Best 1st seasons in MLB history
Who had the best 1st season in MLB history?
Pete Alonso holds the best 1st season in home runs: 53 in 2019, and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 in hits (242).
Home runs
| # | Player | Season | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Alonso | 2019 | 53 |
| 2 | Cody Bellinger | 2017 | 39 |
| 3 | Frank Robinson | 1956 | 38 |
| 4 | Wally Berger | 1930 | 38 |
| 5 | Albert Pujols | 2001 | 37 |
| 6 | Jose Abreu | 2014 | 36 |
| 7 | Nick Kurtz | 2025 | 36 |
| 8 | Ryan Braun | 2007 | 34 |
| 9 | Jimmie Hall | 1963 | 33 |
| 10 | Kazuma Okamoto | 2026 | 33 |
Hits
| # | Player | Season | H |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ichiro Suzuki | 2001 | 242 |
| 2 | Lloyd Waner | 1927 | 223 |
| 3 | Jimmy Williams | 1899 | 219 |
| 4 | Dale Alexander | 1929 | 215 |
| 5 | Joe DiMaggio | 1936 | 206 |
| 6 | Johnny Frederick | 1929 | 206 |
| 7 | Johnny Pesky | 1942 | 205 |
| 8 | Roy Johnson | 1929 | 201 |
| 9 | Earl Averill | 1929 | 198 |
| 10 | Bill Everitt | 1895 | 197 |
RBI
| # | Player | Season | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ted Williams | 1939 | 145 |
| 2 | Dale Alexander | 1929 | 137 |
| 3 | Albert Pujols | 2001 | 130 |
| 4 | Joe DiMaggio | 1936 | 125 |
| 5 | Pete Alonso | 2019 | 120 |
| 6 | Wally Berger | 1930 | 119 |
| 7 | Alvin Davis | 1984 | 116 |
| 8 | Smead Jolley | 1930 | 114 |
| 9 | Tony Lazzeri | 1926 | 114 |
| 10 | Ray Jablonski | 1953 | 112 |
Stolen bases
| # | Player | Season | SB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vince Coleman | 1985 | 110 |
| 2 | Mike Griffin | 1887 | 94 |
| 3 | Herman Long | 1889 | 89 |
| 4 | Tommy Tucker | 1887 | 85 |
| 5 | Dummy Hoy | 1888 | 82 |
| 6 | Ed McKean | 1887 | 76 |
| 7 | Bill Vandyke | 1890 | 73 |
| 8 | Tim Shinnick | 1890 | 62 |
| 9 | Gene Richards | 1977 | 56 |
| 10 | Ichiro Suzuki | 2001 | 56 |
Strikeouts (pitching)
| # | Player | Season | K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Kilroy | 1886 | 513 |
| 2 | Larry McKeon | 1884 | 308 |
| 3 | Ed Morris | 1884 | 302 |
| 4 | Dwight Gooden | 1984 | 276 |
| 5 | Al Atkinson | 1884 | 247 |
| 6 | Herb Score | 1955 | 245 |
| 7 | Hideo Nomo | 1995 | 236 |
| 8 | Kerry Wood | 1998 | 233 |
| 9 | Adonis Terry | 1884 | 230 |
| 10 | Pete Alexander | 1911 | 227 |
Wins (pitching)
Saves
| # | Player | Season | SV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazuhiro Sasaki | 2000 | 37 |
| 2 | Billy Koch | 1999 | 31 |
| 3 | Andrew Bailey | 2009 | 26 |
| 4 | Dick Radatz | 1962 | 24 |
| 5 | Takashi Saito | 2006 | 24 |
| 6 | Doug Corbett | 1980 | 23 |
| 7 | Huston Street | 2005 | 23 |
| 8 | Ken Tatum | 1969 | 22 |
| 9 | Javy Guerra | 2011 | 21 |
| 10 | Salome Barojas | 1982 | 21 |
Regular season only, counting stats only. A season is numbered from the first season on file for that player, so a career that began before the league’s rows start is numbered from where the data does. MLB all-time records