Mays and Bonds Top Power – Speed List

One of the most notable trends in the major leagues in the last 20 years has been a revival in the art of base-stealing, which had been declining since the advent of the lively ball in 1920.   Coupled with this revival has been the emergence of a group of players who have been dominant both in home-run hitting and base-stealing.   The period since 1950 has witnessed by far the best levels of speed and power recorded in baseball history.  This trend has been monopolized by the Negro ball players in the National League, who have revolutionized this aspect of baseball.  Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds, both of the Giants, have been the primary specialists in this regard.

Between 1900 and 1950, only on 5 occasions did a player accumulate 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in the same season;  since 1951, this has happened no fewer than 50 times!  Prior to 1955, the only players since 1900 to accumulate at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season were Frank Schulte of the Chicago Cubs (1911), Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns (1921 and 1922), Babe Herman of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1929), Chuck Klein of the Phillies (1931), Earl Torgeson of the Boston Braves (1951), and Jackie Jensen of the Boston Red Sox (1954).   This was quite a select group.

Willie Mays then burst on the scene and performed the feat six years in a row (1955-1960) and had the highest level of home runs and stolen bases in the majors for each of the six seasons.   Mays did not accomplish the combination after 1960, partly because of the increase in home run hitting on the Giant ball club which made base stealing less necessary.   Mays had started a new trend, however, and several other players, especially Henry Aaron and later Bobby Bonds began to achieve significant power-speed plateaus.   A September slump, resulting in only one home run in the last three weeks, cost Bonds an unprecedented 40 hr-40 sb season in 1973.

Willie Mays completed his career in 1973 with 660 homers and 338 stolen bases — the highest lifetime level. Vada Pinson and Henry Aaron are well over the 200 mark in both departments, and Frank Robinson is only one steal away from the two-century milestone.  Several spectacular season milestones also have been achieved by recent players.  Mays (1956 and 1957) Aaron (1963), Bonds (1969  and 1973), and Tommy Harper of the Milwaukee Brewers (1970) have joined Ken Williams (1922) as the only players with 30 or more home runs and steals in one year.   Mays (1955) became the only player to have 50 homers and 20 steals in the same season, and three players (Lou Brock of the Cards in 1967, Cesar Cedeno of the Astros in 1972 and 1973, and Joe Morgan of the Reds in 1973) performed the combo of 20 homers and 50 steals.

The accompanying table shows the league leaders in the annual level of home runs and stolen bases since 1920 when fourbagger totals first reached significant proportions.  Bonds has led the last five years, or ever since he became a regular in 1969.  He also achieved in 1973 the highest level of homers (39) and thefts (43).  This topped the previous high of Ken Williams who had 39 homers and 37 steals in 1922.  Williams, Aaron, and Vince DiMaggio led their leagues 4 times.  In an oddity, two DiMaggio brothers — Vince of the Pirates and Dom of the Red Sox — tied for the lead in their respective leagues in the same season (1942).  Other brothers who show up in this tabulation are Roy and Bob Johnson.

The only player since 1920 to lead in homers and stolen bases in the same season was Chuck Klein of the Phils in 1932 (tied with the Giants’ Mel Ott in homers).  Although Mays led four times in homers and four times in steals, he never topped the NL in both the same season.  Bill Bruton beat him out of the theft crown by one in 1955.

Here are the players with the highest level of homers and steals since 1920.  An asterisk indicates the player who led his league or tied for the lead in one or the other category.   The lower figure is underlined.

