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[L] 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 (AL) winner is known as the "Rod Carew American League Batting Champion", while the National League (NL) leader is designated the "Tony Gwynn National League Batting Champion". At the 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 (PA) per scheduled game in that league (for a total of 502 over the current 162-game season) to qualify for the batting title in Major League Baseball (MLB).
If a player's lead in average (AVG) is sufficiently large that enough hitless at bats (ABs) 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 (.353 average) but only 498 PAs. Gwynn's batting average would have dropped to .349 (159 hits in 455 ABs) 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 (Ellis Burks finished second, with a .344 average), 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 (1882–1891), Union Association (1884), and Players' League (1890). 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 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 (or 12) 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.[1910] 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 (.414 from 1911 to 1912 and .408 from 1911 to 1913), but Hornsby holds the record for four and five consecutive seasons (.404 from 1922 to 1925 and .402 from 1921 to 1925). 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.[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.[L] 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 (AL) in 2022; Miami Marlins (NL) in 2023; and San Diego Padres (NL) 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
Key
| Winner | Player with the highest batting average (AVG) in the league |
| AVG | The winner's batting average |
| Runner-up | Player with the second-highest batting average in the league |
| 2nd AVG | The runner-up's batting average |
| League | Denoted for players in the Negro leagues table |
| † | Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
National League
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team(s) | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | Ross Barnes | .429 | Chicago White Stockings | George Hall | .366 | |
| 1877 | Deacon White† | .387 | Boston Red Caps | John Cassidy | .378 | |
| 1878 | Paul Hines | .358 | Providence Grays | Abner Dalrymple | .354 | |
| 1879 | Paul Hines | .357 | Providence Grays | Jim O'Rourke† | .348 | |
| 1880 | George Gore | .360 | Chicago White Stockings | Cap Anson† | .337 | |
| 1881 | Cap Anson† | .399 | Chicago White Stockings | Martin Powell | .338 | |
| 1882 | Dan Brouthers† | .368 | Buffalo Bisons | Cap Anson† | .362 | |
| 1883 | Dan Brouthers† | .374 | Buffalo Bisons | Roger Connor† | .357 | |
| 1884 | King Kelly† | .354 | Chicago White Stockings | Jim O'Rourke† | .347 | |
| 1885 | Roger Connor† | .371 | New York Giants | Dan Brouthers† | .359 | |
| 1886 | King Kelly† | .388 | Chicago White Stockings | Cap Anson† | .371 | |
| 1887 | Sam Thompson† | .372 | Detroit Wolverines | Cap Anson† | .347 | |
| 1888 | Cap Anson† | .344 | Chicago White Stockings | Jimmy Ryan | .332 | |
| 1889 | Dan Brouthers† | .373 | Boston Beaneaters | Jack Glasscock | .352 | |
| 1890 | Jack Glasscock | .336 | New York Giants | Billy Hamilton† | .325 | |
| 1891 | Billy Hamilton† | .340 | Philadelphia Phillies | Bug Holliday | .319 | |
| 1892 | Dan Brouthers† | .335 | Brooklyn Grooms | Billy Hamilton† | .330 | |
| 1893 | Billy Hamilton† | .380 | Philadelphia Phillies | Sam Thompson† | .370 | |
| 1894 | Hugh Duffy† | .440 | Boston Beaneaters | Tuck Turner | .418 | |
| 1895 | Jesse Burkett† | .405 | Cleveland Spiders | Ed Delahanty† | .404 | |
| 1896 | Jesse Burkett† | .410 | Cleveland Spiders | Hughie Jennings† | .401 | |
| 1897 | Willie Keeler† | .424 | Baltimore Orioles | Fred Clarke† | .390 | |
| 1898 | Willie Keeler† | .385 | Baltimore Orioles | Billy Hamilton† | .369 | |
| 1899 | Ed Delahanty† | .410 | Philadelphia Phillies | Jesse Burkett† | .396 | |
| 1900 | Honus Wagner† | .381 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Elmer Flick† | .367 | |
| 1901 | Jesse Burkett† | .376 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ed Delahanty† | .354 | |
| 1902 | Ginger Beaumont | .357 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Sam Crawford† | .333 | |
