Strikeout Percentage Single Season National League Leaders on Baseball Almanac

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'
Name	Strikeout Percentage	Year	Team	League	Rank
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
Billy Southworth	2.0 (1.9724)	1926	St. Louis Cardinals	NL	30
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
Andy High	2.1 (2.0958)	1925	Boston Braves	NL	34
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
Red Schoendienst	2.3 (2.3148)	1957	New York Giants	NL	48
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
Peanuts Lowrey	2.5 (2.5000)	1950	St. Louis Cardinals	NL	65
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
Tim Foli	2.6 (2.6316)	1979	Pittsburgh Pirates	NL	76
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
Name	Strikeout Percentage	Year	Team	League	Rank
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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