Year	National League	HR	SB		American League	HR	SB
1920	Cy Williams	15*	18		George Sisler	19	42
1921	Jack Fournier	16	20		Ken Williams	24	20
1922	Rogers Hornsby	42*	17		Ken Williams	39*	37
1923	George Kelly	16	14		Ken Williams	29	18
1924	George Grantham	12	21		Ken Williams	18	20
1925	Kiki Cuyler	17	41		Goose Goslin	18	26
1926	Billy Southworth	16	14		Tony Lazzeri	18	16
1927	Hack Wilson	30*	13		Tony Lazzeri	18	22
1928	Kiki Cuyler	17	37		Goose Goslin	17	16
1929	Babe Herman	21	21		Marty McManus	18	17
1930	Babe Herman	35	18		Goose Goslin	37	17
1931	Babe Herman	18	17		Ben Chapman	17	61*
					Lou Gehrig	46*	17
1932	Chuck Klein	38*	20*		Roy Johnson	14	20
1933	Chuck Klein	28*	15		Tony Lazzeri	18	15
1934	Jack Rothrock	11	10		Bob Johnson	34	12
	Arky Vaughan	12	10
1935	Augie Galan	12	22		Odell Hale	16	15
	Ival Goodman	12	14
1936	Pepper Martin	11	23*		Frank Crosetti	15	18
					Joe Kuhel	16	15
1937	Augie Galan	18	23*		Gerald Walker	18	23
1938	Vince DiMaggio	14	11		Chas. Gehringer	20	14
	Ernie Koy	11	15
1939	Harry Lavagetto	10	14		Bob Johnson	23	15
					Charlie Keller	15	18
1940	Terry Moore	17	18		Joe Gordon	20	18
1941	Vince DiMaggio	21	10		Jeff Heath	24	18
1942	Dolph Camilli	26	10		Dom DiMaggio	14	16
	Pete Reiser	10	20*		Charlie Keller	26	14
	Vince DiMaggio	15	10
1943	Vince DiMaggio	15	11		Bobby Doerr	16	8
					Stan Spence	12	8
1944	Johnny Hopp	11	15		Geo.Metkovich	9	13
1945	Johnny Barrett	15	25		Geo.Stirnweiss	10	33*
	Tommy Holmes	28*	15
1946	Buddy Blattner	11	12		Eddie Lake	8	15
	Pete Reiser	11	34*		Mickey Vernon	8	14
1947	Jackie Robinson	12	29*		Eddie Lake	12	11
1948	Gene Hermanski	15	15		Al Zarilla	12	11
1949	PeeWee Reese	16	26		Larry Doby	24	10
	Jackie Robinson	16	37*		S. Robertson	11	10
1950	Sam Jethroe	18	35*		Elmer Valo	10	12
1951	Earl Torgeson	24	20		Gil McDougald	14	14
1952	Jackie Robinson	19	24		Minnie Minoso	13	22*
1953	Duke Snider	42	16		Minnie Minoso	15	25*
1954	Wally Moon	12	18		Jackie Jeneen	25	22*
1955	Willie Mays	51*	24		Jackie Jensen	26	16
1956	Willie Mays	36	40*		Minnie Minoso	21	12
					Jim Rivera	12	20
1957	Willie Mays	35	38*		Mickey Mantle	34	16
1958	Willie Mays	29	31*		Mickey Mantle	42*	18
1959	Willie Mays	34	27*		Mickey Mantle	31	21
1960	Willie Hays	29	25		Jimmy Piersall	18	18
1961	Frank Robinson	37	22		Jim Landis	22	19
1962	Vada Pinson	23	26		Ed Charles	17	28
					Chuck Hinton	17	20
1963	Henry Aaron	44*	31		Ed Charles	15	15
					Chuck Hinton	15	25
1964	Frank Robinson	29	23		Zoilo Versalles	20	14
					Leon Wagner	31	14
1965	Henry Aaron	32	24		Zoilo Versalles	19	27
1966	Henry Aaron	44*	21		Tommy Agee	22	44
1967	Lou Brock	21	52*		Reggie Smith	15	16
1968	Henry Aaron	29	28		Roy White	17	20
1969	Bobby Bonds	32	45		Paul Blair	26	20
1970	Bobby Bonds	26	48		Tommy Harper	31	38
1971	Bobby Bonds	33	26		Reggie Jackson	32	16
1972	Bobby Bonds	26	44		Richie Allen	37*	19
1973	Bobby Bonds	39	43		Reggie Jackson	32*	22