| 1903 | Honus Wagner† | .355 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Fred Clarke† | .351 | |
| 1904 | Honus Wagner† | .349 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Mike Donlin | .329 | |
| 1905 | Cy Seymour | .377 | Cincinnati Reds | Honus Wagner† | .363 | |
| 1906 | Honus Wagner† | .339 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Harry Steinfeldt | .327 | |
| 1907 | Honus Wagner† | .350 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Sherry Magee | .328 | |
| 1908 | Honus Wagner† | .354 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Mike Donlin | .334 | |
| 1909 | Honus Wagner† | .339 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Mike Mitchell | .310 | |
| 1910 | Sherry Magee | .331 | Philadelphia Phillies | Vin Campbell | .326 | |
| 1911 | Honus Wagner† | .334 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Doc Miller | .333 | |
| 1912 | Heinie Zimmerman | .372 | Chicago Cubs | Chief Meyers | .358 | |
| 1913 | Jake Daubert | .350 | Brooklyn Superbas | Gavvy Cravath | .341 | |
| 1914 | Jake Daubert | .329 | Brooklyn Robins | Beals Becker | .325 | |
| 1915 | Larry Doyle | .320 | New York Giants | Fred Luderus | .315 | |
| 1916 | Hal Chase | .339 | Cincinnati Reds | Jake Daubert | .316 | |
| 1917 | Edd Roush† | .341 | Cincinnati Reds | Rogers Hornsby† | .327 | |
| 1918 | Zack Wheat† | .335 | Brooklyn Robins | Edd Roush† | .333 | |
| 1919 | Edd Roush† | .321 | Cincinnati Reds | Rogers Hornsby† | .318 | |
| 1920 | Rogers Hornsby† | .370 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ross Youngs† | .351 | |
| 1921 | Rogers Hornsby† | .397 | St. Louis Cardinals | Edd Roush† | .352 | |
| 1922 | Rogers Hornsby† | .401 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ray Grimes | .354 | |
| 1923 | Rogers Hornsby† | .384 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jim Bottomley† | .371 | |
| 1924 | Rogers Hornsby† | .424 | St. Louis Cardinals | Zack Wheat† | .375 | |
| 1925 | Rogers Hornsby† | .403 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jim Bottomley† | .367 | |
| 1926 | Bubbles Hargrave | .353 | Cincinnati Reds | Cuckoo Christensen | .350 | |
| 1927 | Paul Waner† | .380 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Rogers Hornsby† | .361 | |
| 1928 | Rogers Hornsby† | .387 | Boston Braves | Paul Waner† | .370 | |
| 1929 | Lefty O'Doul | .398 | Philadelphia Phillies | Babe Herman | .381 | |
| 1930 | Bill Terry† | .401 | New York Giants | Babe Herman | .393 | |
| 1931 | Chick Hafey† | .349 | St. Louis Cardinals | Bill Terry† | .349 | |
| 1932 | Lefty O'Doul | .368 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Bill Terry† | .350 | |
| 1933 | Chuck Klein† | .368 | Philadelphia Phillies | Spud Davis | .349 | |
| 1934 | Paul Waner† | .362 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Bill Terry† | .354 | |
| 1935 | Arky Vaughan† | .385 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Joe Medwick† | .353 | |
| 1936 | Paul Waner† | .373 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Babe Phelps | .367 | |
| 1937 | Joe Medwick† | .374 | St. Louis Cardinals | Johnny Mize† | .364 | |
| 1938 | Ernie Lombardi† | .342 | Cincinnati Reds | Johnny Mize† | .337 | |
| 1939 | Johnny Mize† | .349 | St. Louis Cardinals | Frank McCormick | .332 | |
| 1940 | Debs Garms | .355 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Ernie Lombardi† | .319 | |
| 1941 | Pete Reiser | .343 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Johnny Cooney | .319 | |
| 1942 | Ernie Lombardi† | .330 | Boston Braves | Enos Slaughter† | .318 | |
| 1943 | Stan Musial† | .357 | St. Louis Cardinals | Billy Herman† | .330 | |
| 1944 | Dixie Walker | .357 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Stan Musial† | .347 | |
| 1945 | Phil Cavarretta | .355 | Chicago Cubs | Tommy Holmes | .352 | |
| 1946 | Stan Musial† | .365 | St. Louis Cardinals | Johnny Hopp | .333 | |
| 1947 | Harry Walker | .363 | St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies | Bob Elliott | .317 | |
| 1948 | Stan Musial† | .376 | St. Louis Cardinals | Richie Ashburn† | .333 | |
| 1949 | Jackie Robinson† | .342 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Stan Musial† | .338 | |
| 1950 | Stan Musial† | .346 | St. Louis Cardinals | Jackie Robinson† | .328 | |
