.311
.377Detroit Tigers.347
.385Detroit Tigers.384
.420Detroit Tigers.408
.409Detroit Tigers.395
.390Detroit Tigers.373
.368Detroit Tigers.344
.369Detroit Tigers.332
.386Cleveland Indians.371
.383Detroit Tigers.353
.382Detroit Tigers.352
.384Detroit Tigers.355
.407St. Louis Browns.388
.394Detroit Tigers.389
.420St. Louis Browns.401
.403Detroit Tigers.393
.378New York Yankees.359
.393Detroit Tigers.389
.378Detroit Tigers.372
.398Detroit Tigers.392
.379Washington Senators.378
.369Cleveland Indians.365
.381Philadelphia Athletics.379
.390Philadelphia Athletics.373
.367Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox
.364
.356Philadelphia Athletics.336
.363New York Yankees.356
.349Washington Senators.348
.388Chicago White Sox.378
.371Detroit Tigers.351
.349Boston Red Sox.343
.381New York Yankees.360
.352New York Yankees.348
.406Boston Red Sox.359
.356Boston Red Sox.331
.328Chicago White Sox.316
.327Cleveland Indians.325
.309New York Yankees.308
.353Washington Senators.342
.343Boston Red Sox.328
.369Boston Red Sox.355
.343Detroit Tigers.343
.354Boston Red Sox.340
.344Philadelphia Athletics.326
.327Philadelphia Athletics.323
.337Washington Senators.336
.341Cleveland Indians.345
.340Detroit Tigers.319
.353New York Yankees.345
.388Boston Red Sox.365
.328Boston Red Sox.322
.353Detroit Tigers.327
.320Boston Red Sox.315
.361Detroit Tigers.324
.326Boston Red Sox.321
.321Boston Red Sox.312
.323Minnesota Twins.317
.321Minnesota Twins.312
.316Baltimore Orioles.307
.326Boston Red Sox.311
.301Boston Red Sox.290
.332Minnesota Twins.309
.329California Angels.329
.337Minnesota Twins.331
.318Minnesota Twins.312
.350Minnesota Twins.306
.364Minnesota Twins.316
.359Minnesota Twins.331
.333Kansas City Royals.332
.388Minnesota Twins.336
.333Minnesota Twins.324
.333Boston Red Sox.329
.390Kansas City Royals.352
.336Boston Red Sox.326
.332Kansas City Royals.331
.361Boston Red Sox.339
.343New York Yankees.340
.368Boston Red Sox.335
.357Boston Red Sox.352
.363Boston Red Sox.353
.366Boston Red Sox.356
.339Minnesota Twins.336
.329Kansas City Royals.325
.341Texas Rangers.332
.343Seattle Mariners.329
.363Toronto Blue Jays.332
.359New York Yankees.357
.356Seattle Mariners.333
.358Seattle Mariners.349
.347Chicago White Sox.330
.339New York Yankees.337
.357Boston Red Sox.349
.372Boston Red Sox.355
.350Seattle Mariners.342
.349Boston Red Sox.340
.326Boston Red Sox.325
.372Seattle Mariners.340
.331Texas Rangers.321
.347Minnesota Twins.344
.363Detroit Tigers.351
.328Minnesota Twins.326
.365Minnesota Twins.352
.359Texas Rangers.328
.344Detroit Tigers.338
.330Detroit Tigers.326
.348Detroit Tigers.324
.341Houston Astros.335
.338Detroit Tigers.320
.338Houston Astros.318
.346Houston Astros.330
.346Boston Red Sox.330
.335Chicago White Sox.327
.364New York Yankees.322
.319Houston Astros.311
Luis Arráez.316Minnesota TwinsAaron Judge.311
Yandy Díaz.330Tampa Bay RaysCorey Seager.327
Bobby Witt Jr..332Kansas City RoyalsVladimir Guerrero Jr..323
Aaron Judge.331New York YankeesBo Bichette.311

Other recognized leagues

American Association

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.378Louisville Eclipse.342
.357Pittsburgh Alleghenys.338
.354New York Metropolitans.339
.362Louisville Colonels.342
.341Louisville Colonels.340
.435St. Louis Browns.402
.335St. Louis Browns.321
.372Baltimore Orioles.335
.363Louisville Colonels.354
.350Boston Reds.336

Union Association

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.412St. Louis Maroons.360

Players' League

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.373Cleveland Infants.371

Federal League

YearWinnerAVGTeamRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.370Indianapolis Hoosiers.348
.342Brooklyn Tip-Tops.329

Negro leagues

In the 28-year major-league history, nine players won a league batting title multiple times: Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Monte Irvin, Heavy Johnson, Buck Leonard, Jud Wilson, Mule Suttles, Ted Strong and Turkey Stearnes.
File:Oscar Charleston Almendares.jpg|alt=Oscar Charleston|thumb|120px|Oscar Charleston won batting championships in the Negro National League and Eastern Colored League, and holds the third all-time highest career batting average of.363 during a span of 21 years.
YearWinnerAVGTeamLeagueRunner-up2nd AVGRef
.411Chicago American GiantsNegro National League.379
.433St. Louis GiantsNegro National League.405
.406Kansas City MonarchsNegro National League.386
.406Kansas City MonarchsNegro National League.387
.423Hilldale ClubEastern Colored League.367
.389Cuban Stars (West)Negro National League.375
.405Harrisburg GiantsEastern Colored League.385
.404Detroit StarsNegro National League.372
.427Harrisburg GiantsEastern Colored League.404
.425St. Louis StarsNegro National League.383
.375Cuban Stars (East)Eastern Colored League.373
.422Birmingham Black BaronsNegro National League.396
.422Baltimore Black Sox
New York Lincoln Giants
Eastern Colored League.399
.359St. Louis StarsNegro National League.359
.399Baltimore Black SoxEastern Colored League.398
.451New York Lincoln GiantsAmerican Negro League.415
.390Detroit StarsNegro National League.369
.411St. Louis StarsNegro National League.409
.376Detroit StarsNegro National League.354
.381Baltimore Black SoxEast-West League.368
.378Monroe MonarchsNegro Southern League.362
.398Columbus Blue BirdsNegro National League II.395
.438Newark DodgersNegro National League II.432
.389Homestead GraysNegro National League II.388
.389Pittsburgh CrawfordsNegro National League II.367
.417Homestead GraysNegro National League II.394
.390St. Louis Stars
Birmingham Black Barons
Negro American League.379
.420Homestead GraysNegro National League II.393
.396Birmingham Black Barons
Memphis Red Sox
Negro American League.384
.402Homestead GraysNegro National League II.385
.393Cleveland BearsNegro American League.368
†* .380Newark EaglesNegro National League II.378
.376St. Louis-New Orleans StarsNegro American League.366
.387Newark EaglesNegro National League II.349
.466Birmingham Black BaronsNegro American League.387
.347Newark Eagles
Homestead Grays
Negro National League II.343
.364Kansas City MonarchsNegro American League.360
.471New York CubansNegro National League II.466
.369Chicago American GiantsNegro American League.340
.388Baltimore Elite Giants
Philadelphia Stars
Negro National League II.388
.400Chicago American GiantsNegro American League.379
.375Philadelphia StarsNegro National League II.369
.394Birmingham Black BaronsNegro American League.375
.369Newark EaglesNegro National League II.365
.364Cleveland BuckeyesNegro American League.361
.385Baltimore Elite GiantsNegro National League II.375
.377Kansas City MonarchsNegro American League.370
.433Birmingham Black BaronsNegro American League.408
.362Baltimore Elite GiantsNegro National League II.356