List of Major League Baseball batting champions

In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league^[L] wins the "batting title" each season for having the highest batting average that year.^[1][2] 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". Since 1957,^[3] 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.^[4] However, if a player's lead in AVG 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.^[4] Tony Gwynn, for example, had 159 hits in 451 ABs in 1996 (.353 average) but only 498 PAs.^[5] 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, but this would still have been higher than the next-highest eligible player (Ellis Burks with a .344 average), so he was awarded the 1996 NL batting title.^[6] MLB officially incorporated Negro League statistics into its record book on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.^[7] On December 16, 2020, MLB announced that the records of Negro League Baseball from 1920-1948 would be designated as major league status.^[8] From 2020-2024, MLB and the Elias Sports Bureau, completed a comprehensive review of the Seamheads database in coordination with Retrosheet. The MLB database combines statistics from the Negro Leagues with existing data from the AL, NL, and other Major Leagues throughout history.^[7] As such, seven different leagues that existed during that time period are now recognized as being on the same level as MLB, which include: the Negro National League (I) (1920-1931); the Eastern Colored League (1923-1928); the American Negro League (1929); the East-West League (1932); the Negro Southern League (1932); the Negro National League (II) (1933-1948); and the Negro American League (1937-1948).

Ty Cobb won more batting titles than any other player, though the precise number is unclear because of the race in the 1910 American League.

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.^[9] 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.^[10] Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, is recognized as the MLB all-time batting champion, with a career batting average of .372.^[11] Gibson amassed career totals of 838 hits in 2,255 at-bats and 628 games,^[12] and is also the MLB all-time career leader in Slugging (SLG) percentage and On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS) percentage.

Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, holds the second highest career batting average of .367, and led the AL in average in 11 (or 12) seasons.^[13] Honus Wagner and Gwynn are tied for the second-most titles, with eight apiece in the NL.^[5][14] It is unclear whether Lajoie or Cobb won the 1910 AL title, with some sources attributing the title to each man.^[1910a] 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).^[15] Wagner, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, and Gwynn have 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.^[1902a] At the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego, MLB announced that the AL and NL batting champions would henceforth be named in honor of Carew and Gwynn, respectively. Gwynn won all eight titles in the NL with the San Diego Padres, while Carew was a seven-time AL batting champion.^[16][17]

Barnes' initial NL-leading average of .4286 (.429) in 1876 set the single-season record which stood for a decade.^[18] Tip O'Neill topped this total with a .4352 (.435) average in 1887. O'Neill's batting average had to be calculated without counting walks as hits, because of the walk-as-base-hit rule being in effect that year only. Hugh Duffy broke O'Neill's record for highest mark in 1894 by posting a .4397 (.440) batting average with the Boston Beaneaters, which is considered the third highest mark of all-time.^[18] Charlie "Chino" Smith holds the second highest mark of .4512 (.451) in 1929 with the New York Lincoln Giants.^[19] Josh Gibson currently holds the highest mark in Major League history by posting a .4658 (.466) batting average in 1943 with the Homestead Grays.^[7]

Under the current 3.1 PA qualification, players have posted a .400 batting average for a season 28 times.^[20] Ted Williams' .4057 in 1941 is the most recent such season, one of 13 to occur since 1900.^[20] George Brett in 1980 is the only player to maintain a .400 average into September since 1941.^[21] Additionally, only Brett and John Olerud in 1993 maintained such an average into August.^[21] 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.^[21][22] 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. Willie Keeler's 1897, Zack Wheat's 1918, and Rod Carew's 1972 are the only three title seasons in which the winner hit no home runs.^[23][24] 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.^{[25][26][27][28]}

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.^[29][30] George Kell beat out Williams in 1949 by .00015.^[29] 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.^[29][31] The closest National League race before that was in 1931 with Chick Hafey edging out Bill Terry by .00028.^[29] 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.

In 2024, Luis Arraez became the first player in MLB 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.^[32] Arraez 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. 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. Charleston also holds the third all-time highest career batting average of .363 during a span of 21 years (1920-1941). In 1921, Charleston posted a career-best batting average of .434 with the St. Louis Giants. ^[33]

In 1990, Willie McGee posted a .335 average over 542 at-bats in the NL for the Saint Louis Cardinals before being traded to Oakland of the American League on August 29.^[34] 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 and allowing Murray to lead the majors in batting average and not win a batting title.^[34][35]

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 second-highest batting average
League	Denoted only for players outside of the modern major leagues
†	Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

National League

Ross Barnes' .429 in 1876 set a single-season record that stood for a decade.

Paul Hines won two consecutive NL batting titles in 1878 and 1879.

Hugh Duffy set the current single-season record when he batted .440 in 1894.

Willie Keeler won two consecutive NL batting titles in 1897 and 1898.

Honus Wagner was the first batter to win eight NL batting titles and won four consecutive titles during that run.

Rogers Hornsby won seven NL batting titles, including six consecutively from 1920 to 1925.

Stan Musial won seven NL batting titles from 1943 to 1957.

Tony Gwynn won a record-tying eight NL batting titles from 1984 to 1997.

Albert Pujols won the closest NL batting race in 2003.