| 1951 | Stan Musial† | .355 | St. Louis Cardinals | Richie Ashburn† | .344 | |
| 1952 | Stan Musial† | .336 | St. Louis Cardinals | Frank Baumholtz | .325 | |
| 1953 | Carl Furillo | .344 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Red Schoendienst† | .342 | |
| 1954 | Willie Mays† | .345 | New York Giants | Don Mueller | .342 | |
| 1955 | Richie Ashburn† | .338 | Philadelphia Phillies | Willie Mays† | .319 | |
| 1956 | Hank Aaron† | .328 | Milwaukee Braves | Bill Virdon | .319 | |
| 1957 | Stan Musial† | .351 | St. Louis Cardinals | Willie Mays† | .333 | |
| 1958 | Richie Ashburn† | .350 | Philadelphia Phillies | Willie Mays† | .347 | |
| 1959 | Hank Aaron† | .355 | Milwaukee Braves | Joe Cunningham | .345 | |
| 1960 | Dick Groat | .325 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Norm Larker | .323 | |
| 1961 | Roberto Clemente† | .351 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Vada Pinson | .343 | |
| 1962 | Tommy Davis | .346 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Frank Robinson† | .342 | |
| 1963 | Tommy Davis | .326 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Roberto Clemente† | .320 | |
| 1964 | Roberto Clemente† | .339 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Rico Carty | .330 | |
| 1965 | Roberto Clemente† | .329 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Hank Aaron† | .318 | |
| 1966 | Matty Alou | .342 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Felipe Alou | .327 | |
| 1967 | Roberto Clemente† | .357 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Tony González | .339 | |
| 1968 | Pete Rose | .335 | Cincinnati Reds | Matty Alou | .332 | |
| 1969 | Pete Rose | .348 | Cincinnati Reds | Roberto Clemente† | .345 | |
| 1970 | Rico Carty | .366 | Atlanta Braves | Joe Torre† | .325 | |
| 1971 | Joe Torre† | .363 | St. Louis Cardinals | Ralph Garr | .343 | |
| 1972 | Billy Williams† | .333 | Chicago Cubs | Ralph Garr | .325 | |
| 1973 | Pete Rose | .338 | Cincinnati Reds | César Cedeño | .320 | |
| 1974 | Ralph Garr | .353 | Atlanta Braves | Al Oliver | .321 | |
| 1975 | Bill Madlock | .354 | Chicago Cubs | Ted Simmons† | .332 | |
| 1976 | Bill Madlock | .339 | Chicago Cubs | Ken Griffey Sr. | .336 | |
| 1977 | Dave Parker† | .338 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Rennie Stennett | .336 | |
| 1978 | Dave Parker† | .334 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Steve Garvey | .316 | |
| 1979 | Keith Hernandez | .344 | St. Louis Cardinals | Pete Rose | .331 | |
| 1980 | Bill Buckner | .324 | Chicago Cubs | Keith Hernandez | .321 | |
| 1981 | Bill Madlock | .341 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pete Rose | .325 | |
| 1982 | Al Oliver | .331 | Montreal Expos | Bill Madlock | .319 | |
| 1983 | Bill Madlock | .323 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Lonnie Smith | .321 | |
| 1984 | Tony Gwynn† | .351 | San Diego Padres | Lee Lacy | .321 | |
| 1985 | Willie McGee | .353 | St. Louis Cardinals | Pedro Guerrero | .320 | |
| 1986 | Tim Raines† | .334 | Montreal Expos | Steve Sax | .332 | |
| 1987 | Tony Gwynn† | .370 | San Diego Padres | Pedro Guerrero | .338 | |
| 1988 | Tony Gwynn† | .313 | San Diego Padres | Rafael Palmeiro | .307 | |
| 1989 | Tony Gwynn† | .336 | San Diego Padres | Will Clark | .333 | |
| 1990 | Willie McGee | .335 | St. Louis Cardinals | Eddie Murray† | .330 | |
| 1991 | Terry Pendleton | .319 | Atlanta Braves | Hal Morris | .318 | |
| 1992 | Gary Sheffield | .330 | San Diego Padres | Andy Van Slyke | .324 | |
| 1993 | Andrés Galarraga | .370 | Colorado Rockies | Tony Gwynn† | .358 | |
| 1994 | Tony Gwynn† | .394 | San Diego Padres | Jeff Bagwell† | .368 | |
| 1995 | Tony Gwynn† | .368 | San Diego Padres | Mike Piazza† | .346 | |
| 1996 | Tony Gwynn† | .353 | San Diego Padres | Ellis Burks | .344 | |
| 1997 | Tony Gwynn† | .372 | San Diego Padres | Larry Walker† | .366 | |
| 1998 | Larry Walker† | .363 | Colorado Rockies | John Olerud | .354 | |
| 1999 | Larry Walker† | .379 | Colorado Rockies | Luis Gonzalez | .336 | |
| 2000 | Todd Helton† | .372 | Colorado Rockies | Moisés Alou | .355 | |
| 2001 | Larry Walker† | .350 | Colorado Rockies | Todd Helton† | .336 | |
| 2002 | Barry Bonds | .370 | San Francisco Giants | Larry Walker† | .338 | |
