List of Major League Baseball career double plays leaders

In baseball statistics, a double play (denoted as DP) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. One double play is recorded for every defensive player who participates in the play, regardless of how many of the outs in which they were directly involved, and is counted in addition to whatever putouts and assists might also apply. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. ^[1]

The list reflects the overall leaders in double plays in Major League Baseball and the leaders by each position.

Key

Rank	Rank amongst leaders in career double plays. A blank field indicates a tie.
Player	Name
Throws	Denotes right-handed (R) or left-handed (L) pitcher
MLB	Total career putouts as a pitcher in Major League Baseball
*	Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame
Bold	Denotes active player [a]

Overall

The top 100 leaders in double plays in major league history. Only twenty-one of the 100 (Eddie Collins, Stuffy McInnis, Jake Daubert, Rabbit Maranville, George Sisler, Joe Judge, Charlie Grimm, Lu Blue, Jim Bottomley, Bill Terry, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Kuhel, Luke Appling, Dolph Camilli, Frank McCormick, Johnny Mize, George McQuinn, Bobby Doerr, and Mickey Vernon) had careers with significant playing time prior to World War II.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	DPs	Pos.	Years played
1	Mickey Vernon	2,044	1B	1939–1943, 1946–1960
2	Eddie Murray*	2,033	1B	1977–1996
3	Todd Helton*	2,028	1B	1997–2013
4	Rafael Palmeiro	1,782	1B/LF	1986–2005
5	Fred McGriff*	1,775	1B	1986–2004
6	Joe Kuhel	1,769	1B	1930–1947
7	Omar Vizquel	1,734	SS	1989–2012
8	Charlie Grimm	1,733	1B	1916, 1918–1936
9	Bill Mazeroski*	1,706	2B	1956–1972
10	Albert Pujols	1,702	1B/3B/LF	2001–2022
11	Chris Chambliss	1,687	1B	1971–1986, 1988
12	Paul Konerko	1,660	1B	1997–2014
13	Keith Hernandez	1,654	1B	1974–1990
14	Andrés Galarraga	1,648	1B	1985–1998, 2000–2004
15	Nellie Fox*	1,619	2B	1947–1965
16	Jeff Bagwell*	1,618	1B	1991–2005
17	Gil Hodges*	1,614	1B/OF	1943, 1947–1963
18	Wally Joyner	1,611	1B	1986–2001
19	Ozzie Smith*	1,590	SS	1978–1996
20	John Olerud	1,581	1B	1989–2005
21	Lou Gehrig*	1,575	1B	1923–1939
22	Will Clark	1,571	1B	1986–2000
23	Cal Ripken Jr.*	1,565	SS	1981–2001
24	Jim Bottomley*	1,562	1B	1922–1937
25	Luis Aparicio*	1,553	SS	1956–1973
26	Willie Randolph	1,547	2B	1975–1992
27	Joe Judge	1,543	1B	1915–1934
28	Mark Grace	1,533	1B	1988–2003
29	Jimmie Foxx*	1,528	1B	1925–1942, 1944–1945
30	Lou Whitaker	1,527	2B	1977–1995
31	Bobby Doerr*	1,507	2B	1937–1944, 1946–1951
32	Paul Goldschmidt (0)	1,506	1B	2011–Present
33	Joe Morgan*	1,505	2B	1963–1984
34	Don Mattingly	1,500	1B/OF	1982–1995
35	Steve Garvey	1,498	1B/3B	1969–1987
36	Carlos Delgado	1,496	1B	1993–2009
37	George Sisler*	1,495	1B	1915–1922, 1924–1930
38	George Scott	1,480	1B/3B	1966–1979
39	Freddie Freeman (0)	1,466	1B	2010–Present
40	Charlie Gehringer*	1,444	2B	1924–1942
41	Derrek Lee	1,442	1B	1997–2011
42	Joey Votto	1,432	1B	2007–2023
43	Luke Appling*	1,424	SS	1930–1950
44	Robinson Canó	1.418	2B	2005–2022
	Mark Teixeira	1,418	1B	2003–2016
46	Derek Jeter*	1,408	SS	1995–2014
	Mark McGwire	1,408	1B	1986–2001
48	Roberto Alomar*	1,407	2B	1988–2004
49	Willie McCovey*	1,405	1B/LF	1959–1980
50	Tino Martinez	1,398	1B	1990–2005
51	Frank White	1,382	2B/SS	1973–1990
52	Adrián González	1,381	1B	2004–2018
53	Red Schoendienst*	1,368	2B/LF	1945–1963
54	Cecil Cooper	1,348	1B	1971–1987
55	Norm Cash	1,347	1B	1958–1974
56	Tony Pérez*	1,342	1B/3B	1964–1986
57	Stuffy McInnis	1,338	1B	1909–1927
58	Bill Terry*	1,334	1B	1923–1936
59	Kent Hrbek	1,331	1B	1981–1994
60	Wally Pipp	1,329	1B	1913, 1915–1928
61	Jake Beckley*	1,327	1B	1888-1907
62	Johnny Mize*	1,320	1B	1936–1942, 1946–1953
63	Alan Trammell*	1,307	SS	1977–1996
	John Mayberry	1,307	1B	1968–1982
65	Roy McMillan	1,304	SS	1951–1966
66	Bobby Grich	1,302	2B/SS/1B	1970–1986
67	J.T. Snow	1,298	1B	1992–2006, 2007
68	Ian Kinsler	1,291	2B	2006–2019
69	Dave Concepción	1,290	SS	1970–1988
70	Miguel Tejada	1,274	SS	1997–2013
71	Ted Kluszewski	1,269	1B	1947–1961
72	Bill Skowron	1,266	1B	1954–1967
73	Larry Bowa	1,265	SS	1970–1985
	George McQuinn	1,265	1B	1936, 1938–1948
75	Jeff Kent	1,261	2B/1B/3B	1992–2008
76	Eric Karros	1,257	1B	1991–2004
77	Jimmy Rollins	1,249	SS	2000–2016
	Adam LaRoche	1,249	1B	2004–2015
79	Pee Wee Reese*	1,246	SS	1940–42, 1946–58
80	Eddie Collins*	1,239	2B	1906–1930
81	Dick Groat	1,237	SS	1952, 1955–1967
82	Lee May	1,235	1B/OF	1965–1982
83	Cap Anson*	1,232	1B/3B/C	1871–1897
84	Joe Adcock	1,228	1B/LF	1950–1966
85	Royce Clayton	1,224	SS	1991–2007
86	Frank McCormick	1,221	1B	1934, 1937–1948
87	Édgar Rentería	1,218	SS	1996–2011
88	Phil Rizzuto*	1,217	SS	1941–1942, 1946–1956
89	Elvis Andrus	1,209	SS	2009–2023
90	Anthony Rizzo (0)	1,206	1B	2011–Present
91	Jake Daubert	1,201	1B	1910–1924
92	Bill Buckner	1,200	1B/LF	1969–1990
93	Lu Blue	1,196	1B	1921–1933
	Eric Hosmer	1,196	1B	2011–2023
95	Orlando Cepeda*	1,192	1B/LF	1958–1974
96	Ray Durham	1,189	2B	1995–2008
97	Dolph Camilli	1,189	1B	1933–1943, 1945
98	Rabbit Maranville*	1,188	SS/2B	1912–1935
	Bid McPhee*	1,188	2B	1882–1899
100	Bert Campaneris	1,186	SS	1964–1983

By position

Pitchers

Greg Maddux, the leader in all-time double plays by a pitcher.

Justin Verlander, the active leader in double plays by a pitcher and tied for 168th all-time.