Year	Winner	AVG	Team(s)	Runner-up	2nd AVG	Ref
1876	Ross Barnes	.429	Chicago White Stockings	George Hall	.366	[36]
1877	Deacon White†	.387	Boston Red Caps	John Cassidy	.378	[37]
1878	Paul Hines	.358	Providence Grays	Abner Dalrymple	.354	[38]
1879	Paul Hines	.357	Providence Grays	Jim O'Rourke†	.348	[39]
1880	George Gore	.360	Chicago White Stockings	Cap Anson†	.337	[40]
1881	Cap Anson†	.399	Chicago White Stockings	Martin Powell	.338	[41]
1882	Dan Brouthers†	.368	Buffalo Bisons	Cap Anson†	.362	[42]
1883	Dan Brouthers†	.374	Buffalo Bisons	Roger Connor†	.357	[43]
1884	King Kelly†	.354	Chicago White Stockings	Jim O'Rourke†	.347	[44]
1885	Roger Connor†	.371	New York Giants	Dan Brouthers†	.359	[45]
1886	King Kelly†	.388	Chicago White Stockings	Cap Anson†	.371	[46]
1887	Sam Thompson†	.372	Detroit Wolverines	Cap Anson†	.347	[47]
1888	Cap Anson†	.344	Chicago White Stockings	Jimmy Ryan	.332	[48]
1889	Dan Brouthers†	.373	Boston Beaneaters	Jack Glasscock	.352	[49]
1890	Jack Glasscock	.336	New York Giants	Billy Hamilton†	.325	[50]
1891	Billy Hamilton†	.340	Philadelphia Phillies	Bug Holliday	.319	[51]
1892	Dan Brouthers†	.335	Brooklyn Grooms	Billy Hamilton†	.330	[52]
1893	Billy Hamilton†	.380	Philadelphia Phillies	Sam Thompson†	.370	[53]
1894	Hugh Duffy†	.440	Boston Beaneaters	Tuck Turner	.418	[54]
1895	Jesse Burkett†	.405	Cleveland Spiders	Ed Delahanty†	.404	[55]
1896	Jesse Burkett†	.410	Cleveland Spiders	Hughie Jennings†	.401	[56]
1897	Willie Keeler†	.424	Baltimore Orioles	Fred Clarke†	.390	[57]
1898	Willie Keeler†	.385	Baltimore Orioles	Billy Hamilton†	.369	[58]
1899	Ed Delahanty†	.410	Philadelphia Phillies	Jesse Burkett†	.396	[59]
1900	Honus Wagner†	.381	Pittsburgh Pirates	Elmer Flick†	.367	[60]
1901	Jesse Burkett†	.376	St. Louis Cardinals	Ed Delahanty†	.354	[61]
1902	Ginger Beaumont	.357	Pittsburgh Pirates	Sam Crawford†	.333	[62]
1903	Honus Wagner†	.355	Pittsburgh Pirates	Fred Clarke†	.351	[63]
1904	Honus Wagner†	.349	Pittsburgh Pirates	Mike Donlin	.329	[64]
1905	Cy Seymour	.377	Cincinnati Reds	Honus Wagner†	.363	[65]
1906	Honus Wagner†	.339	Pittsburgh Pirates	Harry Steinfeldt	.327	[66]
1907	Honus Wagner†	.350	Pittsburgh Pirates	Sherry Magee	.328	[67]
1908	Honus Wagner†	.354	Pittsburgh Pirates	Mike Donlin	.334	[68]
1909	Honus Wagner†	.339	Pittsburgh Pirates	Mike Mitchell	.310	[69]
1910	Sherry Magee	.331	Philadelphia Phillies	Vin Campbell	.326	[70]
1911	Honus Wagner†	.334	Pittsburgh Pirates	Doc Miller	.333	[71]
1912	Heinie Zimmerman	.372	Chicago Cubs	Chief Meyers	.358	[72]
1913	Jake Daubert	.350	Brooklyn Superbas	Gavvy Cravath	.341	[73]
1914	Jake Daubert	.329	Brooklyn Robins	Beals Becker	.325	[74]
1915	Larry Doyle	.320	New York Giants	Fred Luderus	.315	[75]
1916	Hal Chase	.339	Cincinnati Reds	Jake Daubert	.316	[76]
1917	Edd Roush†	.341	Cincinnati Reds	Rogers Hornsby†	.327	[77]
1918	Zack Wheat†	.335	Brooklyn Robins	Edd Roush†	.333	[78]
1919	Edd Roush†	.321	Cincinnati Reds	Rogers Hornsby†	.318	[79]
1920	Rogers Hornsby†	.370	St. Louis Cardinals	Ross Youngs†	.351	[80]
1921	Rogers Hornsby†	.397	St. Louis Cardinals	Edd Roush†	.352	[81]
1922	Rogers Hornsby†	.401	St. Louis Cardinals	Ray Grimes	.354	[82]
1923	Rogers Hornsby†	.384	St. Louis Cardinals	Jim Bottomley†	.371	[83]
1924	Rogers Hornsby†	.424	St. Louis Cardinals	Zack Wheat†	.375	[84]
