Single Season Leaders for Strikeout Percentage in the National League

Each of the following players is a single season leader in strikeout percentage, meaning they each have played in at least a hundred regular season games, each has had at least a hundred at-bats (to ensure we get hitters & not pitchers), and each has struck out less often per at-bat than any other player in history.

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the top one-hundred (100) all-time single season leaders in National League strikeout percentage along with raw percentages to further clarify the one-hundred (100) greatest strike to at-bat ratios. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.

"Coroner John O'Connell announced that an inquest would be held tomorrow in the death of Charles J. Hollocher, former captain and shortstop of the Chicago Cubs, whose body, with a bullet wound in the neck, was found lying beside his automobile here early today." - New York Times Obituary (08/15/1940)
Strikeout Percentage
Single Season National League Leaders

'Top 100'

Charlie Hollocher 0.8 (0.8446) 1922 Chicago Cubs NL 1
Lloyd Waner 1.2 (1.2077) 1936 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 2
Pie Traynor 1.3 (1.2963) 1929 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 3
Edd Roush 1.3 (1.3298) 1931 Cincinnati Reds NL 4
Tommy Holmes 1.4 (1.4151) 1945 Boston Braves NL 5
Emil Verban 1.5 (1.4815) 1947 Philadelphia Phillies NL 6
Don Mueller 1.5 (1.5453) 1956 New York Giants NL 7
Tommy Holmes 1.6 (1.5789) 1949 Boston Braves NL 8
Lloyd Waner 1.6 (1.6000) 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 9
Frankie Frisch 1.6 (1.6207) 1927 St. Louis Cardinals NL 10
Debs Garms 1.7 (1.6760) 1940 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 11
Willard Marshall 1.7 (1.6779) 1950 Boston Braves NL 12
Tommy Holmes 1.7 (1.7433) 1944 Boston Braves NL 13
Freddy Leach 1.7 (1.7476) 1931 New York Giants NL 14
Pie Traynor 1.8 (1.7575) 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 15
Lloyd Waner 1.8 (1.7771) 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 16
Tommy Holmes 1.8 (1.7921) 1942 Boston Braves NL 17
Ernie Lombardi 1.8 (1.8072) 1935 Cincinnati Reds NL 18
Jimmy Brown 1.8 (1.8152) 1942 St. Louis Cardinals NL 19
Frankie Frisch 1.8 (1.8182) 1934 St. Louis Cardinals NL 20
Lloyd Waner 1.9 (1.8622) 1935 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 21
Frankie Frisch 1.9 (1.8721) 1923 New York Giants NL 22
Andy High 1.9 (1.8908) 1926 Boston Braves NL 23
Edd Roush 1.9 (1.9139) 1921 Cincinnati Reds NL 24
Pie Traynor 1.9 (1.9197) 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 25
Lloyd Waner 1.9 (1.9469) 1932 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 26
Jimmy Cooney 1.9 (1.9493) 1926 Chicago Cubs NL 27
Dave Cash 2.0 (1.9520) 1976 Philadelphia Phillies NL 28
Lloyd Waner 2.0 (1.9640) 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 29
Billy Southworth 2.0 (1.9724) 1926 New York Giants NL 30
St. Louis Cardinals NL
Lloyd Waner 2.0 (1.9727) 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 31
Don Mueller 2.0 (1.9835) 1955 New York Giants NL 32
Lloyd Waner 2.1 (2.0906) 1942 Philadelphia Phillies NL 33
Andy High 2.1 (2.0958) 1925 Brooklyn Robins NL 34
Boston Braves NL
Carson Bigbee 2.1 (2.1173) 1922 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 35
Arky Vaughan 2.1 (2.1311) 1943 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 36
Frank McCormick 2.2 (2.1559) 1941 Cincinnati Reds NL 37
Johnny Cooney 2.2 (2.1739) 1939 Boston Bees NL 38
Jimmy Wasdell 2.2 (2.2000) 1945 Philadelphia Phillies NL 39
Woody Jensen 2.2 (2.2329) 1935 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 40
Lloyd Waner 2.2 (2.2346) 1937 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 41
Paul Waner 2.2 (2.2472) 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 42
Lefty O'Doul 2.3 (2.2599) 1928 New York Giants NL 43
Frankie Frisch 2.3 (2.2770) 1929 St. Louis Cardinals NL 44
Edd Roush 2.3 (2.2774) 1924 Cincinnati Reds NL 45
Billy Southworth 2.3 (2.2847) 1921 Boston Braves NL 46
Edd Roush 2.3 (2.2989) 1918 Cincinnati Reds NL 47
