Single Season Leaders for At-Bats / RBI Ratio

What percentage of a major league baseball player's at-bats result in a run being drive in and how often over the course of a major league season were they driving in the runs? The list below reflects those who over the course of a single season had the best at-bats / runs batted in ratio.

Important notes: One-hundred single season games played are needed to make this list and a bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"As a baseball fan I had known about Hack Wilson for a long time. He probably hit the most home runs ever for a guy with size 5 ½ feet. Now Wilson would probably be weeded out in the minor leagues based on physique alone. But even though he was an odd-looking character, he was the up and coming rival to Babe Ruth. He was the National League version of Babe Ruth." - Author Clifton Parker in Fouled Away: The Baseball Tragedy of Hack Wilson (McFarland, 2000)
AB / RBI Ratio
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Hack Wilson 32.65 (32.6496) 1930 Chicago Cubs NL 1
Babe Ruth 31.67 (31.6667) 1921 New York Yankees AL 2
Manny Ramirez 31.61 (31.6092) 1999 Cleveland Indians AL 3
Jimmie Foxx 30.97 (30.9735) 1938 Boston Red Sox AL 4
Babe Ruth 30.86 (30.8617) 1929 New York Yankees AL 5
Hank Greenberg 30.81 (30.8081) 1937 Detroit Tigers AL 6
Sam Thompson 30.67 (30.6691) 1895 Philadelphia Phillies NL 7
Babe Ruth 30.52 (30.5243) 1931 New York Yankees AL 8
Sam Thompson 30.46 (30.4587) 1887 Detroit Wolverines NL 9
Babe Ruth 30.37 (30.3704) 1927 New York Yankees AL 10
Babe Ruth 29.98 (29.9781) 1932 New York Yankees AL 11
Lou Gehrig 29.97 (29.9658) 1927 New York Yankees AL 12
Lou Gehrig 29.95 (29.9484) 1930 New York Yankees AL 13
Babe Ruth 29.91 (29.9127) 1920 New York Yankees AL 14
Al Simmons 29.78 (29.7834) 1930 Philadelphia Athletics AL 15
Lou Gehrig 29.73 (29.7254) 1931 New York Yankees AL 16
Babe Ruth 29.54 (29.5367) 1930 New York Yankees AL 17
Babe Ruth 29.49 (29.4949) 1926 New York Yankees AL 18
Cap Anson 29.17 (29.1667) 1886 Chicago White Stockings NL 19
Jim Gentile 29.01 (29.0123) 1961 Baltimore Orioles AL 20
Jeff Bagwell 29.00 (29.0000) 1994 Houston Astros NL 21
Jimmie Foxx 28.89 (28.8889) 1932 Philadelphia Athletics AL 22
Mark McGwire 28.88 (28.8802) 1998 St. Louis Cardinals NL 23
Barry Bonds 28.78 (28.7815) 2001 San Francisco Giants NL 24
Lou Gehrig 28.50 (28.4974) 1934 New York Yankees AL 25
Jimmie Foxx 28.45 (28.4468) 1933 Philadelphia Athletics AL 26
Mark McGwire 28.39 (28.3912) 1995 Oakland Athletics AL 27
Rogers Hornsby 28.37 (28.3730) 1925 St. Louis Cardinals NL 28
Mark McGwire 28.22 (28.2150) 1999 St. Louis Cardinals NL 29
Ted Williams 28.09 (28.0919) 1949 Boston Red Sox AL 30
Lou Gehrig 27.94 (27.9438) 1937 New York Yankees AL 31
Manny Ramirez 27.79 (27.7904) 2000 Cleveland Indians AL 32
Jimmie Foxx 27.76 (27.7580) 1930 Philadelphia Athletics AL 33
Sammy Sosa 27.73 (27.7296) 2001 Chicago Cubs NL 34
Mel Ott 27.71 (27.7064) 1929 New York Giants NL 35
Hack Wilson 27.70 (27.7003) 1929 Chicago Cubs NL 36
Rudy York 27.47 (27.4667) 1937 Detroit Tigers AL 37
Hank Greenberg 27.46 (27.4637) 1935 Detroit Tigers AL 38
Rudy York 27.43 (27.4298) 1938 Detroit Tigers AL 39
Roy Campanella 27.36 (27.3603) 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 40
Barry Bonds 27.30 (27.2953) 2002 San Francisco Giants NL 41
Joe DiMaggio 27.27 (27.2727) 1939 New York Yankees AL 42
Oyster Burns 27.12 (27.1186) 1890 Brooklyn Bridegrooms NL 43
Barry Bonds 27.08 (27.0777) 2004 San Francisco Giants NL 44
Al Simmons 27.02 (27.0224) 1929 Philadelphia Athletics AL 45
Hugh Duffy 26.90 (26.9017) 1894 Boston Beaneaters NL 46
Joe DiMaggio 26.89 (26.8921) 1937 New York Yankees AL 47
Jason Giambi 26.86 (26.8627) 2000 Oakland Athletics AL 48
Olmedo Saenz 26.82 (26.8156) 2006 Los Angeles Dodgers NL 49