| 2003 | Albert Pujols | .359 | St. Louis Cardinals | Todd Helton† | .358 | |
| 2004 | Barry Bonds | .362 | San Francisco Giants | Todd Helton† | .347 | |
| 2005 | Derrek Lee | .335 | Chicago Cubs | Albert Pujols | .330 | |
| 2006 | Freddy Sanchez | .344 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Miguel Cabrera | .339 | |
| 2007 | Matt Holliday | .340 | Colorado Rockies | Chipper Jones† | .337 | |
| 2008 | Chipper Jones† | .364 | Atlanta Braves | Albert Pujols | .357 | |
| 2009 | Hanley Ramírez | .342 | Florida Marlins | Pablo Sandoval | .330 | |
| 2010 | Carlos González | .336 | Colorado Rockies | Joey Votto | .324 | |
| 2011 | José Reyes | .337 | New York Mets | Ryan Braun | .332 | |
| 2012 | Buster Posey | .336 | San Francisco Giants | Andrew McCutchen | .327 | |
| 2013 | Michael Cuddyer | .331 | Colorado Rockies | Chris Johnson | .321 | |
| 2014 | Justin Morneau | .319 | Colorado Rockies | Josh Harrison | .315 | |
| 2015 | Dee Gordon | .333 | Miami Marlins | Bryce Harper | .330 | |
| 2016 | DJ LeMahieu | .348 | Colorado Rockies | Daniel Murphy | .347 | |
| 2017 | Charlie Blackmon | .331 | Colorado Rockies | Daniel Murphy | .322 | |
| 2018 | Christian Yelich | .326 | Milwaukee Brewers | Scooter Gennett | .310 | |
| 2019 | Christian Yelich | .329[a] | Milwaukee Brewers | Ketel Marte | .329 | |
| 2020[b] | Juan Soto | .351 | Washington Nationals | Freddie Freeman | .341 | |
| 2021 | Trea Turner | .328 | Washington Nationals Los Angeles Dodgers | Juan Soto | .313 | |
| 2022 | Jeff McNeil | .326 | New York Mets | Freddie Freeman | .325 | |
| 2023 | Luis Arráez | .354 | Miami Marlins | Ronald Acuña Jr. | .337 | |
| 2024 | Luis Arráez | .314 | Miami Marlins San Diego Padres | Shohei Ohtani | .310 | |
| 2025 | Trea Turner | .304 | Philadelphia Phillies | Nico Hoerner | .297 |
American League
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team(s) | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Nap Lajoie† | .426 | Philadelphia Athletics | Mike Donlin | .340 | |
| 1902 | Ed Delahanty† | .376 | Washington Senators | Charlie Hickman† | .361 | |
| 1903 | Nap Lajoie† | .344 | Cleveland Naps | Sam Crawford† | .335 | |
| 1904 | Nap Lajoie† | .376 | Cleveland Naps | Willie Keeler† | .343 | |
| 1905 | Elmer Flick† | .308 | Cleveland Naps | Willie Keeler† | .302 | |
| 1906 | George Stone | .358 | St. Louis Browns | Nap Lajoie† | .355 | |
| 1907 | Ty Cobb† | .350 | Detroit Tigers | Sam Crawford† | .323 | |
| 1908 | Ty Cobb† | .324 | Detroit Tigers | Sam Crawford† | .311 | |
| 1909 | Ty Cobb† | .377 | Detroit Tigers | Eddie Collins† | .347 | |
| 1910 | Ty Cobb† | .385 | Detroit Tigers | Nap Lajoie† | .384 | |
| 1911 | Ty Cobb† | .420 | Detroit Tigers | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .408 | |
| 1912 | Ty Cobb† | .409 | Detroit Tigers | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .395 | |
| 1913 | Ty Cobb† | .390 | Detroit Tigers | Shoeless Joe Jackson | .373 | |
| 1914 | Ty Cobb† | .368 | Detroit Tigers | Eddie Collins† | .344 | |
| 1915 | Ty Cobb† | .369 | Detroit Tigers | Eddie Collins† | .332 | |
| 1916 | Tris Speaker† | .386 | Cleveland Indians | Ty Cobb† | .371 | |
| 1917 | Ty Cobb† | .383 | Detroit Tigers | George Sisler† | .353 | |
| 1918 | Ty Cobb† | .382 | Detroit Tigers | George Burns | .352 | |
| 1919 | Ty Cobb† | .384 | Detroit Tigers | Bobby Veach | .355 | |
| 1920 | George Sisler† | .407 | St. Louis Browns | Tris Speaker† | .388 | |
| 1921 | Harry Heilmann† | .394 | Detroit Tigers | Ty Cobb† | .389 | |
| 1922 | George Sisler† | .420 | St. Louis Browns | Ty Cobb† | .401 | |
| 1923 | Harry Heilmann† | .403 | Detroit Tigers | Babe Ruth† | .393 | |
| 1924 | Babe Ruth† | .378 | New York Yankees | Charlie Jamieson | .359 | |
| 1925 | Harry Heilmann† | .393 | Detroit Tigers | Tris Speaker† | .389 | |
| 1926 | Heinie Manush† | .378 | Detroit Tigers | Babe Ruth† | .372 | |
| 1927 | Harry Heilmann† | .398 | Detroit Tigers | Al Simmons† | .392 | |
| 1928 | Goose Goslin† | .379 | Washington Senators | Heinie Manush† | .378 | |
| 1929 | Lew Fonseca | .369 | Cleveland Indians | Al Simmons† | .365 | |
| 1930 | Al Simmons† | .381 | Philadelphia Athletics | Lou Gehrig† | .379 | |
| 1931 | Al Simmons† | .390 | Philadelphia Athletics | Babe Ruth† | .373 | |
| 1932 | Dale Alexander | .367 | Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox | Jimmie Foxx† | .364 | |