Red Schoendienst 2.3 (2.3148) 1957 Milwaukee Braves NL 48
New York Giants NL
Johnny Cooney 2.3 (2.3256) 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 49
Billy Southworth 2.3 (2.3256) 1925 New York Giants NL  
Charlie Hollocher 2.3 (2.3297) 1921 Chicago Cubs NL 51
Lloyd Waner 2.3 (2.3495) 1931 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 52
Jimmy Brown 2.4 (2.3560) 1938 St. Louis Cardinals NL 53
Buddy Hassett 2.4 (2.3729) 1939 Boston Bees NL 54
Sparky Adams 2.4 (2.3923) 1925 Chicago Cubs NL 55
Earl Smith 2.4 (2.3973) 1926 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 56
Pie Traynor 2.4 (2.4390) 1926 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 57
Bob Lillis 2.5 (2.4510) 1965 Houston Astros NL 58
Tommy Holmes 2.5 (2.4648) 1946 Boston Braves NL 59
Johnny Cooney 2.5 (2.4658) 1940 Boston Bees NL 60
Burgess Whitehead 2.5 (2.4814) 1941 New York Giants NL 61
Wally Pipp 2.5 (2.4831) 1927 Cincinnati Reds NL 62
Tommy Holmes 2.5 (2.4845) 1950 Boston Braves NL 63
Irish Meusel 2.5 (2.4952) 1919 Philadelphia Phillies NL 64
Peanuts Lowrey 2.5 (2.5000) 1950 Cincinnati Reds NL 65
St. Louis Cardinals NL
Frankie Frisch 2.5 (2.5097) 1931 St. Louis Cardinals NL 66
Emil Verban 2.5 (2.5126) 1945 St. Louis Cardinals NL 67
Frank Torre 2.5 (2.5157) 1956 Milwaukee Braves NL 68
Johnny Frederick 2.5 (2.5180) 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 69
Frankie Frisch 2.5 (2.5292) 1922 New York Giants NL 70
Charlie Grimm 2.5 (2.5295) 1922 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 71
Frank McCormick 2.5 (2.5397) 1939 Cincinnati Reds NL 72
Tommy Holmes 2.6 (2.5890) 1947 Boston Braves NL 73
Edd Roush 2.6 (2.5926) 1925 Cincinnati Reds NL 74
Max Flack 2.6 (2.6224) 1921 Chicago Cubs NL 75
Tim Foli 2.6 (2.6316) 1979 New York Mets NL 76
Pittsburgh Pirates NL
Edd Roush 2.6 (2.6316) 1927 New York Giants NL  
Dixie Walker 2.6 (2.6359) 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 78
Frank McCormick 2.7 (2.6563) 1938 Cincinnati Reds NL 79
Paul Waner 2.7 (2.6578) 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 80
Matty Alou 2.7 (2.6588) 1970 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 81
Frankie Frisch 2.7 (2.6749) 1932 St. Louis Cardinals NL 82
Buddy Hassett 2.7 (2.6772) 1936 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 83
Irish Meusel 2.7 (2.6891) 1923 New York Giants NL 84
Felix Millan 2.7 (2.7027) 1974 New York Mets NL 85
George Sisler 2.7 (2.7027) 1929 Boston Braves NL  
Don Mueller 2.7 (2.7083) 1953 New York Giants NL 87
Andy High 2.7 (2.7174) 1928 St. Louis Cardinals NL 88
Woody Jensen 2.7 (2.7299) 1936 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 89
Joe Stripp 2.7 (2.7335) 1936 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 90
Frankie Frisch 2.7 (2.7350) 1933 St. Louis Cardinals NL 91
Don Mueller 2.7 (2.7464) 1954 New York Giants NL 92
Andy High 2.7 (2.7491) 1924 Brooklyn Robins NL 93
Max Flack 2.8 (2.7719) 1919 Chicago Cubs NL 94
Don Mueller 2.8 (2.7719) 1951 New York Giants NL  
Johnny Cooney 2.8 (2.7778) 1938 Boston Bees NL 96
Frankie Frisch 2.8 (2.7888) 1925 New York Giants NL 97
Jimmy Brown 2.8 (2.7907) 1939 St. Louis Cardinals NL 98
Tony Gwynn 2.8 (2.8037) 1995 San Diego Padres NL 99
Emil Verban 2.8 (2.8112) 1944 St. Louis Cardinals NL 100
Current Through 2009 Season


Did you know that Charlie Hollocher, even during his first complete season, never struck out more than thirty (30) times during a season? Did you know his seven (7) year total is less than most modern player's single season total?

The code to write the single season strikeout percentage league splits was developed in 2005, launched during 2006 and made possible by your support — please continue helping us create these kinds of pages by supporting our site.

The American League single season record for strikeout percentage was set in 1932 by Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians. The National League single season record for strikeout percentage is on this page. Is either the Career Leader for Strikeout Percentage?

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