Loading
  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

30–30 Club

In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of batters who have collected thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases in a single season. Ken Williams was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1922. He remained the sole member of the club for 34 years until Willie Mays achieved consecutive 30–30 seasons in 1956 and 1957. Bobby Bonds became the club's fourth member in 1969 and became the first player in MLB history to reach the 30–30 club on three occasions and ultimately on five occasions, subsequently achieving the milestone in 1973, 1975, 1977 and 1978.

In total, 46 players have reached the 30–30 club in MLB history and fourteen have done so more than once. Of these 46 players, 31 were right-handed batters, 9 were left-handed and 6 were switch hitters, meaning they could bat from either side of the plate. Nine of these players (including five active members of the 30–30 club) have played for only one major league team. The Mets and the Braves each have 4 players to reach the milestone, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, and San Francisco Giants each have had three players reach the milestone. Five players – Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa – are also members of the 500 home run club, and Aaron, Mays and Rodriguez are also members of the 3,000 hit club. Dale Murphy, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Larry Walker, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Braun, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuña Jr. won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in the same year as their 30–30 season, with Bonds achieving this on two occasions (1990 and 1992). Both Mays and Rollins also reached the 20–20–20 club in the same season. Four players accomplished 30–30 seasons in 1987, 1996, 1997, 2011, and 2023, the most in a single season. The feat has been accomplished by teammates twice: by Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson for the New York Mets in 1987, and then by Ellis Burks and Dante Bichette for the Colorado Rockies in 1996.

Due to the rarity of a player excelling in the combination of hitting home runs and stealing bases, Baseball Digest called the 30–30 club "the most celebrated feat that can be achieved by a player who has both power and speed." Six members of the 30–30 club have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with Mays and Aaron elected in their first year of eligibility. Eligibility requires that a player has been retired for at least five seasons or deceased for at least six months, disqualifying any active players and those recently retired.

Members

Black-and-white photo of Willie Mays, smiling in a San Francisco Giants hat
Willie Mays became the first player to achieve multiple 30–30 seasons and accomplish them in back-to-back seasons.
A black-and-white photo of Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is one of six 30–30 club members to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Barry Larkin follows through after a hit, wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform
Barry Larkin attained 30–30 in 1996.
With baseball in hand, an African-American man wearing a white and red Nationals baseball uniform cocks his arm backward as he prepares to throw
Alfonso Soriano reached the 30–30 club in four seasons, second only to Bobby and Barry Bonds.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is the most recent player to reach the 30–30 club in multiple seasons (2019 and 2023). He is the first player in history to reach the 30-60, and 40-70 clubs.
Key
Year The year the player's 30–30 season occurred
Player (X) Name of the player (number of 30–30 seasons at that point, if more than one)
Team The player's team for his 30–30 season
HR Number of home runs in that year
SB Number of stolen bases in that year
& Denotes 40–40 season
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Player is active
Members of the 30–30 club
Year Player Team HR SB Ref.
1922 Ken Williams St. Louis Browns 39 37
1956 Willie Mays New York Giants 36 40
1957 Willie Mays (2) New York Giants 35 38
1963 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves 44 31
1969 Bobby Bonds San Francisco Giants 32 45
1970 Tommy Harper Milwaukee Brewers 31 38
1973 Bobby Bonds (2) San Francisco Giants 39 43
1975 Bobby Bonds (3) New York Yankees 32 30
1977 Bobby Bonds (4) California Angels 37 41
1978 Bobby Bonds (5) Chicago White Sox
Texas Rangers
31 43
1983 Dale Murphy Atlanta Braves 36 30
1987 Joe Carter Cleveland Indians 32 31
Eric Davis Cincinnati Reds 37 50
Howard Johnson New York Mets 36 32
Darryl Strawberry New York Mets 39 36
1988 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics 42 40
1989 Howard Johnson (2) New York Mets 36 41
1990 Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates 33 52
Ron Gant Atlanta Braves 32 33
1991 Ron Gant (2) Atlanta Braves 32 34
Howard Johnson (3) New York Mets 38 30
1992 Barry Bonds (2) Pittsburgh Pirates 34 39
1993 Sammy Sosa Chicago Cubs 33 36
1995 Barry Bonds (3) San Francisco Giants 33 31
Sammy Sosa (2) Chicago Cubs 36 34
1996 Dante Bichette Colorado Rockies 31 31
Barry Bonds (4) San Francisco Giants 42 40
Ellis Burks Colorado Rockies 40 32
Barry Larkin Cincinnati Reds 33 36
1997 Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros 43 31
Barry Bonds (5) San Francisco Giants 40 37
Raúl Mondesí Los Angeles Dodgers 30 32
Larry Walker Colorado Rockies 49 33
1998 Shawn Green Toronto Blue Jays 35 35
Alex Rodriguez Seattle Mariners 42 46
1999 Jeff Bagwell (2) Houston Astros 42 30
Raúl Mondesí (2) Los Angeles Dodgers 33 36
2000 Preston Wilson Florida Marlins 31 36
2001 Bobby Abreu Philadelphia Phillies 31 36
José Cruz Jr. Toronto Blue Jays 34 32
Vladimir Guerrero Montreal Expos 34 37
2002 Vladimir Guerrero (2) Montreal Expos 39 40
Alfonso Soriano New York Yankees 39 41
2003 Alfonso Soriano (2) New York Yankees 38 35
2004 Bobby Abreu (2) Philadelphia Phillies 30 40
Carlos Beltrán Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros
38 42
2005 Alfonso Soriano (3) Texas Rangers 36 30
2006 Alfonso Soriano (4) Washington Nationals 46 41
2007 David Wright New York Mets 30 34
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 30 41
Brandon Phillips Cincinnati Reds 30 32
2008 Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians 33 38
Hanley Ramírez Florida Marlins 33 35
2009 Ian Kinsler Texas Rangers 31 30
2011 Matt Kemp Los Angeles Dodgers 39 40
Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers 33 33
Jacoby Ellsbury Boston Red Sox 32 39
Ian Kinsler (2) Texas Rangers 32 30
2012 Ryan Braun (2) Milwaukee Brewers 41 30
Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels 30 49
2018 José Ramírez Cleveland Indians 39 34
Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox 32 30
2019 Ronald Acuña Jr. Atlanta Braves 41 37
Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers 44 30
2021 Cedric Mullins Baltimore Orioles 30 30
2023 Ronald Acuña Jr. (2) Atlanta Braves 41 73
Julio Rodríguez Seattle Mariners 32 37
Francisco Lindor New York Mets 31 31
Bobby Witt Jr. Kansas City Royals 30 49