| 1933 | Jimmie Foxx† | .356 | Philadelphia Athletics | Heinie Manush† | .336 | |
| 1934 | Lou Gehrig† | .363 | New York Yankees | Charlie Gehringer† | .356 | |
| 1935 | Buddy Myer | .349 | Washington Senators | Joe Vosmik | .348 | |
| 1936 | Luke Appling† | .388 | Chicago White Sox | Earl Averill† | .378 | |
| 1937 | Charlie Gehringer† | .371 | Detroit Tigers | Lou Gehrig† | .351 | |
| 1938 | Jimmie Foxx† | .349 | Boston Red Sox | Jeff Heath | .343 | |
| 1939 | Joe DiMaggio† | .381 | New York Yankees | Jimmie Foxx† | .360 | |
| 1940 | Joe DiMaggio† | .352 | New York Yankees | Luke Appling† | .348 | |
| 1941 | Ted Williams† | .406 | Boston Red Sox | Cecil Travis | .359 | |
| 1942 | Ted Williams† | .356 | Boston Red Sox | Johnny Pesky | .331 | |
| 1943 | Luke Appling† | .328 | Chicago White Sox | Dick Wakefield | .316 | |
| 1944 | Lou Boudreau† | .327 | Cleveland Indians | Bobby Doerr† | .325 | |
| 1945 | Snuffy Stirnweiss | .309 | New York Yankees | Tony Cuccinello | .308 | |
| 1946 | Mickey Vernon | .353 | Washington Senators | Ted Williams† | .342 | |
| 1947 | Ted Williams† | .343 | Boston Red Sox | Barney McCosky | .328 | |
| 1948 | Ted Williams† | .369 | Boston Red Sox | Lou Boudreau† | .355 | |
| 1949 | George Kell† | .343 | Detroit Tigers | Ted Williams† | .343 | |
| 1950 | Billy Goodman | .354 | Boston Red Sox | George Kell† | .340 | |
| 1951 | Ferris Fain | .344 | Philadelphia Athletics | Minnie Miñoso† | .326 | |
| 1952 | Ferris Fain | .327 | Philadelphia Athletics | Dale Mitchell | .323 | |
| 1953 | Mickey Vernon | .337 | Washington Senators | Al Rosen | .336 | |
| 1954 | Bobby Ávila | .341 | Cleveland Indians | Ted Williams† | .345[1954] | |
| 1955 | Al Kaline† | .340 | Detroit Tigers | Vic Power | .319 | |
| 1956 | Mickey Mantle† | .353 | New York Yankees | Ted Williams† | .345 | |
| 1957 | Ted Williams† | .388 | Boston Red Sox | Mickey Mantle† | .365 | |
| 1958 | Ted Williams† | .328 | Boston Red Sox | Pete Runnels | .322 | |
| 1959 | Harvey Kuenn | .353 | Detroit Tigers | Al Kaline† | .327 | |
| 1960 | Pete Runnels | .320 | Boston Red Sox | Al Smith | .315 | |
| 1961 | Norm Cash | .361 | Detroit Tigers | Al Kaline† | .324 | |
| 1962 | Pete Runnels | .326 | Boston Red Sox | Mickey Mantle† | .321 | |
| 1963 | Carl Yastrzemski† | .321 | Boston Red Sox | Al Kaline† | .312 | |
| 1964 | Tony Oliva† | .323 | Minnesota Twins | Brooks Robinson† | .317 | |
| 1965 | Tony Oliva† | .321 | Minnesota Twins | Carl Yastrzemski† | .312 | |
| 1966 | Frank Robinson† | .316 | Baltimore Orioles | Tony Oliva† | .307 | |
| 1967 | Carl Yastrzemski† | .326 | Boston Red Sox | Frank Robinson† | .311 | |
| 1968 | Carl Yastrzemski† | .301 | Boston Red Sox | Danny Cater | .290 | |
| 1969 | Rod Carew† | .332 | Minnesota Twins | Reggie Smith | .309 | |
| 1970 | Alex Johnson | .329 | California Angels | Carl Yastrzemski† | .329 | |
| 1971 | Tony Oliva† | .337 | Minnesota Twins | Bobby Murcer | .331 | |
| 1972 | Rod Carew† | .318 | Minnesota Twins | Lou Piniella | .312 | |
| 1973 | Rod Carew† | .350 | Minnesota Twins | George Scott | .306 | |
| 1974 | Rod Carew† | .364 | Minnesota Twins | Jorge Orta | .316 | |
| 1975 | Rod Carew† | .359 | Minnesota Twins | Fred Lynn | .331 | |
| 1976 | George Brett† | .333 | Kansas City Royals | Hal McRae | .332 | |
| 1977 | Rod Carew† | .388 | Minnesota Twins | Lyman Bostock | .336 | |
| 1978 | Rod Carew† | .333 | Minnesota Twins | Al Oliver | .324 | |
| 1979 | Fred Lynn | .333 | Boston Red Sox | George Brett† | .329 | |
| 1980 | George Brett† | .390 | Kansas City Royals | Cecil Cooper | .352 | |
| 1981 | Carney Lansford | .336 | Boston Red Sox | Tom Paciorek | .326 | |
| 1982 | Willie Wilson | .332 | Kansas City Royals | Robin Yount† | .331 | |
| 1983 | Wade Boggs† | .361 | Boston Red Sox | Rod Carew† | .339 | |
| 1984 | Don Mattingly | .343 | New York Yankees | Dave Winfield† | .340 | |
| 1985 | Wade Boggs† | .368 | Boston Red Sox | George Brett† | .335 | |
| 1986 | Wade Boggs† | .357 | Boston Red Sox | Don Mattingly | .352 | |
| 1987 | Wade Boggs† | .363 | Boston Red Sox | Paul Molitor† | .353 | |
| 1988 | Wade Boggs† | .366 | Boston Red Sox | Kirby Puckett† | .356 | |
| 1989 | Kirby Puckett† | .339 | Minnesota Twins | Carney Lansford | .336 | |
| 1990 | George Brett† | .329 | Kansas City Royals | Rickey Henderson† | .325 | |