Bob Lemon holds the American League record.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Throws	Double plays as a pitcher			Other leagues, notes
			MLB	American League	National League
1	Greg Maddux*	R	98	0	98
2	Phil Niekro*	R	83	8	75
3	Warren Spahn*	L	82	0	82
4	Freddie Fitzsimmons	R	79	0	79
5	Bob Lemon*	R	78	78	0
6	Bucky Walters	R	76	0	76
7	Walter Johnson*	R	75	75	0
8	Burleigh Grimes*	R	74	0	74
9	Tommy John	L	69	49	20
10	Tom Glavine*	L	67	0	67
11	Liván Hernández	R	65	0	65
	Jim Kaat*	L	65	55	10
	Kenny Rogers	L	65	63	2
14	Dizzy Trout	R	63	63	0
15	Zack Greinke	R	62	25	37
16	Dennis Martínez	R	61	36	25
17	Carl Mays	R	59	37	22
18	Gaylord Perry*	R	58	23	35
19	Ted Lyons*	R	57	57	0
20	Eppa Rixey*	L	56	0	56
21	Lew Burdette	R	55	1	54
	Don Drysdale*	R	55	0	55
	Carl Hubbell*	L	55	0	55
24	Murry Dickson	R	54	3	51
	Willis Hudlin	R	54	54	0
	Kirk Rueter	L	54	0	54
	Tom Seaver*	R	54	5	49
28	Mark Buehrle	L	53	48	5
	Jim Palmer*	R	53	53	0
	Eddie Rommel	R	53	53	0
31	Bullet Joe Bush	R	52	51	1
32	Sad Sam Jones	R	51	51	0
	Red Ruffing*	R	51	51	0
34	Art Nehf	L	50	0	50
35	Grover Cleveland Alexander*	R	49	0	49
	Whitey Ford*	L	49	0	49
	Paul Splittorff	L	49	0	49
38	Bert Blyleven*	R	48	42	6
	Jamie Moyer	L	48	40	8
	Bobby Shantz	L	48	42	6
41	Bartolo Colón	R	47	30	17
	Stan Coveleski*	R	47	47	0
	Early Wynn*	R	47	47	0
44	John Denny	R	46	11	35
	Bob Gibson*	R	46	0	46
	Larry Jackson	R	46	0	46
	Herb Pennock*	L	46	46	0
	Rick Wise	R	46	15	31
49	Ferguson Jenkins*	R	45	23	22
	Robin Roberts*	R	45	8	37
	Dave Stieb	R	45	45	0
52	John Clarkson*	R	44	0	44
	Pud Galvin*	R	44	0	39	Includes 3 in American Association, 1 in National Association, and 1 in Players' League
	Orel Hershiser	R	44	6	38
	Claude Passeau	R	44	0	44
	Fritz Peterson	L	44	44	0
57	Mordecai Brown*	R	43	0	36	Includes 7 in Federal League
	Johnny Schmitz	L	43	17	26
	George Uhle	R	43	43	0
60	Harry Gumbert	R	42	0	42
	Mike Hampton	L	42	0	42
	Clarence Mitchell	L	42	0	42
	Don Sutton*	R	42	6	36
	Javier Vázquez	R	42	15	27
65	Scott Erickson	R	41	40	1
	Ned Garver	R	41	41	0
	Ray Herbert	R	41	36	5
	Sid Hudson	R	41	41	0
	Vern Law	R	41	0	41
	Dutch Leonard	R	41	26	15
	Christy Mathewson*	R	41	0	41
	Lee Meadows	R	41	0	41
	Tony Mullane	R	41	0	11	Includes 30 in American Association
	Joe Niekro	R	41	8	33
75	Larry French	L	40	0	40
	Bob Friend	R	40	0	40
	Mudcat Grant	R	40	38	2
	Hal Newhouser*	L	40	40	0
	Frank Tanana	L	40	39	1
	Cy Young*	R	40	18	22
81	Mike Caldwell	L	39	24	15
	Curt Davis	R	39	0	39
	Waite Hoyt*	R	39	29	10
	Mike Morgan	R	39	19	20
	Jack Quinn	R	39	34	3	Includes 2 in Federal League
	Charles Radbourn*	R	39	0	35	Includes 4 in Players' League
	Rick Reuschel	R	39	0	39
88	Elden Auker	R	38	38	0
	Jim Bagby	R	38	36	2
	Guy Bush	R	38	0	38
	Jon Garland	R	38	29	9
	Mel Harder	R	38	38	0
	Charlie Hough	R	38	32	6
	Danny MacFayden	R	38	22	16
	Milt Pappas	R	38	23	15
	Dan Petry	R	38	38	0
	Jerry Reuss	L	38	6	32
	Bob Stanley	R	38	38	0
	Mel Stottlemyre	R	38	38	0
	Walt Terrell	R	38	27	11
	Mike Torrez	R	38	21	17

Catchers

Ray Schalk, the leader in all-time double plays by a catcher

J. T. Realmuto, the active leader in double plays by a catcher and tied for 99th all-time.

Steve O'Neill had 36 double plays in 1916, the only season of 30 or more in major league history.

Yogi Berra led the American League in double plays a record six times.

Gabby Hartnett holds the National League record.

Charlie Bennett was the first catcher to record 100 double plays.

Tom Haller set the National League record of 23 double plays in 1968.

Catchers typically record double plays by throwing out a runner attempting to steal a base immediately after the batter has struck out, by tagging out a runner attempting to score a run after receiving a throw from an outfielder on an attempted sacrifice fly, by stepping on home plate to force out a runner with the bases loaded and then throwing out another runner (often the batter trying to reach first base), or by tagging out a runner attempting to score after an out has been recorded at another base. Double plays are also occasionally recorded when a rundown play is involved, almost always as the second out. On August 2, 1985, Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox recorded a double play by tagging out two New York Yankees moments apart at home plate when both tried to score on a double. ^[2] The feat was duplicated by Paul Lo Duca of the New York Mets in Game 1 of the 2006 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. ^[3]

Many of the career leaders were active during baseball's dead-ball era when runners made more aggressive attempts to advance around the bases in risky situations; 13 of the top 18 single-season totals, and 28 of the top 37, were recorded before 1928. ^[4] Ray Schalk holds the record for the most career double plays by a catcher with 222. ^[5] Steve O'Neill is second with 198; ^[6] only seven other catchers have recorded 150 career double plays.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a catcher			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Ray Schalk*	222	222	0	Held the American League single-season record, 1913-1914 (tie)
2	Steve O'Neill	198	198	0	Held major league record, 1920-1923; held American League record, 1917-1923; holds the single-season record of 36 (set in 1916)
3	Yogi Berra*	175	175	0
4	Gabby Hartnett*	163	0	163
5	Iván Rodríguez*	158	136	22
6	Tony Peña	156	64	92
7	Bob Boone	154	87	67
	Wally Schang	154	154	0
9	Jimmie Wilson	153	0	153	Held National League record, 1935-1938
10	Gary Carter*	149	0	149
11	Jason Kendall	148	30	118
12	Carlton Fisk*	147	147	0
13	Jim Sundberg	145	142	3
14	Deacon McGuire	143	32	90	Includes 21 in American Association; held major league record, 1904-1920
15	Rollie Hemsley	141	97	44
	Ivey Wingo	141	0	141	Held National League record, 1924-1935
17	Rick Ferrell*	139	139	0
	Muddy Ruel	139	139	0
	Luke Sewell	139	139	0
20	Bill Dickey*	137	137	0
	Al López*	137	1	136
	Yadier Molina	137	0	137
23	Jim Hegan	136	130	6
24	Charles Zimmer	135	0	128	Includes 7 in American Association; held major league record, 1900-1904; held National League record, 1901-1924; held the single-season record, 1894-1897
25	Lance Parrish	133	117	16
26	Brad Ausmus	130	17	113
	Benito Santiago	130	13	117
28	Bill Killefer	129	18	111
29	Johnny Bench*	127	0	127
	Johnny Kling	127	0	127	Held the single-season record, 1902-1909 (tie), 1912-1914; held the National League single-season record, 1912-1922
31	Red Dooin	122	0	122	Held the single-season record, 1908-1909 (tie)
32	Del Crandall	116	2	114
33	Charlie Bennett	114	0	114	Held major league record, 1887-1900
34	George Gibson	112	0	112
	Heinie Peitz	112	0	112
36	Rick Dempsey	111	100	11
	Wilbert Robinson*	111	8	46	Includes 57 in American Association
	John Roseboro	111	22	89
	Billy Sullivan	111	98	13	Held the American League single-season record, 1901–1907
40	Frank Snyder	108	0	108
41	Charles Johnson	107	21	86
	Ernie Lombardi*	107	0	107
	Cy Perkins	107	107	0
	Hank Severeid	107	103	4
45	Bill Bergen	106	0	106	Held the single-season record, 1909-1912
	Frankie Hayes	106	106	0
47	Frank Bowerman	105	0	105
	Johnny Edwards	105	0	105
	Larry McLean	105	0	105	Held the single-season record, 1910-1912 (tie)
	Oscar Stanage	105	105	0
51	Mickey Cochrane*	104	104	0
	Darrell Porter	104	76	28
	Ted Simmons*	104	16	88
54	Lou Criger	102	78	24
	Duke Farrell	102	7	78	Includes 12 in Players' League, 5 in American Association
56	Sherm Lollar	101	101	0
	Bob O'Farrell	101	0	101	Held the National League single-season record, 1922-1968
	A. J. Pierzynski	101	82	19
59	Malachi Kittridge	100	15	85
	Gus Mancuso	100	0	100
	Jack Warner	100	21	79	Held the single-season record, 1897-1909
62	Eddie Ainsmith	99	79	20
	Chief Meyers	99	0	99
64	Bill Freehan	98	98	0
65	Spud Davis	97	0	97
	Mike Scioscia	97	0	97
67	Roger Bresnahan*	96	3	93
68	Jack Clements	94	0	94
69	Hank Gowdy	93	0	93
	Ramón Hernández	93	66	27
	Mickey Owen	93	4	89
72	Mike González	92	0	92
	Terry Kennedy	92	14	78
	Buddy Rosar	92	92	0
75	Mike Piazza*	88	0	88
	Butch Wynegar	88	88	0
77	Elston Howard	87	87	0	Negro League totals unavailable
	Birdie Tebbetts	87	87	0
79	Roy Campanella*	86	0	82	Includes 4 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete)
	Tom Haller	86	1	85	Holds the National League single-season record of 23 (set in 1968)
	Otto Miller	86	0	86
	Jocko Milligan	86	0	15	Includes 58 in American Association, 13 in the Players' League
83	Mike Matheny	85	22	63
	Walter Schmidt	85	0	85
85	Brian McCann	84	18	66
	Joe Sugden	84	36	48
87	Bill Rariden	83	0	51	Includes 32 in Federal League
	Zack Taylor	83	0	83
	Sammy White	83	79	4
90	Doc Bushong	82	0	41	Includes 40 in American Association, 1 in National Association; held major league record, 1886-1887; held the single-season record, 1886-1887
	Kirt Manwaring	82	0	82
	Thurman Munson	82	82	0
	Wes Westrum	82	0	82
94	John Bateman	81	0	81
	Jorge Posada	81	81	0
96	Walker Cooper	80	0	80
	Andy Seminick	80	0	80
98	Clay Dalrymple	79	3	76
99	Henry Blanco	78	11	67
	Buck Ewing*	78	0	71	Includes 7 in Players' League
	Russell Martin	78	27	51
	J.T. Realmuto (0)	78	0	78

