With every major baseball stat, there’s a number that represents a soft “ceiling” of sorts, a total that causes us to raise our eyebrows because it doesn’t occur often in the modern game. Think 50 homers for a hitter or 300 strikeouts for a pitcher.
Tucked away amid such traditionally celebrated seasonal accomplishments is a milestone that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves – even though it’s one of the rarest offensive feats in baseball: 400 total bases.
When we talk about flashy stats, total bases rarely get much love. But it’s a figure that can tell us quite a bit about a player’s overall offensive value.
Perhaps Aaron Judge is the player who can make 400 total bases a more celebrated number. The current Major League leader (174) has been on pace to get there lately, thanks to a red-hot stretch, although a rare hitless game on Thursday against the Royals dropped his pace to 397. The Yankees slugger already has experience with successful single-season milestone pursuits, having set an American League record with 62 home runs in 2022. That same year, Judge collected 391 total bases, which speaks to the grand challenge of the 400 mark.
Consider: There have been the same number of players with 60-homer seasons since 1960 (eight) as there have been players to collect 400 total bases. In all of Major League history, it’s happened just 29 times.
- Babe Ruth: 457 (1921 Yankees)
- Rogers Hornsby: 450 (1922 Cardinals)
- Lou Gehrig: 447 (1927 Yankees)
- Chuck Klein: 445 (1930 Phillies)
- Jimmie Foxx: 438 (1932 A’s)
- Stan Musial: 429 (1948 Cardinals)
- Sammy Sosa: 425 (2001 Cubs)
- Hack Wilson: 423 (1930 Cubs)
- Chuck Klein: 420 (1932 Phillies)
- Lou Gehrig: 419 (1930 Yankees)
So what makes 400 total bases such a meaningful threshold, and what will be required for someone like Judge – or another of MLB’s top sluggers – to reach it? Here’s a closer look.
Before we go further, a reminder of what total bases encompasses: It’s the total number of bases accumulated via hits. A batter gets one base for a single, two for a double, three for a triple and four for a homer. So, it’s a simple calculation: singles + 2x doubles + 3x triples + 4x home runs.
Basically, the better the hitter, the more total bases. A player with a high number of total bases generally hits for average and power, combining strong bat-to-ball skills with the ability to slug. Just as a .300 average is still considered a good hitting season, 300 or more total bases also generally signifies a good year. Get to 350 or more, and that’s a great year. But 400? That’s next-level stuff.
While four players reached 400 in 2001, it hasn’t happened outside the offense-rich PED era in almost 50 years. (Offensive environment obviously comes into play here. In full seasons in the 30-team era, there is a gap of more than 9,000 total bases MLB-wide, or more than 300 per team, between the most and least total bases recorded.)
2001: Barry Bonds, Giants (411)
2001: Luis Gonzalez, D-backs (419)
2001: Todd Helton, Rockies (402)
2001: Sammy Sosa, Cubs (425)
2000: Todd Helton, Rockies (405)
1998: Sammy Sosa, Cubs (416)
1997: Larry Walker, Rockies (409)
1978: Jim Rice, Red Sox (406)
1959: Hank Aaron, Braves (400)
1948: Stan Musial, Cardinals (1948)
A few players have come relatively close in recent years.
In 2022, Judge made it to 391 total bases when he blasted 62 homers. In 2017, Charlie Blackmon had 387 for the Rockies. Last season, Ronald Acuña Jr. had 383 for the Braves during his historic 40-70 campaign. But apart from those examples, nobody has truly threatened the 400 mark since Albert Pujols had 394 total bases in 2003.