1925	Rogers Hornsby†	.403	St. Louis Cardinals	Jim Bottomley†	.367	[85]
1926	Bubbles Hargrave	.353	Cincinnati Reds	Cuckoo Christensen	.350	[86]
1927	Paul Waner†	.380	Pittsburgh Pirates	Rogers Hornsby†	.361	[87]
1928	Rogers Hornsby†	.387	Boston Braves	Paul Waner†	.370	[88]
1929	Lefty O'Doul	.398	Philadelphia Phillies	Babe Herman	.381	[89]
1930	Bill Terry†	.401	New York Giants	Babe Herman	.393	[90]
1931	Chick Hafey†	.349	St. Louis Cardinals	Bill Terry†	.349	[91]
1932	Lefty O'Doul	.368	Brooklyn Dodgers	Bill Terry†	.350	[92]
1933	Chuck Klein†	.368	Philadelphia Phillies	Spud Davis	.349	[93]
1934	Paul Waner†	.362	Pittsburgh Pirates	Bill Terry†	.354	[94]
1935	Arky Vaughan†	.385	Pittsburgh Pirates	Joe Medwick†	.353	[95]
1936	Paul Waner†	.373	Pittsburgh Pirates	Babe Phelps	.367	[96]
1937	Joe Medwick†	.374	St. Louis Cardinals	Johnny Mize†	.364	[97]
1938	Ernie Lombardi†	.342	Cincinnati Reds	Johnny Mize†	.337	[98]
1939	Johnny Mize†	.349	St. Louis Cardinals	Frank McCormick	.332	[99]
1940	Debs Garms	.355	Pittsburgh Pirates	Ernie Lombardi†	.319	[100]
1941	Pete Reiser	.343	Brooklyn Dodgers	Johnny Cooney	.319	[101]
1942	Ernie Lombardi†	.330	Boston Braves	Enos Slaughter†	.318	[102]
1943	Stan Musial†	.357	St. Louis Cardinals	Billy Herman†	.330	[103]
1944	Dixie Walker	.357	Brooklyn Dodgers	Stan Musial†	.347	[104]
1945	Phil Cavarretta	.355	Chicago Cubs	Tommy Holmes	.352	[105]
1946	Stan Musial†	.365	St. Louis Cardinals	Johnny Hopp	.333	[106]
1947	Harry Walker	.363	St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies	Bob Elliott	.317	[107]
1948	Stan Musial†	.376	St. Louis Cardinals	Richie Ashburn†	.333	[108]
1949	Jackie Robinson†	.342	Brooklyn Dodgers	Stan Musial†	.338	[109]
1950	Stan Musial†	.346	St. Louis Cardinals	Jackie Robinson†	.328	[110]
1951	Stan Musial†	.355	St. Louis Cardinals	Richie Ashburn†	.344	[111]
1952	Stan Musial†	.336	St. Louis Cardinals	Frank Baumholtz	.325	[112]
1953	Carl Furillo	.344	Brooklyn Dodgers	Red Schoendienst†	.342	[113]
1954	Willie Mays†	.345	New York Giants	Don Mueller	.342	[114]
1955	Richie Ashburn†	.338	Philadelphia Phillies	Willie Mays†	.319	[115]
1956	Hank Aaron†	.328	Milwaukee Braves	Bill Virdon	.319	[116]
1957	Stan Musial†	.351	St. Louis Cardinals	Willie Mays†	.333	[117]
1958	Richie Ashburn†	.350	Philadelphia Phillies	Willie Mays†	.347	[118]
1959	Hank Aaron†	.355	Milwaukee Braves	Joe Cunningham	.345	[119]
1960	Dick Groat	.325	Pittsburgh Pirates	Norm Larker	.323	[120]
1961	Roberto Clemente†	.351	Pittsburgh Pirates	Vada Pinson	.343	[121]
1962	Tommy Davis	.346	Los Angeles Dodgers	Frank Robinson†	.342	[122]
1963	Tommy Davis	.326	Los Angeles Dodgers	Roberto Clemente†	.320	[123]
1964	Roberto Clemente†	.339	Pittsburgh Pirates	Rico Carty	.330	[124]
1965	Roberto Clemente†	.329	Pittsburgh Pirates	Hank Aaron†	.318	[125]
1966	Matty Alou	.342	Pittsburgh Pirates	Felipe Alou	.327	[126]
1967	Roberto Clemente†	.357	Pittsburgh Pirates	Tony González	.339	[127]
1968	Pete Rose	.335	Cincinnati Reds	Matty Alou	.332	[128]
1969	Pete Rose	.348	Cincinnati Reds	Roberto Clemente†	.345	[129]
1970	Rico Carty	.366	Atlanta Braves	Joe Torre†	.325	[130]
1971	Joe Torre†	.363	St. Louis Cardinals	Ralph Garr	.343	[131]
1972	Billy Williams†	.333	Chicago Cubs	Ralph Garr	.325	[132]
1973	Pete Rose	.338	Cincinnati Reds	César Cedeño	.320	[133]
1974	Ralph Garr	.353	Atlanta Braves	Al Oliver	.321	[134]