First Basemen

Mickey Vernon, the leader in all-time double plays by a first baseman

Paul Goldschmidt, the active leader and 23rd all-time in double plays by a first baseman

Todd Helton holds the National League record.

Charlie Grimm held the National League record for 80 years.

Jake Beckley held the major league record for 21 years.

Cap Anson reached 1,000 double plays before any other first baseman.

Ferris Fain holds the single-season record of 194 double plays.

Most of the career leaders are relatively recent players who have benefitted from improved infield defense, with equipment of better quality; 10 of the top 13 players made their major league debut after 1970. Longer careers have compensated for the fact that as strikeout totals have risen in baseball, the frequency of other defensive outs including ground outs has declined, with double play totals for first basemen likewise declining; 16 of the top 20 single-season totals were recorded between 1944 and 1980. ^[7] Because a right-handed first baseman needs to turn their body before throwing across the infield, left-handed first basemen are often preferred for defensive purposes; 14 of the top 21 career double-play leaders are left-handed. Mickey Vernon holds the record for the most career double plays by a first baseman with 2,044. ^[8] Eddie Murray (2,033) and Todd Helton (2,028) are the only other first basemen who have recorded 2,000 career double plays.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a first baseman			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Mickey Vernon	2,044	2,041	3
2	Eddie Murray*	2,033	1,500	533	Holds record for right-handed first baseman
3	Todd Helton*	2,028	0	2,028
4	Rafael Palmeiro	1,782	1,766	16
5	Fred McGriff*	1,775	882	893
6	Joe Kuhel	1,769	1,769	0	Held major league record, 1946–1955; held American League record, 1944–1955; held the single-season record, 1935-1938
7	Charlie Grimm	1,733	0	1,733	Held major league record, 1932–1946; held National League record, 1930–2010; held the single-season record, 1924-1926
8	Albert Pujols	1,702	439	1,263
9	Chris Chambliss	1,687	1,073	614
10	Paul Konerko	1,660	1,650	10
11	Keith Hernandez	1,654	28	1,626
12	Andrés Galarraga	1,648	28	1,620
13	Jeff Bagwell*	1,618	0	1,618
14	Gil Hodges*	1,614	0	1,614	Held the National League single-season record, 1950-1966
15	Wally Joyner	1,611	1,227	384
16	John Olerud	1,581	1,210	371
17	Lou Gehrig*	1,575	1,575	0	Held American League record, 1938–1944; held the single-season record, 1938-1944
18	Will Clark	1,571	612	959
19	Jim Bottomley*	1,562	119	1,443	Held the single-season record, 1927–1935; held the National League single-season record, 1927-1938
20	Joe Judge	1,543	1,519	24	Held American League record, 1928–1938; held the single-season record, 1922-1923 (tie); held the AL single-season record, 1922-1925 (tie)
21	Mark Grace	1,533	0	1,533
22	Jimmie Foxx*	1,528	1,477	51
23	Paul Goldschmidt (0)	1,506	0	1,506
24	Don Mattingly	1,500	1,500	0
25	Steve Garvey	1,498	0	1,498
26	Carlos Delgado	1,496	1,045	451
27	George Sisler*	1,495	1,161	334	Held major league record, 1929–1932; held the single-season record, 1926–1927; held the American League single-season record, 1917-1918 (tie), 1926-1934
28	George Scott	1,480	1,480	0
29	Freddie Freeman (0)	1,466	0	1,466
30	Derrek Lee	1,442	67	1,375
31	Joey Votto	1,432	0	1,432
32	Mark Teixeira	1,418	1,287	131
33	Mark McGwire	1,408	1,012	396
34	Willie McCovey*	1,405	0	1,405
35	Tino Martinez	1,398	1,187	211
36	Adrián González	1,381	226	1,155
37	Cecil Cooper	1,348	1,348	0
38	Norm Cash	1,347	1,347	0
39	Tony Pérez*	1,342	213	1,129
40	Stuffy McInnis	1,338	1,001	337	Held major league record, 1926–1929; held the single-season record, 1923-1924 (tie)
41	Bill Terry*	1,334	0	1,334
42	Kent Hrbek	1,331	1,331	0
43	Wally Pipp	1,329	1,034	295	Held the American League single-season record, 1917-1918 (tie), 1920–1921; held the National League single-season record, 1926-1927
44	Jake Beckley*	1,327	0	1,266	Includes 61 in Players' League; held major league record, 1905-1926
45	Johnny Mize*	1,320	215	1,105
46	John Mayberry	1,307	1,257	50
47	J. T. Snow	1,298	415	883
48	Ted Kluszewski	1,269	102	1,167
49	Bill Skowron	1,266	1,222	44
50	George McQuinn	1,265	1,235	30	Held the single-season record, 1940-1944 (tie)
51	Eric Karros	1,257	15	1,242
52	Adam LaRoche	1,249	44	1,205
53	Lee May	1,235	335	900
54	Cap Anson*	1,232	0	1,191	Includes 41 in National Association; held major league record, 1886–1905; held the single-season record, 1884–1889; held National League single-season record, 1884-1892
55	Joe Adcock	1,228	268	960
56	Frank McCormick	1,221	0	1,221	Held the National League single-season record, 1939-1950
57	Anthony Rizzo (0)	1,206	217	989
58	Jake Daubert	1,201	0	1,201
59	Bill Buckner	1,200	410	790
60	Lu Blue	1,196	1,196	0
	Eric Hosmer	1,196	807	389
62	Orlando Cepeda*	1,192	0	1,192
63	Dolph Camilli	1,189	62	1,127
64	Justin Morneau	1,180	988	192
65	Bill White	1,157	0	1,157
66	Hal Trosky	1,146	1,146	0	Held the American League single-season record, 1934-1935
67	George Burns	1,145	1,145	0	Held the American League single-season record, 1918-1920
68	Carlos Peña	1,140	1,036	104
69	Donn Clendenon	1,136	0	1,136	Holds the National League single-season record of 182 (set in 1966)
70	Boog Powell	1,131	1,130	1
71	Rod Carew*	1,130	1,130	0
72	Lyle Overbay	1,125	699	426
73	Ferris Fain	1,124	1,124	0	Holds the single-season record of 194 (set in 1949)
74	Mo Vaughn	1,119	1,003	116
75	George Kelly*	1,113	0	1,113	Held the National League single-season record, 1921-1923
76	Ryan Howard	1,106	0	1,106
77	Earl Torgeson	1,097	346	751
78	Ed Konetchy	1,093	0	1,010	Includes 83 in Federal League
	Jason Thompson	1,090	593	497
80	Elbie Fletcher	1,086	0	1,086
	Pete O'Brien	1,086	1,086	0
	Gus Suhr	1,086	0	1,086	Held the National League single-season record, 1938-1939
83	Rudy York	1,072	1,072	0	Held the single-season record, 1944-1949
84	Vic Power	1,056	1,047	9
85	Mike Hargrove	1,043	1,019	24
86	José Abreu (0)	1,033	1,033	0
87	Prince Fielder	1,025	292	733
88	Eddie Robinson	1,018	1,018	0
89	Phil Cavarretta	1,012	29	983
90	Ernie Banks*	1,005	0	1,005
	Carlos Santana (0)	1,005	810	195
92	Chris Davis	1,002	1,002	0
93	Jason Giambi	995	947	48
94	Dan Driessen	979	0	979
95	Miguel Cabrera	974	974	0
96	Hank Greenberg*	973	888	85
97	Walt Dropo	968	926	42
98	Willie Montañez	962	15	947
99	Jim Spencer	956	956	0
	Fred Tenney	956	0	956

Second Basemen

Bill Mazeroski, the leader in all-time double plays by a second baseman

Jose Altuve, the active leader and is 30th all-time in double plays by a second baseman.

