Total Bases : 1961 National League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Maybe I missed my routine and my game so much that I was trying to rationalize reasons for getting it back. I wanted those 162 games. I wanted all the suspense of the playoff and home run races. And I honestly didn't believe baseball would bend far enough to allow the possibility of games in November. I was wrong. And baseball was right." - Paul White in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 14, 2001)
 

1961 Total Bases Leaders

Top 25 in the National League

Hank Aaron 358 Milwaukee Braves 1
Orlando Cepeda 356 San Francisco Giants 2
Willie Mays 334 San Francisco Giants 3
Frank Robinson 333 Cincinnati Reds 4
Roberto Clemente 320 Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Ken Boyer 314 St. Louis Cardinals 6
Dick Stuart 309 Pittsburgh Pirates 7
Eddie Mathews 306 Milwaukee Braves 8
Vada Pinson 306 Cincinnati Reds  
George Altman 290 Chicago Cubs 10
Joe Adcock 285 Milwaukee Braves 11
Bill White 279 St. Louis Cardinals 12
Ron Santo 277 Chicago Cubs 13
Gene Freese 268 Cincinnati Reds 14
Gordy Coleman 262 Cincinnati Reds 15
Ernie Banks 259 Chicago Cubs 16
Billy Williams 256 Chicago Cubs 17
Frank Thomas 235 Chicago Cubs 18
Milwaukee Braves  
Wally Moon 234 Los Angeles Dodgers 19
Don Hoak 227 Pittsburgh Pirates 20
Frank Bolling 222 Milwaukee Braves 21
Bill Virdon 221 Pittsburgh Pirates 22
Dick Groat 219 Pittsburgh Pirates 23
Bill Mazeroski 212 Pittsburgh Pirates 24
Maury Wills 208 Los Angeles Dodgers 25



The most recognizable Detroit Tiger to wear the number twenty-five was probably Norm Cash (who wore it from 1960 through 1974), but did you know that Hall of Famer Larry Doby also wore it during his single season with Detroit?

Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros had his number twenty-five retired on October 3, 1992, and became the first Major League player with that particular retired number.

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.