1975	Bill Madlock	.354	Chicago Cubs	Ted Simmons†	.332	[135]
1976	Bill Madlock	.339	Chicago Cubs	Ken Griffey Sr.	.336	[136]
1977	Dave Parker†	.338	Pittsburgh Pirates	Rennie Stennett	.336	[137]
1978	Dave Parker†	.334	Pittsburgh Pirates	Steve Garvey	.316	[138]
1979	Keith Hernandez	.344	St. Louis Cardinals	Pete Rose	.331	[139]
1980	Bill Buckner	.324	Chicago Cubs	Keith Hernandez	.321	[140]
1981	Bill Madlock	.341	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pete Rose	.325	[141]
1982	Al Oliver	.331	Montreal Expos	Bill Madlock	.319	[142]
1983	Bill Madlock	.323	Pittsburgh Pirates	Lonnie Smith	.321	[143]
1984	Tony Gwynn†	.351	San Diego Padres	Lee Lacy	.321	[144]
1985	Willie McGee	.353	St. Louis Cardinals	Pedro Guerrero	.320	[145]
1986	Tim Raines†	.334	Montreal Expos	Steve Sax	.332	[146]
1987	Tony Gwynn†	.370	San Diego Padres	Pedro Guerrero	.338	[147]
1988	Tony Gwynn†	.313	San Diego Padres	Rafael Palmeiro	.307	[148]
1989	Tony Gwynn†	.336	San Diego Padres	Will Clark	.333	[149]
1990	Willie McGee	.335	St. Louis Cardinals	Eddie Murray†	.330	[150]
1991	Terry Pendleton	.319	Atlanta Braves	Hal Morris	.318	[151]
1992	Gary Sheffield	.330	San Diego Padres	Andy Van Slyke	.324	[152]
1993	Andrés Galarraga	.370	Colorado Rockies	Tony Gwynn†	.358	[153]
1994	Tony Gwynn†	.394	San Diego Padres	Jeff Bagwell†	.368	[154]
1995	Tony Gwynn†	.368	San Diego Padres	Mike Piazza†	.346	[155]
1996	Tony Gwynn†	.353	San Diego Padres	Ellis Burks	.344	[6]
1997	Tony Gwynn†	.372	San Diego Padres	Larry Walker†	.366	[156]
1998	Larry Walker†	.363	Colorado Rockies	John Olerud	.354	[157]
1999	Larry Walker†	.379	Colorado Rockies	Luis Gonzalez	.336	[158]
2000	Todd Helton†	.372	Colorado Rockies	Moisés Alou	.355	[159]
2001	Larry Walker†	.350	Colorado Rockies	Todd Helton†	.336	[160]
2002	Barry Bonds	.370	San Francisco Giants	Larry Walker†	.338	[161]
2003	Albert Pujols	.359	St. Louis Cardinals	Todd Helton†	.358	[31]
2004	Barry Bonds	.362	San Francisco Giants	Todd Helton†	.347	[162]
2005	Derrek Lee	.335	Chicago Cubs	Albert Pujols	.330	[163]
2006	Freddy Sanchez	.344	Pittsburgh Pirates	Miguel Cabrera	.339	[164]
2007	Matt Holliday	.340	Colorado Rockies	Chipper Jones†	.337	[165]
2008	Chipper Jones†	.364	Atlanta Braves	Albert Pujols	.357	[166]
2009	Hanley Ramírez	.342	Florida Marlins	Pablo Sandoval	.330	[167]
2010	Carlos González	.336	Colorado Rockies	Joey Votto	.324	[168]
2011	José Reyes	.337	New York Mets	Ryan Braun	.332	[169]
2012	Buster Posey	.336	San Francisco Giants	Andrew McCutchen	.327	[170]
2013	Michael Cuddyer	.331	Colorado Rockies	Chris Johnson	.321	[171]
2014	Justin Morneau	.319	Colorado Rockies	Josh Harrison	.315	[172]
2015	Dee Gordon	.333	Miami Marlins	Bryce Harper	.330	[173]
2016	DJ LeMahieu	.348	Colorado Rockies	Daniel Murphy	.347	[174]
2017	Charlie Blackmon	.331	Colorado Rockies	Daniel Murphy	.322	[175]
2018	Christian Yelich	.326	Milwaukee Brewers	Scooter Gennett	.310	[176]
2019	Christian Yelich	.329[a]	Milwaukee Brewers	Ketel Marte	.329	[177]
2020[b]	Juan Soto	.351	Washington Nationals	Freddie Freeman	.341	[178]
2021	Trea Turner	.328	Washington Nationals Los Angeles Dodgers	Juan Soto	.313	[179]
2022	Jeff McNeil	.326	New York Mets	Freddie Freeman	.325	[180]
2023	Luis Arráez	.354	Miami Marlins	Ronald Acuña Jr.	.337	[181]
2024	Luis Arráez	.314	Miami Marlins San Diego Padres	Shohei Ohtani	.310	[182]