Nellie Fox holds the American League record.

Bid McPhee held the major league record for 37 years, and led his league a record 11 times.

Jerry Priddy's 150 double plays in 1950 remain the American League record.

Fred Pfeffer held the National League record for 41 years.

Bucky Harris posted the first season of 100 double plays by a second baseman in the 20th century, setting a new record three years in a row.

In baseball and softball, the second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, commonly stationed between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play. In addition, second basemen are almost always right-handed. Only four left-handed throwing players have appeared as second basemen in the major leagues since 1950; one of the four, Gonzalo Márquez, was listed as the second baseman in the starting lineup for two games in 1973, batting in the first inning, but was replaced before his team took the field on defense, and none of the other three players lasted even a complete inning at the position. ^[9] In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4.

Second basemen typically record a double play by receiving a throw from another player to force out the runner advancing to second base, then throwing to first base to retire the batter/runner, or by fielding a ground ball and then either throwing to the shortstop covering second base or stepping on the base themselves before the throw to first base is made. Second basemen generally benefit in this respect from playing alongside an excellent shortstop with great range and quickness; strong middle infields are regarded as crucial to a team's defensive play, and double play totals are regarded as a strong indicator of their defensive skill. Double plays are also recorded when the second baseman catches a line drive, then throws to a base before the runner can tag up, or another infielder or the pitcher catches the line drive and then throws to the second baseman in the same situation; on occasion, the throw might come from an outfielder after an unexpected catch of a fly ball. Other double plays occur when the second baseman records an out at second base, then throws out a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, or on a double steal attempt in which the catcher throws out a runner attempting to steal second base, and the second baseman throws back to the catcher to retire a runner trying to steal home. Double plays are also occasionally recorded when a rundown play is involved, almost always as the second out. Because of the high number of ground outs, second basemen and shortstops typically record far more double plays than players at any other position except first base.

Most of the career leaders are relatively recent players who have benefitted from improved infield defense, with equipment of better quality; 9 of the top 14 players made their major league debut after 1962, and only two were active before 1945. Longer careers have compensated for the fact that as strikeout totals have risen in baseball, the frequency of other defensive outs including ground outs has declined, with double play totals for second basemen likewise declining; 23 of the top 29 single-season totals were recorded between 1935 and 1974, and none of the top 362 were recorded before 1921. ^[10] Bill Mazeroski holds the record for the most career double plays by a second baseman with 1,706. ^[11] Nellie Fox is second with 1,619; only four other second basemen have recorded 1,500 career double plays.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a second baseman			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Bill Mazeroski*	1,706	0	1,706	Holds the single-season record of 161 (set in 1966)
2	Nellie Fox*	1,619	1,568	51	Held major league record, 1963-1970
3	Willie Randolph	1,547	1,391	156
4	Lou Whitaker	1,527	1,527	0
5	Bobby Doerr*	1,507	1,507	0	Held major league record, 1951-1963
6	Joe Morgan*	1,505	62	1,443
7	Charlie Gehringer*	1,444	1,444	0	Held major league record, 1938-1951
8	Robinson Canó	1,418	1,347	71
9	Roberto Alomar*	1,407	1,001	406
10	Frank White	1,382	1,382	0
11	Red Schoendienst*	1,368	0	1,368	Held National League record, 1957–1967; held NL single-season record, 1954-1961 (tie)
12	Bobby Grich	1,302	1,302	0
13	Ian Kinsler	1,291	1,255	36
14	Jeff Kent	1,261	3	1,258
15	Eddie Collins*	1,239	1,239	0	Held major league record, 1926–1938; held American League record, 1922–1938; held AL single-season record, 1920-1921 (tie)
16	Ray Durham	1,189	746	443
17	Bid McPhee*	1,188	0	657	Includes 531 in American Association; held major league record, 1889–1926; held single-season record, 1886–1921; held National League single-season record, 1892-1923
18	Billy Herman*	1,177	0	1,177	Held National League record, 1942-1957
19	Joe Gordon*	1,160	1,160	0
20	Ryne Sandberg*	1,158	0	1,158
21	Craig Biggio*	1,153	0	1,153
22	Brandon Phillips	1,115	97	1,018
23	Bret Boone	1,085	502	583
24	Frankie Frisch*	1,062	0	1,062	Held National League record, 1933-1942
25	Luis Castillo	1,051	126	925
26	Nap Lajoie*	1,050	883	167	Held American League single-season record, 1906-1921
27	Jim Gantner	1,036	1,036	0
28	Frank Bolling	1,003	521	482
29	Steve Sax	998	404	594
30	Jose Altuve (0)	994	771	223
31	Chase Utley	993	0	993
32	Tom Herr	991	54	937
33	Glenn Hubbard	975	94	881
34	Manny Trillo	973	73	900
35	Ski Melillo	965	965	0
36	Buddy Myer	963	963	0	Held single-season record, 1935-1950
	Bobby Richardson	963	963	0
38	Hughie Critz	960	0	960
39	Cookie Rojas	953	518	435
40	Tony Taylor	950	91	859
41	Harold Reynolds	948	948	0
42	Dustin Pedroia	940	940	0
43	Julián Javier	907	0	907
44	Jerry Priddy	906	906	0	Holds the American League single-season record (150 in 1950), was the major league record until 1966
45	Mark Ellis	903	703	200
46	Dave Cash	901	0	901
47	Rogers Hornsby*	895	10	885	Held National League record, 1929-1933
48	Fred Pfeffer	894	0	821	Includes 73 in Players' League; held National League record, 1888–1929; held single-season record, 1884–1886; held NL single-season record, 1884-1892
49	Robby Thompson	873	0	873
50	Félix Millán	855	0	855
51	Brian Roberts	850	850	0
52	Del Pratt	849	849	0
53	Orlando Hudson	841	407	434
54	Ted Sizemore	835	31	804
55	Don Blasingame	834	224	610
	Chuck Knoblauch	834	834	0
57	Tito Fuentes	832	119	713
58	Johnny Temple	829	175	654
59	Johnny Ray	828	263	565
60	Mark McLemore	823	815	8
61	Bucky Harris*	817	817	0	Held single-season record, 1921–1928; held American League single-season record, 1921-1935
62	Eddie Stanky	816	0	816
63	Tony Cuccinello	812	2	810	Held single-season record, 1931–1935; held National League single-season record, 1931-1950
64	Davey Lopes	811	171	640
65	Tony Lazzeri*	808	798	10
66	Tommy Helms	807	0	807
67	Ronnie Belliard	801	238	563
68	Aaron Hill	800	539	261
69	Eric Young	786	13	773
70	Bobby Ávila	785	764	21
71	Dan Uggla	784	0	784
72	Julio Cruz	780	780	0
73	Bobby Knoop	779	779	0
	Fernando Viña	779	275	504
75	Damion Easley	772	666	106
76	Adam Kennedy	769	606	163
77	Carlos Baerga	759	552	207
	Davey Johnson	759	600	159
79	Glenn Beckert	758	0	758
80	Mark Grudzielanek	744	259	485
	Jerry Remy	744	744	0
82	Delino DeShields	743	100	643
83	Bill Doran	742	5	737
84	Rougned Odor (0)	739	726	13
84	Sandy Alomar	729	710	19
86	DJ LeMahieu (0)	724	91	633
87	Plácido Polanco	718	463	255
88	Dick Green	712	712	0
89	Larry Doyle	698	0	698
90	Jim Gilliam	696	0	628	Includes 68 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete)
91	Horace Clarke	695	689	6
92	Jonathan Schoop (0)	691	674	17
93	Jody Reed	690	449	241
94	Brian Dozier	689	606	83
	Johnny Evers*	689	1	688
96	Rennie Stennett	687	0	687
97	Ron Hunt	685	0	685
98	Howie Kendrick	682	585	97
99	Kolten Wong (0)	670	21	649
100	Mickey Morandini	669	28	641

Third Basemen

Brooks Robinson, the all-time leader in double plays by a third baseman

Nolan Arenado, the active leader and 8th all-time in double plays by a third baseman.