| 1991 | Julio Franco | .341 | Texas Rangers | Wade Boggs† | .332 | |
| 1992 | Edgar Martínez† | .343 | Seattle Mariners | Kirby Puckett† | .329 | |
| 1993 | John Olerud | .363 | Toronto Blue Jays | Paul Molitor† | .332 | |
| 1994 | Paul O'Neill | .359 | New York Yankees | Albert Belle | .357 | |
| 1995 | Edgar Martínez† | .356 | Seattle Mariners | Chuck Knoblauch | .333 | |
| 1996 | Alex Rodriguez | .358 | Seattle Mariners | Frank Thomas† | .349 | |
| 1997 | Frank Thomas† | .347 | Chicago White Sox | Edgar Martínez† | .330 | |
| 1998 | Bernie Williams | .339 | New York Yankees | Mo Vaughn | .337 | |
| 1999 | Nomar Garciaparra | .357 | Boston Red Sox | Derek Jeter† | .349 | |
| 2000 | Nomar Garciaparra | .372 | Boston Red Sox | Darin Erstad | .355 | |
| 2001 | Ichiro Suzuki† | .350 | Seattle Mariners | Jason Giambi | .342 | |
| 2002 | Manny Ramirez | .349 | Boston Red Sox | Mike Sweeney | .340 | |
| 2003 | Bill Mueller | .326 | Boston Red Sox | Manny Ramirez | .325 | |
| 2004 | Ichiro Suzuki† | .372 | Seattle Mariners | Melvin Mora | .340 | |
| 2005 | Michael Young | .331 | Texas Rangers | Alex Rodriguez | .321 | |
| 2006 | Joe Mauer† | .347 | Minnesota Twins | Derek Jeter† | .344 | |
| 2007 | Magglio Ordóñez | .363 | Detroit Tigers | Ichiro Suzuki† | .351 | |
| 2008 | Joe Mauer† | .328 | Minnesota Twins | Dustin Pedroia | .326 | |
| 2009 | Joe Mauer† | .365 | Minnesota Twins | Ichiro Suzuki† | .352 | |
| 2010 | Josh Hamilton | .359 | Texas Rangers | Miguel Cabrera | .328 | |
| 2011 | Miguel Cabrera | .344 | Detroit Tigers | Adrián González | .338 | |
| 2012 | Miguel Cabrera | .330 | Detroit Tigers | Mike Trout | .326 | |
| 2013 | Miguel Cabrera | .348 | Detroit Tigers | Joe Mauer† | .324 | |
| 2014 | Jose Altuve | .341 | Houston Astros | Victor Martinez | .335 | |
| 2015 | Miguel Cabrera | .338 | Detroit Tigers | Xander Bogaerts | .320 | |
| 2016 | Jose Altuve | .338 | Houston Astros | Mookie Betts | .318 | |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve | .346 | Houston Astros | Avisaíl García | .330 | |
| 2018 | Mookie Betts | .346 | Boston Red Sox | J. D. Martinez | .330 | |
| 2019 | Tim Anderson | .335 | Chicago White Sox | DJ LeMahieu | .327 | |
| 2020[b] | DJ LeMahieu | .364 | New York Yankees | Tim Anderson | .322 | |
| 2021 | Yuli Gurriel | .319 | Houston Astros | Michael Brantley | .311 | |
| 2022 | Luis Arráez | .316 | Minnesota Twins | Aaron Judge | .311 | |
| 2023 | Yandy Díaz | .330 | Tampa Bay Rays | Corey Seager | .327 | |
| 2024 | Bobby Witt Jr. | .332 | Kansas City Royals | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | .323 | |
| 2025 | Aaron Judge | .331 | New York Yankees | Bo Bichette | .311 |
Other recognized leagues
American Association
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Pete Browning | .378 | Louisville Eclipse | Hick Carpenter | .342 | |
| 1883 | Ed Swartwood | .357 | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Pete Browning | .338 | |
| 1884 | Dave Orr | .354 | New York Metropolitans | John Reilly | .339 | |
| 1885 | Pete Browning | .362 | Louisville Colonels | Dave Orr | .342 | |
| 1886 | Guy Hecker | .341 | Louisville Colonels | Pete Browning | .340 | |
| 1887 | Tip O'Neill | .435 | St. Louis Browns | Pete Browning | .402 | |
| 1888 | Tip O'Neill | .335 | St. Louis Browns | John Reilly | .321 | |
| 1889 | Tommy Tucker | .372 | Baltimore Orioles | Tip O'Neill | .335 | |
| 1890 | Chicken Wolf | .363 | Louisville Colonels | Denny Lyons | .354 | |
| 1891 | Dan Brouthers† | .350 | Boston Reds | Hugh Duffy† | .336 |
Union Association
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | Fred Dunlap | .412 | St. Louis Maroons | Orator Shafer | .360 |
Players' League
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Pete Browning | .373 | Cleveland Infants | Dave Orr | .371 |
Federal League
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Benny Kauff | .370 | Indianapolis Hoosiers | Steve Evans | .348 | |
| 1915 | Benny Kauff | .342 | Brooklyn Tip-Tops | William Fischer | .329 |
Negro leagues
In the 28-year major-league history, nine players won a league batting title multiple times: Oscar Charleston (3), Josh Gibson (3), Monte Irvin (3), Heavy Johnson (2), Buck Leonard (2), Jud Wilson (2), Mule Suttles (2), Ted Strong (2) and Turkey Stearnes (2).