American League

Nap Lajoie led the American League in its inaugural season with a .426 batting average, one of just 13 seasons of a .400+ average in the 20th century. He also won the 1903 and 1904 AL batting titles. In addition, Lajoie was a part of contested batting average races in 1902 and 1910.

Ed Delahanty won the 1899 NL batting title and the 1902 AL batting title, though his 1902 title is disputed.

Ted Williams won six AL batting titles. He hit .406 in 1941, and that is the last time a player has hit over .400.

Rod Carew won seven AL batting titles between 1969 and 1978.

George Brett's .390 batting average in 1980 is the second-highest since 1941.

Ichiro Suzuki won AL batting titles in 2001 and 2004.

Joe Mauer won the 2006, 2008, and 2009 batting titles, becoming the first catcher to win three batting titles and the only catcher ever to win in the AL.

Year	Winner	AVG	Team(s)	Runner-up	2nd AVG	Ref
1901	Nap Lajoie†	.426	Philadelphia Athletics	Mike Donlin	.340	[183]
1902	Ed Delahanty†	.376	Washington Senators	Charlie Hickman†	.361	[184]
1903	Nap Lajoie†	.344	Cleveland Naps	Sam Crawford†	.335	[185]
1904	Nap Lajoie†	.376	Cleveland Naps	Willie Keeler†	.343	[186]
1905	Elmer Flick†	.308	Cleveland Naps	Willie Keeler†	.302	[187]
1906	George Stone	.358	St. Louis Browns	Nap Lajoie†	.355	[188]
1907	Ty Cobb†	.350	Detroit Tigers	Sam Crawford†	.323	[189]
1908	Ty Cobb†	.324	Detroit Tigers	Sam Crawford†	.311	[190]
1909	Ty Cobb†	.377	Detroit Tigers	Eddie Collins†	.347	[191]
1910	Ty Cobb†	.385	Detroit Tigers	Nap Lajoie†	.384	[192]
1911	Ty Cobb†	.420	Detroit Tigers	Shoeless Joe Jackson	.408	[193]
1912	Ty Cobb†	.409	Detroit Tigers	Shoeless Joe Jackson	.395	[194]
1913	Ty Cobb†	.390	Detroit Tigers	Shoeless Joe Jackson	.373	[195]
1914	Ty Cobb†	.368	Detroit Tigers	Eddie Collins†	.344	[196]
1915	Ty Cobb†	.369	Detroit Tigers	Eddie Collins†	.332	[197]
1916	Tris Speaker†	.386	Cleveland Indians	Ty Cobb†	.371	[198]
1917	Ty Cobb†	.383	Detroit Tigers	George Sisler†	.353	[199]
1918	Ty Cobb†	.382	Detroit Tigers	George Burns	.352	[200]
1919	Ty Cobb†	.384	Detroit Tigers	Bobby Veach	.355	[201]
1920	George Sisler†	.407	St. Louis Browns	Tris Speaker†	.388	[202]
1921	Harry Heilmann†	.394	Detroit Tigers	Ty Cobb†	.389	[203]
1922	George Sisler†	.420	St. Louis Browns	Ty Cobb†	.401	[204]
1923	Harry Heilmann†	.403	Detroit Tigers	Babe Ruth†	.393	[205]
1924	Babe Ruth†	.378	New York Yankees	Charlie Jamieson	.359	[206]
1925	Harry Heilmann†	.393	Detroit Tigers	Tris Speaker†	.389	[207]
1926	Heinie Manush†	.378	Detroit Tigers	Babe Ruth†	.372	[208]
1927	Harry Heilmann†	.398	Detroit Tigers	Al Simmons†	.392	[209]
1928	Goose Goslin†	.379	Washington Senators	Heinie Manush†	.378	[210]
1929	Lew Fonseca	.369	Cleveland Indians	Al Simmons†	.365	[211]
1930	Al Simmons†	.381	Philadelphia Athletics	Lou Gehrig†	.379	[212]
1931	Al Simmons†	.390	Philadelphia Athletics	Babe Ruth†	.373	[213]
1932	Dale Alexander	.367	Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox	Jimmie Foxx†	.364	[214]
1933	Jimmie Foxx†	.356	Philadelphia Athletics	Heinie Manush†	.336	[215]
1934	Lou Gehrig†	.363	New York Yankees	Charlie Gehringer†	.356	[216]
1935	Buddy Myer	.349	Washington Senators	Joe Vosmik	.348	[217]
1936	Luke Appling†	.388	Chicago White Sox	Earl Averill†	.378	[218]
1937	Charlie Gehringer†	.371	Detroit Tigers	Lou Gehrig†	.351	[219]
1938	Jimmie Foxx†	.349	Boston Red Sox	Jeff Heath	.343	[220]
1939	Joe DiMaggio†	.381	New York Yankees	Jimmie Foxx†	.360	[221]
1940	Joe DiMaggio†	.352	New York Yankees	Luke Appling†	.348	[222]
1941	Ted Williams†	.406	Boston Red Sox	Cecil Travis	.359	[223]
1942	Ted Williams†	.356	Boston Red Sox	Johnny Pesky	.331	[224]
1943	Luke Appling†	.328	Chicago White Sox	Dick Wakefield	.316	[225]
1944	Lou Boudreau†	.327	Cleveland Indians	Bobby Doerr†	.325	[226]
1945	Snuffy Stirnweiss	.309	New York Yankees	Tony Cuccinello	.308	[30]
1946	Mickey Vernon	.353	Washington Senators	Ted Williams†	.342	[227]
1947	Ted Williams†	.343	Boston Red Sox	Barney McCosky	.328	[228]
1948	Ted Williams†	.369	Boston Red Sox	Lou Boudreau†	.355	[229]
1949	George Kell†	.343	Detroit Tigers	Ted Williams†	.343	[230]
1950	Billy Goodman	.354	Boston Red Sox	George Kell†	.340	[231]
1951	Ferris Fain	.344	Philadelphia Athletics	Minnie Miñoso†	.326	[232]
1952	Ferris Fain	.327	Philadelphia Athletics	Dale Mitchell	.323	[233]
1953	Mickey Vernon	.337	Washington Senators	Al Rosen	.336	[234]
1954	Bobby Ávila	.341	Cleveland Indians	Ted Williams†	.345[1954]	[235]
1955	Al Kaline†	.340	Detroit Tigers	Vic Power	.319	[236]
