Best 12th seasons in MLB history
Who had the best 12th season in MLB history?
Mark McGwire holds the best 12th season in home runs: 58 in 1997, and Ed Delahanty in 1899 in hits (238).
Home runs
| # | Player | Season | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark McGwire | 1997 | 58 |
| 2 | Luis Gonzalez | 2001 | 57 |
| 3 | Jim Thome | 2002 | 52 |
| 4 | Sammy Sosa | 2000 | 50 |
| 5 | Eugenio Suarez | 2025 | 49 |
| 6 | Lou Gehrig | 1934 | 49 |
| 7 | Alex Rodriguez | 2005 | 48 |
| 8 | Frank Howard | 1969 | 48 |
| 9 | Andres Galarraga | 1996 | 47 |
| 10 | Kyle Schwarber | 2026 | 45 |
Hits
| # | Player | Season | H |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Delahanty | 1899 | 238 |
| 2 | Joe Torre | 1971 | 230 |
| 3 | Jesse Burkett | 1901 | 226 |
| 4 | Paul Waner | 1937 | 219 |
| 5 | Derek Jeter | 2006 | 214 |
| 6 | Bill Terry | 1934 | 213 |
| 7 | Michael Young | 2011 | 213 |
| 8 | Lou Gehrig | 1934 | 210 |
| 9 | Billy Williams | 1970 | 205 |
| 10 | Cecil Cooper | 1982 | 205 |
RBI
| # | Player | Season | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lou Gehrig | 1934 | 165 |
| 2 | Andres Galarraga | 1996 | 150 |
| 3 | Jimmie Foxx | 1936 | 143 |
| 4 | Luis Gonzalez | 2001 | 142 |
| 5 | Sammy Sosa | 2000 | 138 |
| 6 | Joe Torre | 1971 | 137 |
| 7 | Dante Bichette | 1999 | 133 |
| 8 | Alex Rodriguez | 2005 | 130 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | 2004 | 130 |
| 10 | Billy Williams | 1970 | 129 |
Stolen bases
Strikeouts (pitching)
| # | Player | Season | K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | 1999 | 364 |
| 2 | Sandy Koufax | 1966 | 317 |
| 3 | Bob Gibson | 1970 | 274 |
| 4 | Nolan Ryan | 1978 | 260 |
| 5 | Kevin Brown | 1998 | 257 |
| 6 | Justin Verlander | 2016 | 254 |
| 7 | Jim Bunning | 1966 | 252 |
| 8 | Max Scherzer | 2019 | 243 |
| 9 | Charlie Morton | 2019 | 240 |
| 10 | Gaylord Perry | 1973 | 238 |
Wins (pitching)
Saves
| # | Player | Season | SV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Rodney | 2014 | 48 |
| 2 | Lee Smith | 1991 | 47 |
| 3 | Jeff Shaw | 2001 | 43 |
| 4 | Rafael Soriano | 2013 | 43 |
| 5 | Trevor Hoffman | 2004 | 41 |
| 6 | Billy Wagner | 2006 | 40 |
| 7 | Francisco Cordero | 2010 | 40 |
| 8 | Tom Henke | 1993 | 40 |
| 9 | Kenley Jansen | 2021 | 38 |
| 10 | Santiago Casilla | 2015 | 38 |
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