| Year | Winner | AVG | Team | League | Runner-up | 2nd AVG | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Cristóbal Torriente† | .411 | Chicago American Giants | Negro National League | Jimmie Lyons | .379 | |
| 1921 | Oscar Charleston† | .433 | St. Louis Giants | Negro National League | Charlie Blackwell | .405 | |
| 1922 | Heavy Johnson | .406 | Kansas City Monarchs | Negro National League | Dobie Moore | .386 | |
| 1923 | Heavy Johnson | .406 | Kansas City Monarchs | Negro National League | Cristobal Torriente† | .387 | |
| 1923 | Biz Mackey† | .423 | Hilldale Club | Eastern Colored League | Robert Hudspeth | .367 | |
| 1924 | Valentín Dreke | .389 | Cuban Stars (West) | Negro National League | Newt Joseph | .375 | |
| 1924 | Oscar Charleston† | .405 | Harrisburg Giants | Eastern Colored League | Jud Wilson† | .385 | |
| 1925 | Edgar Wesley | .404 | Detroit Stars | Negro National League | Wilson Redus | .372 | |
| 1925 | Oscar Charleston† | .427 | Harrisburg Giants | Eastern Colored League | John Beckwith | .404 | |
| 1926 | Mule Suttles† | .425 | St. Louis Stars | Negro National League | Turkey Stearnes† | .383 | |
| 1926 | Martin Dihigo† | .375 | Cuban Stars (East) | Eastern Colored League | Jud Wilson† | .373 | |
| 1927 | Red Parnell | .422 | Birmingham Black Barons | Negro National League | Steel Arm Davis | .396 | |
| 1927 | Jud Wilson† | .422 | Baltimore Black Sox New York Lincoln Giants | Eastern Colored League | Oscar Charleston† | .399 | |
| 1928 | Mule Suttles† | .359s | St. Louis Stars | Negro National League | Willie Wells† | .359 | |
| 1928 | Jud Wilson† | .399 | Baltimore Black Sox | Eastern Colored League | Rap Dixon | .398 | |
| 1929 | Charlie Smith | .451 | New York Lincoln Giants | American Negro League | Rap Dixon | .415 | |
| 1929 | Turkey Stearnes† | .390 | Detroit Stars | Negro National League | Pythias Russ | .369 | |
| 1930 | Willie Wells† | .411 | St. Louis Stars | Negro National League | Mule Suttles† | .409 | |
| 1931 | Turkey Stearnes† | .376 | Detroit Stars | Negro National League | Jim Williams | .354 | |
| 1932 | Dick Lundy | .381 | Baltimore Black Sox | East-West League | Eppie Hamilton | .368 | |
| 1932 | Leroy Morney | .378 | Monroe Monarchs | Negro Southern League | Ernest Scott | .362 | |
| 1933a | Jabbo Andrews | .398 | Columbus Blue Birds | Negro National League II | Josh Gibson† | .395 | |
| 1934 | Buddy Burbage | .438 | Newark Dodgers | Negro National League II | Ray Dandridge† | .432 | |
| 1935 | Buck Leonard† | .389 | Homestead Grays | Negro National League II | Turkey Stearnes† | .388 | |
| 1936 | Josh Gibson† | .389 | Pittsburgh Crawfords | Negro National League II | Roy Parnell | .367 | |
| 1937 | Josh Gibson† | .417 | Homestead Grays | Negro National League II | Jim West | .394 | |
| 1937 | Bill Carter | .390 | St. Louis Stars Birmingham Black Barons | Negro American League | Willard Brown† | .379 | |
| 1938 | Buck Leonard† | .420 | Homestead Grays | Negro National League II | Harry Williams | .393 | |
| 1938 | David Whatley b | .396 | Birmingham Black Barons Memphis Red Sox | Negro American League | Donald Reeves | .384 | |
| 1939 | Josh Gibson† | .402 | Homestead Grays | Negro National League II | Buck Leonard† | .385 | |
| 1939 | Henry Turner | .393 | Cleveland Bears | Negro American League | Willard Brown† | .368 | |
| 1940 | Monte Irvin†* c | .380 | Newark Eagles | Negro National League II | Buck Leonard | .378 | |
| 1940 | Ed Mayweather d | .376 | St. Louis-New Orleans Stars | Negro American League | Jesse Williams | .366 | |
| 1941 | Monte Irvin† | .387 | Newark Eagles | Negro National League II | Tetelo Vargas | .349 | |
| 1941 | Lyman Bostock e | .466 | Birmingham Black Barons | Negro American League | Cowan Hyde | .387 | |
| 1942 | Lennie Pearson | .347 | Newark Eagles Homestead Grays | Negro National League II | Willie Wells† | .343 | |
| 1942 | Ted Strong | .364 | Kansas City Monarchs | Negro American League | Barney Serrell | .360 | |
| 1943 | Tetelo Vargas | .471 | New York Cubans | Negro National League II | Josh Gibson† | .466 | |
| 1943 | Alex Radcliffe | .369 | Chicago American Giants | Negro American League | Willard Brown† | .340 | |
| 1944 | Roy Campanella† f | .388 | Baltimore Elite Giants Philadelphia Stars | Negro National League II | Bill Hoskins | .388 | |
| 1944 | Jesse Douglas g | .400 | Chicago American Giants | Negro American League | Artie Wilson | .379 | |
| 1945 | Frankie Austin h | .375 | Philadelphia Stars | Negro National League II | Roy Campanella† | .369 | |
| 1945 | Ed Steele | .394 | Birmingham Black Barons | Negro American League | Jackie Robinson† | .375 | |
| 1946 | Monte Irvin† | .369 | Newark Eagles | Negro National League II | Larry Doby | .365 | |
| 1946 | Ted Strong i | .364 | Cleveland Buckeyes | Negro American League | Clyde Nelson | .361 | |
| 1947 | Henry Kimbro | .385 | Baltimore Elite Giants | Negro National League II | Johnny Washington | .375 | |
| 1947 | Willard Brown† | .377 | Kansas City Monarchs | Negro American League | Archie Ware | .370 | |
| 1948 | Artie Wilson | .433 | Birmingham Black Barons | Negro American League | Willard Brown† | .408 | |
| 1948 | Lester Lockett | .362 | Baltimore Elite Giants | Negro National League II | Frankie Austin | .356 |
Footnotes
- L Recognized "major leagues" include the current American League and National League and several defunct leagues—the American Association, the Federal League, the Players' League, the Union Association—along with seven leagues of Negro league baseball: the Negro National League (1920–1931), the Eastern Colored League (1923–1928), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1932), Negro National League (1933–1948), and Negro American League (1937–1948).