1956	Mickey Mantle†	.353	New York Yankees	Ted Williams†	.345	[237]
1957	Ted Williams†	.388	Boston Red Sox	Mickey Mantle†	.365	[238]
1958	Ted Williams†	.328	Boston Red Sox	Pete Runnels	.322	[239]
1959	Harvey Kuenn	.353	Detroit Tigers	Al Kaline†	.327	[240]
1960	Pete Runnels	.320	Boston Red Sox	Al Smith	.315	[241]
1961	Norm Cash	.361	Detroit Tigers	Al Kaline†	.324	[242]
1962	Pete Runnels	.326	Boston Red Sox	Mickey Mantle†	.321	[243]
1963	Carl Yastrzemski†	.321	Boston Red Sox	Al Kaline†	.312	[244]
1964	Tony Oliva†	.323	Minnesota Twins	Brooks Robinson†	.317	[245]
1965	Tony Oliva†	.321	Minnesota Twins	Carl Yastrzemski†	.312	[246]
1966	Frank Robinson†	.316	Baltimore Orioles	Tony Oliva†	.307	[247]
1967	Carl Yastrzemski†	.326	Boston Red Sox	Frank Robinson†	.311	[248]
1968	Carl Yastrzemski†	.301	Boston Red Sox	Danny Cater	.290	[249]
1969	Rod Carew†	.332	Minnesota Twins	Reggie Smith	.309	[250]
1970	Alex Johnson	.329	California Angels	Carl Yastrzemski†	.329	[251]
1971	Tony Oliva†	.337	Minnesota Twins	Bobby Murcer	.331	[252]
1972	Rod Carew†	.318	Minnesota Twins	Lou Piniella	.312	[253]
1973	Rod Carew†	.350	Minnesota Twins	George Scott	.306	[254]
1974	Rod Carew†	.364	Minnesota Twins	Jorge Orta	.316	[255]
1975	Rod Carew†	.359	Minnesota Twins	Fred Lynn	.331	[256]
1976	George Brett†	.333	Kansas City Royals	Hal McRae	.332	[257]
1977	Rod Carew†	.388	Minnesota Twins	Lyman Bostock	.336	[258]
1978	Rod Carew†	.333	Minnesota Twins	Al Oliver	.324	[259]
1979	Fred Lynn	.333	Boston Red Sox	George Brett†	.329	[260]
1980	George Brett†	.390	Kansas City Royals	Cecil Cooper	.352	[261]
1981	Carney Lansford	.336	Boston Red Sox	Tom Paciorek	.326	[262]
1982	Willie Wilson	.332	Kansas City Royals	Robin Yount†	.331	[263]
1983	Wade Boggs†	.361	Boston Red Sox	Rod Carew†	.339	[264]
1984	Don Mattingly	.343	New York Yankees	Dave Winfield†	.340	[265]
1985	Wade Boggs†	.368	Boston Red Sox	George Brett†	.335	[266]
1986	Wade Boggs†	.357	Boston Red Sox	Don Mattingly	.352	[267]
1987	Wade Boggs†	.363	Boston Red Sox	Paul Molitor†	.353	[268]
1988	Wade Boggs†	.366	Boston Red Sox	Kirby Puckett†	.356	[269]
1989	Kirby Puckett†	.339	Minnesota Twins	Carney Lansford	.336	[270]
1990	George Brett†	.329	Kansas City Royals	Rickey Henderson†	.325	[271]
1991	Julio Franco	.341	Texas Rangers	Wade Boggs†	.332	[272]
1992	Edgar Martínez†	.343	Seattle Mariners	Kirby Puckett†	.329	[273]
1993	John Olerud	.363	Toronto Blue Jays	Paul Molitor†	.332	[274]
1994	Paul O'Neill	.359	New York Yankees	Albert Belle	.357	[275]
1995	Edgar Martínez†	.356	Seattle Mariners	Chuck Knoblauch	.333	[276]
1996	Alex Rodriguez	.358	Seattle Mariners	Frank Thomas†	.349	[277]
1997	Frank Thomas†	.347	Chicago White Sox	Edgar Martínez†	.330	[278]
1998	Bernie Williams	.339	New York Yankees	Mo Vaughn	.337	[279]
1999	Nomar Garciaparra	.357	Boston Red Sox	Derek Jeter†	.349	[280]
2000	Nomar Garciaparra	.372	Boston Red Sox	Darin Erstad	.355	[281]
2001	Ichiro Suzuki†	.350	Seattle Mariners	Jason Giambi	.342	[282]
2002	Manny Ramirez	.349	Boston Red Sox	Mike Sweeney	.340	[283]
2003	Bill Mueller	.326	Boston Red Sox	Manny Ramirez	.325	[284]
2004	Ichiro Suzuki†	.372	Seattle Mariners	Melvin Mora	.340	[285]
2005	Michael Young	.331	Texas Rangers	Alex Rodriguez	.321	[286]
2006	Joe Mauer†	.347	Minnesota Twins	Derek Jeter†	.344	[287]
2007	Magglio Ordóñez	.363	Detroit Tigers	Ichiro Suzuki†	.351	[288]
2008	Joe Mauer†	.328	Minnesota Twins	Dustin Pedroia	.326	[289]
2009	Joe Mauer†	.365	Minnesota Twins	Ichiro Suzuki†	.352	[290]
2010	Josh Hamilton	.359	Texas Rangers	Miguel Cabrera	.328	[291]
2011	Miguel Cabrera	.344	Detroit Tigers	Adrián González	.338	[292]
2012	Miguel Cabrera	.330	Detroit Tigers	Mike Trout	.326	[293]
2013	Miguel Cabrera	.348	Detroit Tigers	Joe Mauer†	.324	[294]
2014	Jose Altuve	.341	Houston Astros	Victor Martinez	.335	[295]
2015	Miguel Cabrera	.338	Detroit Tigers	Xander Bogaerts	.320	[296]
2016	Jose Altuve	.338	Houston Astros	Mookie Betts	.318	[297]
2017	Jose Altuve	.346	Houston Astros	Avisaíl García	.330	[298]
2018	Mookie Betts	.346	Boston Red Sox	J. D. Martinez	.330	[299]
2019	Tim Anderson	.335	Chicago White Sox	DJ LeMahieu	.327	[300]
2020[b]	DJ LeMahieu	.364	New York Yankees	Tim Anderson	.322	[301]
2021	Yuli Gurriel	.319	Houston Astros	Michael Brantley	.311	[302]
2022	Luis Arráez	.316	Minnesota Twins	Aaron Judge	.311	[303]
2023	Yandy Díaz	.330	Tampa Bay Rays	Corey Seager	.327	[304]
2024	Bobby Witt Jr.	.332	Kansas City Royals	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	.323	[305]

