Top 5 RBI Leadersin MLB History
How do you win a game of baseball? You need to score more runs than the opposition! So, arguably, the most valuable statistic in the history of the game is the slugger who drives in those runs! The most RBI’s (Runs Batted In) in a single season is 191, belonging to Hack Wilson for the Chicago Cubs in 1930. Note that anything over 100 RBI’s is considered a great season! But who are the 5 players who did it consistently over their whole careers?
Here are the top 5 career RBI leaders of all time:
1. Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron - 2,297
Second in the all time Home Runs list (755), it’s no surprise ‘Hammering Hank’ is the No 1 RBI King! Aaron debuted in 1954 as a 20yo and spent 23 seasons in the Majors: 21 with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves and his last 2 with the Milwaukee Braves. He drove in 132 runs in 1956 and had more than 100 RBI’s in 10 other seasons. He was a world champion in 1957 and won the NL MVP the same season. Aaron was inducted in the MLB Hall of Fame in 1982.
2. Albert Pujols - 2,218
Known as ‘The Machine,’ Albert Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic and emigrated to America in 1996. After only 1 season in the Minor Leagues, he burst into the Major Leagues at the St Louis Cardinals as a 21yo in 2001 and was voted the NL Rookie of the year. He drove in an amazing 130 runs and had a batting average of .329. He bettered this in 2006 with 137 RBI’s. Pujols played his first 11 seasons and his farewell season in 2022 at the Cardinals. In between he played at the Los Angeles Angeles and part of the 2021 season at the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won two World Series Championships at the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011 and won 3 AL MVP’s in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
3. George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth - 2,214
What more can be said about the Babe that hasn’t already been documented in his career spanning 1914-1935! In his early seasons he was also a dominating pitcher with a 94-46 record and a career ERA of only 2.28. The only player ever to have had such a dominant 2-way impact since is the current Japanese born star, Shohei Ohtani. The Babe drove in more than 150 runs in 6 seasons, with his highest being 168 in 1921 at the Yankees. Ruth played in 7 World Championships with the Yankees but remarkably only won 1 MVP in 1923. In 1936 Ruth was one of the first 5 players inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.
4. Alex Rodriguez - 2,086
‘A-Rod’ made his Major League debut as a 19yo for the Seattle Mariners in 1994. Fourteen times in his career, he drove in over 100 runs, with a best of 156 in 2007 at the Yankees. He is the career record holder for grand slams. Rodriguez won an MVP at Texas in 2003 and 2 more at the Yankees in 2005 and 2007. He was a World Champion at the Yankees in 2009. Unfortunately, his incredible talents will always be tarnished by his admissions he used illegal performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003.
5. Barry Bonds - 1,096
Left handed slugger Barry Bonds is the all time Home Run leader (762) and holds the record for the most in a season, 73 in 2001. His most number of RBI’s in a season of 137 was also in 2001. Bonds won the NL MVP an incredible 7 times but never won a World Series title. Bonds played his first 7 seasons at the Pittsburgh Pirates and then 13 seasons at the San Francisco Giants. His father Bobby Bonds also had a stellar career from 1968-1981, driving in 1,024 runs.