Graig Nettles' 54 double plays in 1971 are the most by a third baseman.

Mike Schmidt holds the National League record.

Evan Longoria has led the American League in double plays three times in his career.

Pie Traynor held the National League record for 31 years.

Billy Nash held the major league record for 27 years.

Most of the career leaders are relatively recent players who have benefitted from improved infield defense, with equipment of better quality; only six of the top 25 players made their major league debut before 1966, none of them before 1944. Only seven of the top 84 single-season totals were recorded before 1949, and only two of the top 152 were recorded before 1918. ^[12] Brooks Robinson holds the record for the most career double plays by a third baseman with 618. ^[13]

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a third baseman			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Brooks Robinson*	618	618	0
2	Adrián Beltré*	523	355	168
3	Graig Nettles	470	418	52	Holds the single-season record of 54 (set in 1971)
4	Gary Gaetti	460	395	65
5	Mike Schmidt*	450	0	450
6	Buddy Bell	430	362	68
7	Wade Boggs*	423	423	0
8	Nolan Arenado (0)	421	0	421
9	Aurelio Rodriguez	408	396	12
10	Ron Santo*	395	6	389	Held National League record, 1972-1986
11	Evan Longoria	390	303	87
12	Eddie Mathews*	369	0	369	Held major league record, 1966-1968; held National League record, 1964-1972
13	Robin Ventura	359	269	90
14	Ken Boyer	355	5	350
	Scott Rolen*	355	30	325
16	Kyle Seager	351	351	0
17	Sal Bando	345	345	0
	Eddie Yost	345	345	0	Held major league record, 1959-1966; held American League record, 1959-1967
19	Vinny Castilla	331	25	306
	Doug DeCinces	331	331	0
21	Tim Wallach	319	4	315
22	Clete Boyer	315	223	92
	Ron Cey	315	1	314
	Matt Williams	315	21	294
25	Terry Pendleton	312	2	310
26	Harlond Clift	309	309	0	Held major league record, 1945-1959; held the single-season record, 1937-1971
27	George Brett*	307	307	0
28	George Kell*	306	306	0
	Ken Keltner	306	306	0
30	Pie Traynor*	303	0	303	Held major league record, 1933-1945; held National League record, 1933-1964; held single-season record, 1925-1927; held NL single-season record, 1925-1950
31	Mike Lowell	302	109	193
32	Willie Kamm	299	299	0	Held American League record, 1933-1945
	Manny Machado (0)	299	164	135
34	Frank Malzone	289	289	0
35	Pinky Higgins	288	288	0
36	Aramis Ramírez	287	0	287
37	Ken Caminiti	280	10	270
38	Heinie Groh	277	0	277	Held major league record, 1924-1933; held National League record, 1922-1933; held NL single-season record, 1915-1925
39	Jeff Cirillo	276	110	166	Holds the National League single-season record (45 in 1998; tie)
	Chipper Jones*	276	0	276
41	Willie Jones	273	2	271
42	Darrell Evans	270	2	268	Holds the National League single-season record (45 in 1974)
43	Ossie Bluege	266	266	0
	Billy Nash	266	0	221	Includes 37 in Players' League, 8 in American Association; held major league record, 1897-1924; held single-season record, 1890-1925
45	Eric Chavez	262	254	8
46	Larry Gardner	261	261	0	Held American League record, 1923-1933; held the single-season record, 1920-1925 (tie)
47	Home Run Baker*	260	260	0	Held American League record, 1918-1924; held AL single-season record, 1910-1925
48	Ken McMullen	258	248	10
49	Matt Chapman (0)	257	223	34
50	Carney Lansford	256	256	0
	Doug Rader	256	2	254
52	Stan Hack	255	0	255
53	Arlie Latham	253	0	118	Includes 126 in American Association, 9 in the Players' League; held major league record, 1890-1897
54	Bob Elliott	252	21	231
55	Josh Donaldson	245	203	42
56	Troy Glaus	243	190	53
57	Todd Zeile	238	47	191
58	David Wright	237	0	237
59	Charlie Hayes	231	52	179
60	Travis Fryman	230	230	0
61	Ryan Zimmerman	229	0	229
62	Jimmy Austin	228	228	0	Held American League record, 1916-1918
63	Don Hoak	227	0	227
64	Jimmy Collins*	225	113	112
65	Richie Hebner	224	10	214
	Brandon Inge	224	222	2
	Don Money	224	153	71
68	Eddie Foster	220	220	0
69	Ken Reitz	219	0	219
	Pinky Whitney	219	0	219
71	Joe Randa	218	165	53
72	Billy Shindle	215	0	164	Includes 51 in American Association
73	Eugenio Suárez (0)	214	44	170
	Billy Werber	214	114	100
75	Lave Cross	212	71	139	Includes 2 in American Association; held National League single-season record, 1899-1915
76	Alex Rodriguez	205	205	0
77	Bob Bailey	203	0	203
78	Bill Madlock	200	2	198
79	Todd Frazier	199	74	125
	Milt Stock	199	0	199
81	Mike Moustakas	196	162	34
	José Ramírez (0)	196	196	0
83	Andy Carey	194	190	4
	Mike Pagliarulo	194	175	19
85	Hank Majeski	192	171	21
86	Bill Mueller	190	57	133
87	Kevin Seitzer	189	189	0
88	Joe Crede	188	188	0
	Jimmy Dykes	188	188	0
90	Anthony Rendon (0)	186	41	145
91	Paul Molitor*	185	185	0
92	Steve Buechele	184	123	61
	Bill Melton	184	184	0
	Red Rolfe	184	184	0
95	Alex Bregman (0)	183	183	0
	David Freese	183	31	152
97	Bill Bradley	182	160	18	Includes 4 in Federal League; held American League single-season record, 1901-1902 (tie)
98	Ken Oberkfell	180	0	180
99	Jim Tabor	178	153	25
100	Pedro Feliz	177	0	177
	Toby Harrah	177	177	0

Shortstop

Omar Vizquel, the all-time leader in double plays by a shortstop

Francisco Lindor, the active leader and 87th all-time in double plays by a shortstop.

Ozzie Smith holds the National League record.

Cal Ripken Jr. holds the American League record, and led the AL in double plays a record eight times.

Luis Aparicio held the major league record for 24 years.

Luke Appling held the major league record for 24 years.

Rick Burleson's 147 double plays in 1980 remain the record for shortstops.

Shortstop , abbreviated SS, is a baseball or softball fielding position in the infield, commonly stationed between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. The position is mostly filled by defensive specialists, so shortstops are generally relatively poor batters who typically hit lower in the batting order. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.

Shortstops typically record a double play by fielding a ground ball and then either throwing to the second baseman to force out the runner advancing to second base, or stepping on the base themselves before throwing to first base to retire the batter/runner, or by receiving a throw from another player to force a runner at second base before the throw to first base is made. Shortstops generally benefit in this respect from playing alongside an excellent second baseman with great range and quickness; strong middle infields are regarded as crucial to a team's defensive play, and double play totals are regarded as a strong indicator of their defensive skill. Double plays are also recorded when the shortstop catches a line drive, then throws to a base before the runner can tag up, or another infielder or the pitcher catches the line drive and then throws to the shortstop in the same situation; on occasion, the throw might come from an outfielder after an unexpected catch of a fly ball. Other double plays occur when the shortstop records an out at second base, then throws out a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, or on a double steal attempt in which the catcher throws out a runner attempting to steal second base, and the shortstop throws back to the catcher to retire a runner trying to steal home. Double plays are also occasionally recorded when a rundown play is involved, almost always as the second out. Because of the high number of ground outs, shortstops and second basemen typically record far more double plays than players at any other position except first base.