Other Major Leagues

Benny Kauff won the only two Federal League batting titles in 1914 and 1915.

Year	Winner	AVG	Team	League	Runner-up	2nd AVG	Ref
1882	Pete Browning	.378	Louisville Eclipse	American Association	Hick Carpenter	.342	[306]
1883	Ed Swartwood	.357	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	American Association	Pete Browning	.338	[307]
1884	Dave Orr	.354	New York Metropolitans	American Association	John Reilly	.339	[308]
1884	Fred Dunlap	.412	St. Louis Maroons	Union Association	Orator Shafer	.360	[309]
1885	Pete Browning	.362	Louisville Colonels	American Association	Dave Orr	.342	[310]
1886	Guy Hecker	.341	Louisville Colonels	American Association	Pete Browning	.340	[311]
1887	Tip O'Neill	.435	St. Louis Browns	American Association	Pete Browning	.402	[312]
1888	Tip O'Neill	.335	St. Louis Browns	American Association	John Reilly	.321	[313]
1889	Tommy Tucker	.372	Baltimore Orioles	American Association	Tip O'Neill	.335	[314]
1890	Chicken Wolf	.363	Louisville Colonels	American Association	Denny Lyons	.354	[315]
1890	Pete Browning	.373	Cleveland Infants	Players' League	Dave Orr	.371	[316]
1891	Dan Brouthers†	.350	Boston Reds	American Association	Hugh Duffy†	.336	[317]
1914	Benny Kauff	.370	Indianapolis Hoosiers	Federal League	Steve Evans	.348	[318]
1915	Benny Kauff	.342	Brooklyn Tip-Tops	Federal League	William Fischer	.329	[319]

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 (2), Oscar Johnson (2), Buck Leonard (2), Jud Wilson (2), Artie Wilson (2), Mule Suttles (2), and Turkey Stearnes (2).

Josh Gibson won three batting titles, and tied with Oscar Charleston for the most among the Negro Leagues in history. Gibson and Willard Brown are the only players to have finished in the top two in batting average in five different seasons.

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 (1920-1941).