Ed Delahanty 26.79 (26.7894) 1894 Philadelphia Phillies NL 50
Alex Rodriguez 26.76 (26.7581) 2007 New York Yankees AL 51
Dave Orr 26.72 (26.7241) 1890 Brooklyn Wonders PL 52
Mark McGwire 26.71 (26.7139) 1996 Oakland Athletics AL 53
Juan Gonzalez 26.62 (26.6174) 1996 Texas Rangers AL 54
Al Simmons 26.60 (26.6010) 1927 Philadelphia Athletics AL 55
Ken Williams 26.50 (26.4957) 1922 St. Louis Browns AL 56
Babe Ruth 26.49 (26.4925) 1928 New York Yankees AL 57
Harry Heilmann 26.49 (26.4901) 1929 Detroit Tigers AL 58
Babe Ruth 26.39 (26.3889) 1919 Boston Red Sox AL 59
Juan Gonzalez 26.32 (26.3158) 2001 Cleveland Indians AL 60
Ted Williams 26.32 (26.3158) 1941 Boston Red Sox AL 61
Hardy Richardson 26.31 (26.3063) 1890 Boston Red Stockings PL 62
George Brett 26.28 (26.2806) 1980 Kansas City Royals AL 63
Hank Greenberg 26.26 (26.2590) 1938 Detroit Tigers AL 64
Larry Walker 26.26 (26.2557) 1999 Colorado Rockies NL 65
Lou Gehrig 26.25 (26.2522) 1936 New York Yankees AL 66
Ted Williams 26.25 (26.2452) 1942 Boston Red Sox AL 67
Chuck Klein 26.23 (26.2346) 1930 Philadelphia Phillies NL 68
Roger Connor 26.21 (26.2097) 1889 New York Giants NL 69
George Davis 26.20 (26.2042) 1897 New York Giants NL 70
Rafael Palmeiro 26.19 (26.1947) 1999 Texas Rangers AL 71
Joe DiMaggio 26.18 (26.1811) 1940 New York Yankees AL 72
Hank Greenberg 26.18 (26.1780) 1940 Detroit Tigers AL 73
Joe DiMaggio 26.09 (26.0943) 1948 New York Yankees AL 74
Edgar Martinez 26.08 (26.0791) 2000 Seattle Mariners AL 75
Vern Stephens 26.07 (26.0656) 1949 Boston Red Sox AL 76
Manny Ramirez 25.99 (25.9928) 2005 Boston Red Sox AL 77
Juan Gonzalez 25.91 (25.9076) 1998 Texas Rangers AL 78
Joe Kelley 25.87 (25.8687) 1895 Baltimore Orioles NL 79
George Grantham 25.79 (25.7880) 1929 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 80
Travis Hafner 25.77 (25.7709) 2006 Cleveland Indians AL 81
Walt Dropo 25.76 (25.7603) 1950 Boston Red Sox AL 82
Hal Trosky 25.76 (25.7552) 1936 Cleveland Indians AL 83
Jay Buhner 25.74 (25.7447) 1995 Seattle Mariners AL 84
Ryan Howard 25.71 (25.7089) 2007 Philadelphia Phillies NL 85
Mike Schmidt 25.71 (25.7062) 1981 Philadelphia Phillies NL 86
Ken Griffey, Jr. 25.69 (25.6881) 1996 Seattle Mariners AL 87
Ted Williams 25.66 (25.6637) 1939 Boston Red Sox AL 88
Willie McCovey 25.66 (25.6619) 1969 San Francisco Giants NL 89
Ryan Howard 25.65 (25.6454) 2006 Philadelphia Phillies NL 90
Albert Pujols 25.61 (25.6075) 2006 St. Louis Cardinals NL 91
Hack Wilson 25.57 (25.5717) 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 92
Ken Williams 25.55 (25.5474) 1925 St. Louis Browns AL 93
Jim Gentile 25.52 (25.5208) 1960 Baltimore Orioles AL 94
Kirby Puckett 25.51 (25.5125) 1994 Minnesota Twins AL 95
Willie McCovey 25.45 (25.4545) 1970 San Francisco Giants NL 96
Carlos Delgado 25.44 (25.4386) 2003 Toronto Blue Jays AL 97
Frank Thomas 25.43 (25.4269) 1996 Chicago White Sox AL 98
Manny Ramirez 25.39 (25.3940) 1998 Cleveland Indians AL 99
Steve Brodie 25.38 (25.3788) 1895 Baltimore Orioles NL 100
Current Through End of 2007 Regular Season


Does the AB / RBI Ratio accurately describe which players drive in the runs most frequently during the season? Is there a better stat you use or one that your simply prefer? Share your opinion on our baseball message boards today.

How does the highest ranking player on this chart, Hack Wilson, rate overall in respect to his major league career? Is Manny Ramirez the highest ranking active player? Check the Career Leaders for AB / RBI Ratio and find out.

The American League single season record for AB / RBI Ratio was set in 1921 by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees. The National League single season record for AB / RBI Ratio was set in 1930 by Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs.
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