Most of the career leaders are relatively recent players who have benefitted from improved infield defense, with equipment of better quality; nine of the top twelve players made their major league debut after 1969, and only one was active before 1951. Five of the top nine players spent their entire careers with one team. Longer careers have compensated for the fact that as strikeout totals have risen in baseball, the frequency of other defensive outs including ground outs has declined, with double play totals for shortstops likewise declining; 18 of the top 25 single-season totals were recorded between 1944 and 1988, and none of the top 478 were recorded before 1920. ^[14] Omar Vizquel holds the record for the most career double plays by a shortstop with 1,734. ^[15] Only three other shortstops have recorded 1,500 career double plays.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a shortstop			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Omar Vizquel	1,734	1,433	301
2	Ozzie Smith*	1,590	0	1,590	Held major league record, 1995-2007
3	Cal Ripken Jr.*	1,565	1,565	0
4	Luis Aparicio*	1,553	1,553	0	Held major league record, 1971-1995; held American League record, 1971-1996
5	Luke Appling*	1,424	1,424	0	Held major league record, 1947-1971; held American League record, 1946-1971; held AL single-season record, 1936-1938
6	Derek Jeter*	1,408	1,408	0
7	Alan Trammell*	1,307	1,307	0
8	Roy McMillan	1,304	0	1,304	Held National League record, 1965-1992; held NL single-season record, 1954-1970
9	Dave Concepción	1,290	0	1,290
10	Miguel Tejada	1,274	1,020	254
11	Larry Bowa	1,265	0	1,265
12	Jimmy Rollins	1,249	18	1,231
13	Pee Wee Reese*	1,246	0	1,246	Held National League record, 1956-1965
14	Dick Groat	1,237	0	1,237
15	Royce Clayton	1,224	387	837
16	Édgar Rentería	1,218	181	1,037
17	Phil Rizzuto*	1,217	1,217	0
18	Elvis Andrus	1,209	1,209	0
19	Rabbit Maranville*	1,188	0	1,188	Held major league record, 1930-1947; held National League record, 1930-1956; held single-season record, 1914-1920
20	Bert Campaneris	1,186	1,186	0
21	Lou Boudreau*	1,180	1,180	0	Held single-season record, 1944-1970; held American League single-season record, 1943-1979
22	Don Kessinger	1,170	89	1,081
23	Joe Cronin*	1,165	1,164	1	Held American League record, 1939-1946
24	Garry Templeton	1,164	0	1,164
25	Orlando Cabrera	1,123	507	616
26	Ozzie Guillén	1,094	1,040	54
27	Barry Larkin*	1,092	0	1,092
28	Dick Bartell	1,072	76	996
29	Mike Bordick	1,055	1,031	24
30	Mark Belanger	1,054	1,050	4
31	Alfredo Griffin	1,053	832	221
32	Chris Speier	1,043	6	1,037
33	Leo Cárdenas	1,036	426	610
34	Tim Foli	1,028	155	873
35	Álex González (b.1977)	1,025	157	868
36	Dave Bancroft*	1,021	0	1,021	Held major league record, 1928-1930; held National League record, 1927-1930; held single-season record, 1920-1925
37	Rafael Furcal	1,020	0	1,020
38	Ed Brinkman	1,005	990	15
39	Freddie Patek	1,004	858	146
40	Marty Marion	978	41	937
41	Greg Gagne	967	826	141
42	Roger Peckinpaugh	966	966	0	Held major league record, 1925-1928; held American League record, 1921-1939; held single-season record, 1923-1925 (tie); held AL single-season record, 1917-1921, 1923-1933
43	J. J. Hardy	953	646	307
44	Eddie Miller	946	0	946
45	Frankie Crosetti	944	944	0	Held American League single-season record, 1938-1943
46	Tony Fernández	943	770	173
47	Robin Yount*	941	941	0
48	Alvin Dark	933	0	933
49	Brandon Crawford (0)	932	0	932
50	Billy Jurges	929	0	929
51	Eddie Joost	928	709	219
52	Jhonny Peralta	920	728	192
53	Jack Wilson	913	60	853
54	José Reyes	911	164	747
55	Bill Russell	909	0	909
56	Dick Schofield	900	819	81
57	Leo Durocher*	895	70	825
58	Johnny Logan	894	0	894
59	Bill Dahlen	881	0	881	Held major league record, 1908-1925; held National League record, 1906-1927; held single-season record, 1898-1914
60	Jay Bell	877	161	716
61	Troy Tulowitzki	871	139	732
62	Maury Wills	859	0	859
63	Walt Weiss	854	286	568
64	Alex Rodriguez	853	853	0
	Vern Stephens	853	853	0
66	Tommy Corcoran	851	0	759	Includes 56 in American Association, 36 in Players' League; held major league record, 1905-1908
67	Arky Vaughan*	850	0	850
68	Rafael Ramírez	842	0	842
69	Bucky Dent	839	839	0
70	Jim Fregosi	836	820	16
71	José Valentín	830	722	108
72	Alex Gonzalez (b.1973)	829	604	225
73	Rick Burleson	827	827	0	Holds the single-season record of 147 (set in 1980)
74	Travis Jackson*	826	0	826
75	Alcides Escobar	825	696	129
76	Alexei Ramírez	807	731	76
77	Billy Rogell	805	803	2	Held American League single-season record, 1933-1936
78	Neifi Pérez	796	159	637
79	Andrelton Simmons	783	428	355
80	Chico Carrasquel	770	770	0
81	Honus Wagner*	766	0	766
82	Herman Long	765	18	692	Includes 55 in American Association; held major league record, 1900-1905; held National League record, 1901-1906
83	Wally Gerber	764	748	16
84	Cristian Guzmán	762	490	272
85	Erick Aybar	758	649	109
86	Bud Harrelson	751	57	694
87	Francisco Lindor (0)	746	434	312
88	Deivi Cruz	738	581	157
89	Zoilo Versalles	727	654	73
90	Everett Scott	726	726	0	Held American League single-season record, 1921-1923
91	Ernie Banks*	724	0	724
92	Spike Owen	723	498	225
93	Ron Hansen	722	722	0
94	Gene Alley	709	0	709
95	Rich Aurilia	708	39	669
	Shawon Dunston	708	3	705
97	Roy Smalley	702	702	0	Held single-season record, 1979-1980
98	Iván DeJesús	700	4	696
99	Bobby Wine	698	0	698	Holds the National League single-season record of 137 (set in 1970), was major league record until 1979
100	Glenn Wright	695	0	695	Held single-season record, 1925-1928

Left Fielders

Jimmy Sheckard, the all-time leader in double plays by a left fielder

Teoscar Hernández, the active leader and tied for 124th all-time in double plays by a left fielder.

Bobby Veach holds the American League record.

Bibb Falk holds the AL single-season record for the last 96 years.

Max Carey hold two records as a left fielder.

The left fielder (LF) is one of the three outfielders, the defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing toward the pitcher's mound. The outfielders have to try to catch long fly balls before they hit the ground or to quickly catch or retrieve and return to the infield any other balls entering the outfield. The left fielder must also be adept at navigating the area of left field where the foul line approaches the corner of the playing field and the walls of the seating areas. Being the outfielder closest to third base, the left fielder generally does not have to throw as far as the other outfielders to throw out runners advancing around the bases, so they often do not have the strongest throwing arm, but their throws need to be accurate. The left fielder normally plays behind the third baseman and shortstop, who play in or near the infield; unlike catchers and most infielders (excepting first basemen), who are virtually exclusively right-handed, left fielders can be either right- or left-handed. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the left fielder is assigned the number 7.

Left fielders are most commonly credited with a double play when they throw the ball to an infielder who tags a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, even on a caught fly ball that results in an out (see tag up); of special importance are throws to the catcher if the runner is trying to reach home plate to score a run, perhaps on a sacrifice fly. Left fielders will often record assists by throwing out runners who try to advance farther than the batter, such as going from first to third base on a single, or batter/runners who try to stretch a hit into a longer one. Outfielders also earn double plays on relay throws to infielders after particularly deep fly balls, by throwing to a base to record an out on an appeal play, or in situations where they might deflect a fly ball before another defensive player makes the catch; in extraordinary instances, right fielders have occasionally recorded double plays by throwing out batters at first base after fielding uncaught line drives that reached them quickly. Outfielders record far fewer double plays than other players due to the difficulty of making an accurate throw in time to retire a runner from a great distance; middle infielders routinely record more double plays in a single season than outfielders do in their entire careers. Double plays are an important statistic for outfielders, giving a greater indication of a left fielder's throwing arm than double plays by infielders do. In recent years, some sabermetricians have begun referring to assists by outfielders as baserunner kills.