Year	Winner	AVG	Team	League	Runner-up	2nd AVG	Ref
1920	Cristóbal Torriente†	.411	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	Jimmie Lyons	.379	[320]
1921	Oscar Charleston†	.433	St. Louis Giants	Negro National League	Charlie Blackwell	.405	[321]
1922	Oscar Johnson	.406	Kansas City Monarchs	Negro National League	Dobie Moore	.386	[322]
1923	Oscar Johnson	.406	Kansas City Monarchs	Negro National League	Cristobal Torriente†	.387	[323]
1923	Biz Mackey†	.423	Hilldale Club	Eastern Colored League	Robert Hudspeth	.367	[324]
1924	Valentín Dreke	.389	Cuban Stars (West)	Negro National League	Newt Joseph	.375	[325]
1924	Oscar Charleston†	.405	Harrisburg Giants	Eastern Colored League	Jud Wilson†	.385	[326]
1925	Edgar Wesley	.404	Detroit Stars	Negro National League	Wilson Redus	.372	[327]
1925	Oscar Charleston†	.427	Harrisburg Giants	Eastern Colored League	John Beckwith	.404	[328]
1926	Mule Suttles†	.425	St. Louis Stars	Negro National League	Turkey Stearnes†	.383	[329]
1926	Martin Dihigo†	.375	Cuban Stars (East)	Eastern Colored League	Jud Wilson†	.373	[330]
1927	Red Parnell	.422	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro National League	Steel Arm Davis	.396	[331]
1927	Jud Wilson†	.422	Baltimore Black Sox New York Lincoln Giants	Eastern Colored League	Oscar Charleston†	.399	[332]
1928	Mule Suttles†	.359s	St. Louis Stars	Negro National League	Willie Wells†	.359	[333]
1928	Jud Wilson†	.399	Baltimore Black Sox	Eastern Colored League	Rap Dixon	.398	[334]
1929	Charlie Smith	.451	New York Lincoln Giants	American Negro League	Rap Dixon	.415	[335]
1929	Turkey Stearnes†	.390	Detroit Stars	Negro National League	Pythias Russ	.369	[336]
1930	Willie Wells†	.411	St. Louis Stars	Negro National League	Mule Suttles†	.409	[337]
1931	Turkey Stearnes†	.376	Detroit Stars	Negro National League	Jim Williams	.354	[338]
1932	Dick Lundy	.381	Baltimore Black Sox	East-West League	Eppie Hamilton	.368	[339]
1932	Leroy Morney	.378	Monroe Monarchs	Negro Southern League	Ernest Scott	.362	[340]
1933a	Jabbo Andrews	.398	Columbus Blue Birds	Negro National League II	Josh Gibson†	.395	[341]
1934	Buddy Burbage	.438	Newark Dodgers	Negro National League II	Ray Dandridge†	.432	[342]
1935	Buck Leonard†	.389	Homestead Grays	Negro National League II	Turkey Stearnes†	.388	[343]
1936	Josh Gibson†	.389	Pittsburgh Crawfords	Negro National League II	Roy Parnell	.367	[344]
1937	Josh Gibson†	.417	Homestead Grays	Negro National League II	Jim West	.394	[345]
1937	Bill Carter	.390	St. Louis Stars Birmingham Black Barons	Negro American League	Willard Brown†	.379	[346]
1938	Buck Leonard†	.420	Homestead Grays	Negro National League II	Harry Williams	.393	[347]
1938	Donald Reeves	.397	Atlanta Black Crackers	Negro American League	David Whatley	.396	[348]
1939	Josh Gibson†	.402	Homestead Grays	Negro National League II	Buck Leonard†	.385	[349]
1939	Henry Turner	.393	Cleveland Bears	Negro American League	Willard Brown†	.368	[350]
1940	Johnny Washington	.377	New York Black Yankees	Negro National League II	Monte Irvin†	.371	[351]
1940	Marshall Riddle	.377	St. Louis–New Orleans Stars	Negro American League	Jesse Williams	.368	[352]
1941	Monte Irvin†	.395	Newark Eagles	Negro National League II	Bill Hoskins	.367	[353]
1941	Cowan Hyde	.379	Memphis Red Sox	Negro American League	Lyman Bostock	.364	[354]
1942	Lennie Pearson	.347	Newark Eagles Homestead Grays	Negro National League II	Willie Wells†	.343	[355]
1942	Ted Strong	.364	Kansas City Monarchs	Negro American League	Barney Serrell	.360	[356]
1943	Tetelo Vargas	.471	New York Cubans	Negro National League II	Josh Gibson†	.466	[357]
1943	Alex Radcliff	.369	Chicago American Giants	Negro American League	Willard Brown†	.340	[358]
1944	Bob Harvey	.426	Newark Eagles	Negro National League II	Roy Campanella†	.388	[359]
1944	Artie Wilson	.421	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro American League	Parnell Woods	.413	[360]
1945	Roy Campanella†	.385	Baltimore Elite Giants	Negro National League II	Frankie Austin	.377	[361]
1945	Ed Steele	.391	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro American League	Jackie Robinson†	.375	[362]
1946	Monte Irvin†	.363	Newark Eagles	Negro National League II	Henry Kimbro	.342	[363]
1946	Archie Ware	.423	Cleveland Buckeyes	Negro American League	Clyde Nelson	.367	[364]
1947	Henry Kimbro	.384	Baltimore Elite Giants	Negro National League II	Johnny Washington	.370	[365]
1947	Willard Brown†	.371	Kansas City Monarchs	Negro American League	Sam Hill	.351	[366]
1948	Artie Wilson	.437	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro American League	Willard Brown†	.404	[367]
1948	Lester Lockett	.370	Baltimore Elite Giants	Negro National League II	Frankie Austin	.356	[368]

Footnotes

• ^L Recognized "Major Leagues" include the current American and National Leagues and several defunct leagues in the American Association, the Federal League, the Players' League, the Union Association along with seven Negro league baseball leagues: the Negro National League (1920–31), the Eastern Colored League (1923–1928), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1932), Negro National League (1933–48), and the Negro American League (1937–48)^[369][370]
• ^{1902a 1902b} 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)^[371] while MLB and Baseball-Reference.com show 133 hits in 352 at bats (.378).^[372][373] 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.^{[372][374][375]} As such, Baseball-Reference credits Lajoie with the 1902 title, with Delahanty's .376 batting average placing second.^[376] 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.^[372] Thus, MLB credits Delahanty with the 1902 title with his .376 average.^[377] Similarly, the Hall of Fame lists the 1902 title on Delahanty's plaque and not Lajoie's.^[371][378]
• ^{1910a 1910b} Before the 1910 season, Hugh Chalmers of Chalmers Automobile announced he would present a Chalmers Model 30 automobile to the player with the highest batting average at the end of the season. The 1910 race for best average in the American League was between Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers' widely disliked^{[379][380][381]} Cobb. On the last day of the season, Lajoie overtook Cobb's batting average with seven bunt hits in a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns. Browns' manager Jack O'Connor supposedly told his third baseman Red Corriden to play back down the line all day, which allowed Lajoie easy bunt hits.^[382] Cobb complained about the move, though American League President Ban Johnson said that a recalculation showed that Cobb had won the race anyway and Chalmers ultimately awarded cars to both players.^[379][382]
• 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.^[374] 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.^[235]
• ^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 Major League Baseball (MLB) season in 2020 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 69 games with the Pittsburgh Crawfords.