Best 16th seasons in MLB history
Who had the best 16th season in MLB history?
Barry Bonds holds the best 16th season in home runs: 73 in 2001, and Tony Gwynn in 1997 in hits (220).
Home runs
| # | Player | Season | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Bonds | 2001 | 73 |
| 2 | Harmon Killebrew | 1969 | 49 |
| 3 | Rafael Palmeiro | 2001 | 47 |
| 4 | Babe Ruth | 1929 | 46 |
| 5 | Hank Aaron | 1969 | 44 |
| 6 | Jim Thome | 2006 | 42 |
| 7 | Gary Sheffield | 2003 | 39 |
| 8 | Reggie Jackson | 1982 | 39 |
| 9 | Carlos Delgado | 2008 | 38 |
| 10 | Ted Williams | 1957 | 38 |
Hits
| # | Player | Season | H |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Gwynn | 1997 | 220 |
| 2 | Zack Wheat | 1924 | 212 |
| 3 | Paul Molitor | 1993 | 211 |
| 4 | Adrian Beltre | 2013 | 199 |
| 5 | Pete Rose | 1978 | 198 |
| 6 | Robin Yount | 1989 | 195 |
| 7 | Lave Cross | 1902 | 191 |
| 8 | Gary Sheffield | 2003 | 190 |
| 9 | Max Carey | 1925 | 186 |
| 10 | Ted Simmons | 1983 | 185 |
RBI
| # | Player | Season | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babe Ruth | 1929 | 154 |
| 2 | Harmon Killebrew | 1969 | 140 |
| 3 | Barry Bonds | 2001 | 137 |
| 4 | Gary Sheffield | 2003 | 132 |
| 5 | Goose Goslin | 1936 | 125 |
| 6 | Dwight Evans | 1987 | 123 |
| 7 | Rafael Palmeiro | 2001 | 123 |
| 8 | Manny Ramirez | 2008 | 121 |
| 9 | Rusty Staub | 1978 | 121 |
| 10 | Albert Pujols | 2016 | 119 |
Stolen bases
Strikeouts (pitching)
| # | Player | Season | K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Carlton | 1980 | 286 |
| 2 | Nolan Ryan | 1982 | 245 |
| 3 | Cy Young | 1905 | 210 |
| 4 | Phil Niekro | 1979 | 208 |
| 5 | Bert Blyleven | 1985 | 206 |
| 6 | Curt Schilling | 2003 | 194 |
| 7 | A.J. Burnett | 2014 | 190 |
| 8 | Chris Sale | 2026 | 190 |
| 9 | Zack Greinke | 2019 | 187 |
| 10 | Charlie Morton | 2023 | 183 |
Wins (pitching)
Saves
| # | Player | Season | SV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Eckersley | 1990 | 48 |
| 2 | John Smoltz | 2004 | 44 |
| 3 | Jose Mesa | 2004 | 43 |
| 4 | Billy Wagner | 2010 | 37 |
| 5 | Lee Smith | 1995 | 37 |
| 6 | Mariano Rivera | 2010 | 33 |
| 7 | Aroldis Chapman | 2025 | 32 |
| 8 | Trevor Hoffman | 2008 | 30 |
| 9 | Kenley Jansen | 2025 | 29 |
| 10 | Lindy McDaniel | 1970 | 29 |
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