Jimmy Sheckard is the all-time leader in career double plays as a left fielder with 58. ^[16] Zack Wheat (50) is the only other left fielder who has recorded 50 career double plays. Michael Brantley, who had 24 double plays through the 2023 season to place him tied for 99th all-time, is the leader among active players.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a left fielder			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Jimmy Sheckard †	58	0	58	Held National League single-season record, 1911–1912; held the single-season record, 1911–1912
2	Zack Wheat*	50	1	49
3	Bobby Veach	42	42	0
4	Bibb Falk	36	36	0	Holds AL single-season record (9 in 1927)
5	Jack Graney	35	35	0
	Duffy Lewis	35	35	0
	Ken Williams	35	31	4
8	Goose Goslin*	34	34	0
9	Sherry Magee	33	0	33
10	George Burns	30	0	30
	Max Carey*	30	0	30	Holds National League single-season record (11 in 1912) (tie); Holds the single-season record (11 in 1912) (tie)
	Alfonso Soriano	30	2	28
13	Charlie Jamieson	29	29	0
14	Bob Johnson	28	28	0
15	Fred Clarke* †	27	0	27
	Ted Williams*	27	27	0
	Carl Yastrzemski*	27	27	0
18	Carson Bigbee	26	0	26
19	Matty McIntyre	25	25	0
20	Joe Medwick *	24	0	24
	Al Simmons*	24	22	2
22	Rube Ellis	23	0	23	Held National League single-season record, 1909–1911; held the single-season record, 1909–1911
	George Stone	23	23	0
	Joe Vosmik	23	23	0
25	Bob Bescher	22	0	22
	Barry Bonds	22	0	22
	Topsy Hartsel †	22	19	3
	Babe Ruth*	22	22	0
	Howie Shanks	22	22	0
30	Patsy Dougherty	21	21	0
	Minnie Miñoso*	21	21	0	Negro League totals unavailable
	Tim Raines*	21	9	12
33	Del Ennis	20	0	20
	George Foster	20	0	20
	Bernard Gilkey	20	0	20
	Heinie Manush*	20	1	19
37	Rickey Henderson*	19	16	3
	Burt Shotton	19	16	3
	Jimmy Slagle	19	0	19
40	Lou Brock*	18	0	18
	Jeff Heath	18	17	1
	Geoff Jenkins	18	0	18
	Billy Williams*	18	0	18
44	Jesse Burkett* †	17	8	9
	José Cruz	17	0	17
	Dan Gladden	17	17	0
	Luis Gonzalez	17	0	17
	Jim Rice*	17	17	0
	Hank Sauer	17	0	17
	Riggs Stephenson	17	0	17
	Tillie Walker	17	17	0
52	Augie Galan	16	0	16
	Shoeless Joe Jackson	16	16	0
	Gary Ward	16	16	0
55	Mike Greenwell	15	15	0
	Les Mann	15	0	13	Includes 2 in Federal League
	Jo-Jo Moore	15	0	15
	Rick Reichardt	15	15	0
	Lonnie Smith	15	4	11
	Moose Solters	15	15	0
61	Vince Coleman	14	5	9
	Alex Gordon	14	14	0
	Bobby Higginson	14	14	0
	Raúl Ibañez	14	13	1
	Gary Matthews	14	0	14
	Jack McCarthy	14	10	4
	Irish Meusel	14	0	14
	Lou Piniella	14	14	0
	John Stone	14	14	0
	Gus Zernial	14	14	0
71	Dusty Baker	13	0	13
	Albert Belle	13	13	0
	Tommy Davis	13	3	10
	Chick Hafey*	13	0	13
	Steve Henderson	13	3	10
	Matt Holliday	13	1	12
	Ralph Kiner*	13	0	13
	Carlos Lee	13	4	9
	Kevin McReynolds	13	0	13
	Sam Mertes †	13	5	8
	Rube Oldring	13	13	0
	Luis Polonia	13	13	0
	Gee Walker	13	11	2
	Roy White	13	13	0
	Gene Woodling	13	13	0
86	Garret Anderson	12	12	0
	Dante Bichette	12	3	9
	Pat Duncan	12	0	12
	Bill Lamar	12	12	0
	Austin McHenry	12	0	12
	Mike Menosky	12	12	0
	Ward Miller	12	1	5	Includes 6 in Federal League
	Rip Radcliff	12	12	0
	Kip Selbach	12	10	2
	Spike Shannon	12	0	12
	Willie Stargell*	12	0	12
	Shannon Stewart	12	12	0
	B.J. Surhoff	12	12	0
99	Michael Brantley	11	11	0
	Pat Burrell	11	0	11

Center Fielders

Tris Speaker, the all-time leader in double plays by a center fielder.

Jackie Bradley Jr., the active leader in double plays by a center fielder and tied for 82nd all-time.

Willie Mays holds the National League record.

The center fielder (CF) is one of the three outfielders, the defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. Center field is the area of the outfield directly in front of a person standing at home plate and facing beyond the pitcher's mound. The outfielders' duty is to try to catch long fly balls before they hit the ground or to quickly catch or retrieve and return to the infield any other balls entering the outfield. Generally having the most territory to cover, the center fielder is usually the fastest of the three outfielders, although this can also depend on the relative strength of their throwing arms and the configuration of their home field, due to the deepest part of center field being the farthest point from the infield and home plate. The center fielder normally plays behind the shortstop and second baseman, who play in or near the infield; unlike catchers and most infielders (excepting first basemen), who are virtually exclusively right-handed, center fielders can be either right- or left-handed. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the center fielder is assigned the number 8.

Center fielders are most commonly credited with a double play when they throw the ball to an infielder who tags a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, even on a caught fly ball that results in an out (see tag up); of special importance are throws to the catcher if the runner is trying to reach home plate to score a run, perhaps on a sacrifice fly. Left fielders will often record assists by throwing out runners who try to advance farther than the batter, such as going from first to third base on a single, or batter/runners who try to stretch a hit into a longer one. Outfielders also earn double plays on relay throws to infielders after particularly deep fly balls, by throwing to a base to record an out on an appeal play, or in situations where they might deflect a fly ball before another defensive player makes the catch; in extraordinary instances, right fielders have occasionally recorded double plays by throwing out batters at first base after fielding uncaught line drives that reached them quickly. Outfielders record far fewer double plays than other players due to the difficulty of making an accurate throw in time to retire a runner from a great distance; middle infielders routinely record more double plays in a single season than outfielders do in their entire careers. Double plays are an important statistic for outfielders, giving a greater indication of a left fielder's throwing arm than double plays by infielders do. In recent years, some sabermetricians have begun referring to assists by outfielders as baserunner kills.

Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in career double plays as a center fielder with 146; ^{[17] [18] [19]} he is the only player to record more than 100 career double plays as a center fielder. Speaker played a particularly shallow center field and six of his double plays were unassisted, which is the record for outfielders. ^[20] Jackie Bradley Jr. , who had 20 double plays through the 2023 season to place him tied for 82nd all-time, is the leader among active players.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a center fielder			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Tris Speaker*	146	146	0
2	Ty Cobb*	77	77	0
3	Willie Mays*	59	0	59
4	Max Carey*	58	0	58
5	Clyde Milan	55	55	0
6	Dode Paskert	48	0	48
7	Cy Seymour †	46	0	46
8	Ginger Beaumont †	44	0	44
	Sam West	44	44	0
10	Ken Griffey Jr.*	41	35	6
	Edd Roush*	41	0	37	Includes 4 in Federal League
12	Fielder Jones †	40	40	0
	Tommy Leach †	40	0	40
14	Richie Ashburn*	39	0	39
	Happy Felsch	39	39	0
16	Steve Finley	37	0	37
17	Hy Myers	36	0	36
18	Joe Birmingham	35	35	0
	Doc Cramer	35	35	0
	Vince DiMaggio	35	0	35
	Amos Otis	35	34	1
22	Roy Thomas †	34	0	34
23	Kenny Lofton	33	30	3
24	Bill Bruton	31	9	22
	Jim Edmonds	31	8	23
	Amos Strunk	31	31	0
27	Dom DiMaggio	30	30	0
	Fred Lynn	30	30	0
	Kirby Puckett*	30	30	0
	Cy Williams	30	0	30
31	Brett Butler	29	13	16
	Joe DiMaggio*	29	29	0
	Baby Doll Jacobson	29	29	0
34	Earl Averill*	28	28	0
	Carlos Beltrán	28	14	14
	Curt Flood	28	0	28
	Lloyd Waner*	28	0	28
38	Paul Blair	27	27	0
	Jim Wynn	27	0	27
40	Jimmy Barrett †	26	26	0
	Benny Kauff	26	0	18	Includes 8 in Federal League
	Burt Shotton	26	25	1
43	Johnny Bates	25	0	25
	Danny Hoffman	25	25	0
	Solly Hofman	25	0	24	Includes 1 in Federal League
	Mickey Mantle*	25	25	0
	Jigger Statz	25	0	25
48	Sam Chapman	24	24	0
	Ira Flagstead	24	23	1
	Adam Jones	24	24	0
	Omar Moreno	24	4	20
	Johnny Mostil	24	24	0
53	Andruw Jones	23	0	23
	Mark Kotsay	23	12	11
	Nemo Leibold	23	23	0
	Terry Moore	23	0	23
	Jack Smith	23	0	23
	Homer Smoot	23	0	23
	Bobby Thomson	23	1	22
60	César Cedeño	22	0	22
	Earle Combs*	22	22	0
	Marquis Grissom	22	0	22
	Johnny Groth	22	22	0
	Lance Johnson	22	14	8
	Willie McGee	22	2	20
	Rebel Oakes	22	0	18	Includes 4 in Federal League
	B.J. Upton	22	15	7
68	Ping Bodie	21	21	0
	Willie Davis	21	1	20
	Larry Doby*	21	21	0	Negro League totals unavailable
	Emmet Heidrick †	21	19	2
	Dave Henderson	21	21	0
	Garry Maddox	21	0	21
	Gary Pettis	21	21	0
	Fred Schulte	21	20	1
	Jimmy Slagle	21	0	21
	Del Unser	21	15	6
	Tillie Walker	21	21	0
	Devon White	21	18	3
	Hack Wilson*	21	0	21
	Mookie Wilson	21	3	18
82	Harry Bay	20	18	2
	Jackie Bradley Jr. (0)	20	18	2
	Darrin Jackson	20	2	18
	Rick Monday	20	11	9
86	Mike Cameron	19	9	10
	Taylor Douthit	19	0	19
	Doug Glanville	19	18	1
	Dave Philley	19	19	0
	Chick Stahl †	19	19	0
91	Lenny Dykstra	18	0	18
	Carlos Gómez	18	8	10
	Torii Hunter	18	18	0
	Charlie Jones	18	18	0
	Chet Lemon	18	18	0
	Ray Powell	18	0	18
	Mickey Rivers	18	18	0
	Andy Van Slyke	18	1	17
99	Tommie Agee	17	10	7
	Wally Berger	17	0	17

