Shohei Ohtani is approaching 50-50. Who else is close?

Shohei Ohtani is one of the best, if not the best, players in baseball. Even without any pitching skills, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar continues to hit balls at a pace we’ve never seen before. And that’s no exaggeration. Ohtani is actually on pace to accomplish something we’ve never seen in Major League Baseball history: hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases in the same season. In fact, no one has ever achieved a 45-45 season before, so in a way, Ohtani has already made history, but 50-50 just sounds so much better, right?

On September 19, Ohtani just secured his 50th and 51st stolen bags, but still stands at 48 home runs. With only ten games left in the regular season, he only needs two more home runs to unironically join the most exclusive club in baseball (literally no one has been allowed in yet). It’s definitely possible, and based on Ohtani’s season per-game averages, he should easily accomplish that feat, but as the saying goes, the closer he gets, the further away he seems.

While no one has come as close to accomplishing this feat as Ohtani currently does, there are several other players who have come incredibly close.

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Players closest to 50-50

40-40 members:

Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (2023)

Statistics for 2023: 41 HR – 73 SB

Acuña nearly accomplished that feat at just 21 years old, when he had 37 stolen bases (led the National League) and 41 home runs in 2019. Injuries and COVID prevented Acuña from getting close to that record over the next few years, but he returned to form in 2023 and is on his way to his first of hopefully many NL MVP awards.

Alfonso Soriano, WSH (2006)

Statistics 2006: 46 HR – 41 SB

Soriano has always been a dual threat of speed and power, but 2006 was his ultimate achievement when he set a career record for home runs. 2006 was actually the only year Soriano ever hit 40+ home runs. This was also the third and final time Soriano hit 40+ stolen bases. In fact, he never hit 20+ swipes after that season.

Alex Rodriguez, SEA (1998)

Statistics from 1998: 42 HR – 46 SB

Before that season, Rodriguez had never stolen 30 bases in a season. In fact, he would never reach 30 again. But in 1998, the stars aligned and Rodriguez, always a power threat, became an absolute menace on the basepaths as well.

Statistics from 1996: 42 HR – 40 SB

A decade before Bonds broke the all-time home run record as a 40-year-old, he was 30 years old and one of the best all-around players in baseball. Bonds is the only player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. Still, his 40-40 season is arguably the least impressive among members of that club when you look at the raw numbers. Then you realize that he also had an OPS+ of 188 that season, which is by far the highest of any player on this list, backed up by his astonishing .461 on-base percentage, and you realize that this Bonds guy was pretty good before the steroids.

Statistics from 1988: 42 HR – 40 SB

Like Rodriguez, Canseco never even reached 30 stolen bases before or after that season, but that didn’t stop him from going crazy on the basepaths in 1988 and becoming the first member of the 40-40 club.

50 home runs, not enough stolen bases

Alex Rodriguez, NYY (2007)

Statistics 2007: 54 HR – 24 SB

Rodriguez is one of only two players to appear on this list twice. While he never again achieved the same stolen base numbers as he did in 1998, he was a threat for the rest of his career (no comment on why). Rodriguez was MLB’s leading home run hitter this year and was named American League MVP. Of any player in MLB history (aside from how Ohtani finishes this season), Rodriguez has the most stolen bases in a season with at least 50 home runs hit.

Ken Griffey Jr., SEA (1998)

Statistics from 1998: 56 HR – 20 SB

It would have been a surprise not to see Griffey Jr.’s name on this list. In 1998, Griffey arguably surpassed Rodriguez’s 40-40 season with an incredible 56-home run performance. Funnily enough, neither of them finished in the top three in the 1998 MVP voting.

Brady Anderson, BAL (1996)

Statistics from 1996: 50 HR – 21 SB

Talk about your one-hit wonders. Anderson had never hit 25 home runs before 1996, and never since, but he must have felt unstoppable that year. I have absolutely no idea how he was able to pull off such a crazy, one-off season. No idea at all.

Statistics from 1955: 51 HR – 24 SB

Even military service couldn’t stop Willie Mays from returning to the baseball field and putting together some of the greatest seasons of all time. The “Say Hey” boy was the first member of the 50-20 club, which dates back to 1955. Such a feat would not be achieved again until 40 years later.

50 stolen bases, not enough home runs

Statistics from 1990: 33 HR – 52 SB

Only four times in MLB history has a player stolen 50 bases with at least 30 home runs. Aside from Ohtani, the most recent feat was accomplished just a year ago by the 2023 Ronald Acuña Jr., who we’ve already talked about, but the second-most recent person to do so was none other than Barry Bonds. Before Bonds even became a San Francisco Giant, Bonds was tearing up the basepaths in Pittsburgh.

Statistics from 1987: 37 hrs – 50 SB

While many players on this list never reached the same stolen base numbers as he did in that one season, Davis had surpassed that number before. In fact, just one year earlier, Davis had recorded 80 stolen bases, which wasn’t even enough to lead the league that year (Vince Coleman, 107). However, Davis would never reach 40 stolen bases again after that year. He only had one more season with 30+ home runs (1989). Although he finished in the top 15 in MVP voting five times, those 30-home run seasons were the only ones in which Davis was ever named an All-Star.

Has Ohtani always been a speed fanatic?

Not really, no. Ohtani was a legit sprinter, but he was never a particularly good base stealer, never exceeding 30 stolen bases in the previous six years. He’s also not particularly fast. According to baseballsavant, Ohtani ranks in the 73rd percentile of sprint speed among MLB players, ranking 154th in the MLB, behind the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. (10 stolen bases), Seiya Suzuki (15 stolen bases), and JT Realmuto (two stolen bases).

Still, Ohtani’s stolen base percentage of 92.7% is near the top of baseball, arguably surpassing that of the most prolific base stealers in MLB like Elly de la Cruz (80%) and Bobby Witt Jr. (71.4%). Ohtani has a knack for timing pitchers, which makes sense since timing is also one of the keys to hitting, and Ohtani obviously does that exceptionally well. However, if Ohtani returns to the mound, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him reach those stolen base numbers again since the Dodgers want to preserve his body as much as possible, meaning this is likely Ohtani’s last chance to get into the 50-50 club.

Can Ohtani do it?

Are you serious? Of course he can. With just nine games left this season, the Dodgers face the Rockies six times, including three games at Coors Field to close out the season, and the Padres three times. Now, Ohtani wasn’t great with the home run in Colorado, hitting just three home runs in 40 at-bats at Coors. However, there’s no denying the home run potential of the Mile High City.

The remaining six games will all be played at Dodger Stadium, where Ohtani is a much better home run threat (26 home runs at home, 22 away). His chances of reaching 50 home runs are pretty good. However, Ohtani hasn’t hit a home run in nine games this season (May 18-28). If Ohtani doesn’t hit another home run in those final nine games, that would be 10 games without a home run to end the season, his longest drought in 2024.

Remaining Dodgers schedule:

*all times shown are Eastern (ET)

September 20 against Colorado, 10:10 p.m.
September 21 against Colorado, 9:10 p.m.
September 22 against Colorado, 4:10 p.m.
September 24th against San Diego, 10:10 p.m.
September 25th against San Diego, 10:10 p.m.
September 26 against San Diego, 10:10 p.m.
September 27 @ Colorado, 8:10 p.m.
September 28 @ Colorado, 8:10 p.m.
September 29 @ Colorado, 3:10 p.m.

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