In 1980, it was George Brett chasing the highest batting average in an MLB season.
In 1994, it was Tony Gwynn tormenting pitchers. Six years after that, Nomar Garciaparra had his run. In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki captured the imagination of fans with a .379 average on Sept. 4.
A decade later, after Major League Baseball implemented major rule change in 2023 to increase the pace of play and offense, fans kept an eye on Luis Arráez of the Miami Marlins in the first half of the season to see if he could post a .400 batting average over the full campaign.
Brett fell shy in 1980 with the Kansas City Royals, dipping below .400 in early September and finishing with a .390 batting average. Gwynn’s bid in ’94 with the San Diego Padres was ended on Aug. 12 via a strike-shortened season, when he was up to .394 after heating up with a .475 clip in August.
Garciaparra was as high as .403 with the Boston Red Sox on July 20, 2000, but finished at .372. Ichiro ended up hitting .372 for the Seattle Mariners.
Whenever a player is collecting hit after hit, the rarity of .400 or higher over a full season (among hitters who are qualified for the batting title) also comes into focus as season leaders fall well short. This mark continues to seem unachievable in the modern game, as only Ted Williams and Josh Gibson have reached it since 1941.
The MLB’s official recognition of Negro League statistics prior to the 2024 season drastically altered the all-time single-season batting average leaderboard. The feat that was once considered rarer than a perfect game, having occurred less than 24 times in the American and National Leagues, has been accomplished 35 times since 1900 with the inclusion of Negro League statistics. Eleven of the top 15 batting average seasons, including the top six, have come from Negro League players.
It’s necessary to consider these performances the same way we view Ty Cobb’s or Roger Hornsby’s, as, by most accounts, the level of pitching these players faced was no worse than that of the National and American Leagues. No statistic better reflects this than the fact that 10 of the first 14 National League MVP awards after the integration of baseball in 1947 went to former Negro League players.
Let’s take a look at the best contact-hitting seasons the game has seen and celebrate the players who have left an indelible mark on baseball history.
Highest Batting Averages in a Season
Historical baseball statistics can vary among credible sources, with some using published season statistics as the official numbers and others totaling game logs. Here, we’re going with Stats Perform’s data, which uses published season statistics, as well as the MLB’s published data for the Negro Leagues.
Rankings include hitters from the modern era of baseball, starting in 1901.
1. .466 (116 for 249) – Josh Gibson, Homestead Grays, 1943
Now that the Negro Leagues’ statistics are recognized, it’s time for fans of Major League Baseball to finally recognize how legendary Gibson was. Gibson’s 1943 season in the second Negro National League (NNL) produced statistics unthinkable to modern baseball fans. His .466 average is a full 15 points higher than any other player has recorded, his .564 on-base percentage only trails Barry Bonds, and his 1.435 OPS is second all time behind Gibson’s mark of 1.474 in 1937. He also recorded just one strikeout that season. Gibson is the all-time leader in career average (.372), slugging percentage (.718), and OPS (1.177).
2. .451 (111 for 246) – Charlie Smith, New York Lincoln Giants, 1929
In just the five seasons in the Eastern Colored League (ECL) and American Negro League (ANL), Charlie “Chino” Smith made a great enough impact for Hall of Famer Satchel Paige to call him one of “the two best hitters I ever faced.” The 5-foot-6 right fielder hit .451 in 1929 for the New York Lincoln Giants, leading the club to a second-place finish in the ANL that season.
3. .434 (98 for 226) – Oscar Charleston, St. Louis Giants, 1921
Charleston led the NNL in nearly every offensive statistical category in 1921. Legendary baseball writer and historian Bill James said Charleston was like if you “put Mays and Mantle together.” He .434 that season, one of three in which he posted an average above .400. That’s something that has only also been accomplished by Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb.
4. .432 (102 for 236) – Charlie Blackwell, St. Louis Giants, 1921
A teammate of Oscar Charleston with the Saint Louis Giants, Blackwell finished the 1921 season with a batting average of .432, just two points behind Charleston. Despite having both players in the lineup, the Giants only finished in third place in the 1921 NNL. Unlike the rest of the players on this list, Blackwell’s 1921 season was a bit of a one-hit-wonder as he never had another season with a batting average above .357, or within 75 points of his 1921 mark.
5. .427 (109 for 255) – Oscar Charleston, Harrisburg Giants, 1925
6. .425 (152 for 358) – Mule Suttles, St. Louis Stars, 1926
Known as one of the best power hitters of his time, 1926 home run and RBI leader Mules Suttles also had many seasons when he displayed his ability to hit for average. In most of these seasons, Suttles didn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the MLB’s Negro Leagues record books, but his 358 at-bats in 1926 were more than enough.
7. .424 (227 for 536) – Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals, 1924
The Hall of Famer Hornsby, who also played for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Browns, hit over .400 in three of the four seasons between 1922-25. His best mark was in 1924, when he led the league in many offensive metrics including total bases, walks, OPS, and batting average. He’s fourth in career batting average (.358) behind Josh Gibson, Ty Cobb and Oscar Charleston.
8. .423 (77 for 182) – Biz Mackey, Hilldale Club, 1923
Mackey dominated the ECL in 1923, complementing his throwing arm with elite hitting. He led the league in many offensive stats, including hits, slugging percentage and batting average.
9. .422 (105 for 249) – Jud Wilson, Baltimore Black Sox, 1927
The other hitter Satchel Paige referred to as the best he’s faced, Jud Wilson, is one of the most recognizable names to come from the Negro Leagues. Known as a fierce competitor, Wilson frequently used his chest to stop hard-hit balls at third base and crowded the plate to get hit by pitches as often as possible. He was especially dominant in 1927, leading the ECL in doubles, slugging percentage and batting average.
10. .422 (141 for 334) – Roy Parnell, Birmingham Black Barons, 1927
In his rookie season in the NNL, Parnell led the league in hits, on-base percentage and batting average in 1927. Primarily an outfielder, Parnell also pitched in at least one game in four different seasons throughout his career. His versatility was also displayed on the basepaths, where he was known for his speed and intelligent base running.
11. .421 (229 for 544) – Nap Lajoie, Philadelphia Athletics, 1901
Lajoie spent the 1896-1900 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL, but after being declined an increase in salary, he jumped to the Athletics in the newly formed AL (two years before the first World Series). He proceeded to bat 50 points higher than MLB’s next-best hitter.
12. .420 (63 for 150) – Buck Leonard, Homestead Grays, 1938
While the New York Yankees had their dynasty in the 1930s and 40s with legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, the Homestead Grays dominated the second NNL in a similar fashion. This was in large part because of Leonard, who spent his entire 15-year playing career with the Grays. He played in a NNL record 11 All-Star Games, including in 1938 when he led the league in slugging percentage, OPS and batting average.
13. .420 (246 for 586) – George Sisler, St. Louis Browns, 1922
In Sisler’s second of two .400 or better seasons, he had a 41-game hit streak, led the league in stolen bases, runs scored, triples, hits and batting average. Two years after his dominant 1922 season, he became a player/manager for the Browns in 1924.
14. .420 (248 for 591) – Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, 1911
Trailing just Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds on the all-time hit list and in second place on the career batting average (.367) leaderboard, Cobb was over .400 in three different seasons, including back-to-back in 1911 and ‘12 before a 10-year gap to the third time (1922). He finished with a career-high 24 triples in 1911 and led the league in almost every major offensive statistic.
15. .417 (65 for 156) – Josh Gibson, Homestead Grays, 1937
Stats Perform’s Emory Brinkman contributed research to this story.