- 1902 Sources differ whether Nap Lajoie or Ed Delahanty won the American League batting title in 1902 and differ slightly over Lajoie's precise statistics that season. The Hall of Fame credits Lajoie with 129 hits in 352 at bats (.368) while MLB and Baseball-Reference.com show 133 hits in 352 at bats (.378). According to Baseball-Reference, a player qualified for a batting title prior to 1920 by appearing in 60% of his team's games—82 games in the 136 game schedule in 1902—and Lajoie appeared in 87 team games. As such, Baseball-Reference credits Lajoie with the 1902 title, with Delahanty's .376 batting average placing second. MLB's historical statistics leaderboards, however, use the modern standard of 3.1 plate appearances per team game (422 in that season) which Lajoie fell 37 short of. Thus, MLB credits Delahanty with the 1902 title with his .376 average. Similarly, the Hall of Fame lists the 1902 title on Delahanty's plaque and not Lajoie's.
- 1910 See 1910 Chalmers Award.
- 1954 Rules in 1954 required 2.6 at bats per team game, 400 for a 154-game schedule (the rule was changed in 1957 to the current requirement of 3.1 plate appearances per team game), to qualify for the title and hitless at bats could be added to reach this total. Ted Williams posted a .345 average in 1954 over only 386 at bats, and the required 14 hitless at bats dropped him to .3325, below Avila's league-leading .341 average.
- a While Baseball-Reference.com lists both Yelich and Marte with a batting average of .329 in 2019, Yelich's average is higher (.3292) than Marte's (.3286) if extended to four decimal places.
- b The 2020 Major League Baseball season was less than half the length of a typical season, starting in late July and condensed into 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- s Suttles had 108 hits in 301 at-bats (.35880), while Wells had 113 hits in 315 at-bats (.35873)
- a Andrews played in 22 games and batted .398. However, among players with a minimum of 3.1 plate appearances / games, Baseball Reference lists Josh Gibson, who had batted .395 in 68 games in 1933, as leader among minimum qualifiers. In 2024, the MLB database lists Josh Gibson's 1933 season as having played 69 games with the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
- b David Whatley hit .396 in 27 games while Donald Reeves hit .384 in 40 games. Baseball Reference credits Whatley as having won the batting title.
- c Formerly, Johnny Washington was thought to have won the batting title. Further research has moved Irvin up from .371 to .380 while moving Washington from .377 to .367
- d Formerly, Marshall Riddle was thought to have batted .377 and won the batting title. Further research has found that Ed Mayweather batted .376 while Riddle batted .329
- e Cowan Hyde was once deemed the batting leader.Bostock has been found to have batted .466 in 23 games while Cowan Hyde batted .387 in 15 games. Third place was Ted Strong, who batted .348 in 35 games. Baseball Reference considers Bostock to have won the batting title as of 2025.
- f Due to ongoing research, Baseball Reference labeled that Bob Harvey did not qualify for the batting title, having played 27 games and batted .430. Instead, Roy Campanella (34 games) and Bill Hoskins (30 games) were the top two finishers. Campanella collected 54 hits on 139 at-bats (.3884) that edged out Hoskins, who had 45 hits on 116 at-bats (.3879)
- g Wilson was formerly believed to have hit .421 in 22 games. However, he has now been found to have batted .379 in 31 games.
- h Austin was thought to have batted .377 (in 47 games) while Campanella was at .385 (in 52 games). However now Austin is thought to have batted .375 (in 50 games) while Campanella is now tabbed at having batted .369 (in 56 games)
- i At one point in time, Archie Ware was thought to be the batting champion with a .423 batting average. Further research reveals Ted Strong batted .364 in 34 games, Clyde Nelson batted .361 in 19 games, and Ware batted .358 in 18 games.
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