Right Fielders

Harry Hooper, the all-time leader in career double plays by a right fielder

Jason Heyward, the active leader in double plays by a right fielder and tied for 81st all-time.

Mel Ott holds the National League record.

Right fielders are most commonly credited with a double play when they throw the ball to an infielder who tags a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, even on a caught fly ball that results in an out (see tag up); of special importance are throws to the catcher if the runner is trying to reach home plate to score a run, perhaps on a sacrifice fly. Left fielders will often record assists by throwing out runners who try to advance farther than the batter, such as going from first to third base on a single, or batter/runners who try to stretch a hit into a longer one. Outfielders also earn double plays on relay throws to infielders after particularly deep fly balls, by throwing to a base to record an out on an appeal play, or in situations where they might deflect a fly ball before another defensive player makes the catch; in extraordinary instances, right fielders have occasionally recorded double plays by throwing out batters at first base after fielding uncaught line drives that reached them quickly. Outfielders record far fewer double plays than other players due to the difficulty of making an accurate throw in time to retire a runner from a great distance; middle infielders routinely record more double plays in a single season than outfielders do in their entire careers. Double plays are an important statistic for outfielders, giving a greater indication of a left fielder's throwing arm than double plays by infielders do. In recent years, some sabermetricians have begun referring to assists by outfielders as baserunner kills.

Harry Hooper is the all-time leader in career double plays as a right fielder with 86; ^{[21] [22] [23]} he is the only right fielder with more than 80 career double plays. Jason Heyward, who had 20 double plays through the 2023 season to place him tied for 82nd all-time, is the leader among active players.

• Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.

Rank	Player (2025 DPs)	Double plays as a right fielder			Other leagues, notes
		MLB	American League	National League
1	Harry Hooper*	86	86	0
2	Mel Ott*	59	0	59
3	Sam Rice*	55	55	0
4	Paul Waner*	54	0	54
5	Sam Crawford* †	50	38	12
6	Curt Walker	46	0	46
7	Jesse Barfield	45	45	0
	Ross Youngs*	45	0	45
9	Dwight Evans	42	42	0
10	Chief Wilson	41	0	41
11	Roberto Clemente*	40	0	40
	Tommy Griffith	40	0	40
	John Titus	40	0	40
	Larry Walker*	40	0	40
15	Hank Aaron*	39	0	39
16	Bobby Bonds	38	15	23
	Harry Heilmann*	38	33	5
	Mike Mitchell	38	0	38
19	Frank Schulte	37	4	33
20	Chuck Klein*	36	0	36
21	Cliff Heathcote	34	0	34
	Rusty Staub	34	3	31
23	George Browne	33	2	31
	Kiki Cuyler*	33	0	33
	Elmer Flick* †	33	26	7
	Wally Moses	33	33	0
	Casey Stengel*	33	0	33
28	Vladimir Guerrero*	32	10	22
	Willie Keeler* †	32	24	8
30	Jermaine Dye	30	29	1
	Harry Lumley	30	0	30
32	Johnny Callison	29	1	28
	Shano Collins	29	29	0
	Enos Slaughter*	29	2	27
	Jack Tobin	29	24	0	Includes 5 in Federal League
36	Tom Brunansky	28	25	3
	Ty Cobb*	28	28	0
	Steve Evans	28	0	20	Includes 8 in Federal League
	Max Flack	28	0	24	Includes 4 in Federal League
	Al Kaline*	28	28	0
	Bob Meusel	28	27	1
	Socks Seybold †	28	28	0
	Elmer Smith	28	25	3
44	Bruce Campbell	27	27	0
	Tommy Henrich	27	27	0
	Dave Parker*	27	0	27
	Billy Southworth*	27	1	26
	Dave Winfield*	27	11	16
49	José Bautista	26	26	0
	Jay Buhner	26	26	0
	Reggie Jackson*	26	26	0
52	Dante Bichette	25	13	12
	Gavvy Cravath	25	0	25
	Jeff Francoeur	25	7	18
	Carl Furillo	25	0	25
	Tommy Holmes	25	0	25
	Sixto Lezcano	25	14	11
	Ron Northey	25	0	25
59	Jack Clark	24	0	24
	José Guillén	24	10	14
	Tony Gwynn*	24	0	24
	Willard Marshall	24	0	24
	Danny Moeller	24	23	1
64	Patsy Donovan †	23	5	18
	Shawn Green	23	14	9
	Babe Herman	23	0	23
	Tim Salmon	23	23	0
	Jimmy Sebring	23	0	23
	Sammy Sosa	23	1	22
	Darryl Strawberry	23	1	22
	Dixie Walker	23	1	22
	Glenn Wilson	23	4	19
73	Danny Murphy †	22	19	0	Includes 3 in Federal League
	Rubén Sierra	22	22	0
	Ichiro Suzuki*	22	22	0
76	Bobby Abreu	21	9	12
	Rocky Colavito	21	21	0
	George Harper	21	2	19
	Raúl Mondesí	21	7	14
	Bill Nicholson	21	0	21
81	Danny Green †	20	20	0
	Jason Heyward (0)	20	0	20
	Orlando Merced	20	5	15
	Bing Miller	20	20	0
	Paul O'Neill	20	15	5
	Tony Oliva*	20	20	0
	Babe Ruth*	20	20	0
	Homer Summa	20	20	0
89	Jackie Jensen	19	19	0
	Magglio Ordóñez	19	19	0
	Braggo Roth	19	19	0
92	Jeromy Burnitz	18	3	15
	Rob Deer	18	0	18
	Wilbur Good †	18	2	16
	Willie Kirkland	18	9	9
	Don Mueller	18	1	17
	Trot Nixon	18	18	0
	Ellis Valentine	18	1	17
	Vic Wertz	18	18	0
100	Harold Baines*	17	17	0
	Jay Bruce	17	5	12

Notes

1. A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.

References

1. "Official Baseball Rules (2022 Edition): Rule 9.11" (PDF). Major League Baseball. Retrieved 21 Dec 2022.
2. "Cut4: That time Carlton Fisk tagged two guys out at the plate on the same play". Major League Baseball. 2 August 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
3. "2006 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 1". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
4. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as C". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
5. "Ray Schalk Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
6. "Steve O'Neill Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
7. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 1B". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
8. "Mickey Vernon Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
9. "From 1950 to 2013, Throws LH, Played: 2B". Baseball-Reference . Retrieved September 23, 2019.
10. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 2B". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
11. "Bill Mazeroski Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
12. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 3B". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
13. "Brooks Robinson Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
14. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as SS". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
15. "Omar Vizquel Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
16. "Jimmy Sheckard Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
17. "Tris Speaker Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
18. Jensen, Don. "WTris Speaker Bio". Society For American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
19. "Tris Speaker Hall of Fame Profile". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
20. "Double Play Records for Outfielders". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
21. "Harry Hooper Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
22. Zingg - Reed, Paul - E. A. (Betsy). "Harry Hooper Bio". Society For American Baseball Research. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
23. "Harry Hooper Hall of Fame Profile". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 1, 2021.

External links

• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as P". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as C". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 1B". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 2B". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 3B". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as SS". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as LF (s.1901)". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as CF (s.1901)". Baseball-Reference.com.
• "Career Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as RF (s.1901)". Baseball-Reference.com.