Highest Single-Season Batting Average: Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through September 25, 2026

As of September 25, 2026, the single-season leader in Batting Average is Hugh Duffy (1894) with .440. Tip O'Neill (1887) is second with .435 and Ross Barnes (1876) is third with .429. This page ranks the top 100 seasons in Batting Average.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.

Data updated

Hugh Duffy holds the MLB single-season batting average record with a .440 batting average in 1894, ahead of Tip O'Neill (.435 in 1887) and Ross Barnes (.429 in 1876).

Rankings cover the top 100 qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of 3.1 plate appearances per game the player's team played).

Top 10 AVG

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Highest Single-Season Batting Average: Leaders & Records
Rank Player Year Team AVG
1 Hugh Duffy 1894 BSN .440
2 Tip O'Neill 1887 SL4 .435
3 Ross Barnes 1876 CHN .429
4 Nap Lajoie 1901 PHA .426
T-5 Rogers Hornsby 1924 SLN .424
T-5 Willie Keeler 1897 BLN .424
T-7 Ty Cobb 1911 DET .420
T-7 George Sisler 1922 SLA .420
9 Sam Thompson 1894 PHI .415
10 Fred Dunlap 1884 SLU .412
T-11 Jesse Burkett 1896 CL4 .410
T-11 Ed Delahanty 1899 PHI .410
13 Ty Cobb 1912 DET .409
14 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1911 CLE .408
15 George Sisler 1920 SLA .407
16 Ted Williams 1941 BOS .406
T-17 Jesse Burkett 1895 CL4 .405
T-17 Ed Delahanty 1894 PHI .405
19 Ed Delahanty 1895 PHI .404
T-20 Billy Hamilton 1894 PHI .403
T-20 Harry Heilmann 1923 DET .403
T-20 Rogers Hornsby 1925 SLN .403
23 Pete Browning 1887 LS2 .402
T-24 Ty Cobb 1922 DET .401
T-24 Rogers Hornsby 1922 SLN .401
T-24 Hughie Jennings 1896 BLN .401
T-24 Bill Terry 1930 NY1 .401
28 Cap Anson 1881 CHN .399
T-29 Harry Heilmann 1927 DET .398
T-29 Lefty O'Doul 1929 PHI .398
T-31 Ed Delahanty 1896 PHI .397
T-31 Rogers Hornsby 1921 SLN .397
33 Jesse Burkett 1899 SLN .396
34 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1912 CLE .395
T-35 Tony Gwynn 1994 SDN .394
T-35 Harry Heilmann 1921 DET .394
T-37 Harry Heilmann 1925 DET .393
T-37 Babe Herman 1930 BRO .393
T-37 Joe Kelley 1894 BLN .393
T-37 Babe Ruth 1923 NYA .393
41 Sam Thompson 1895 PHI .392
42 John McGraw 1899 BLN .391
T-43 George Brett 1980 KCA .390
T-43 Fred Clarke 1897 LS3 .390
T-43 Ty Cobb 1913 DET .390
T-43 Al Simmons 1931 PHA .390
T-47 Ty Cobb 1921 DET .389
T-47 Billy Hamilton 1895 PHI .389
T-47 Bill Lange 1895 CHN .389
T-47 Tris Speaker 1925 CLE .389
T-51 Luke Appling 1936 CHA .388
T-51 Rod Carew 1977 MIN .388
T-51 King Kelly 1886 CHN .388
T-51 Tris Speaker 1920 CLE .388
T-51 Ted Williams 1957 BOS .388
T-56 Lave Cross 1894 PHI .387
T-56 Rogers Hornsby 1928 BSN .387
T-56 Al Simmons 1925 PHA .387
T-56 Deacon White 1877 BSN .387
T-60 Hughie Jennings 1895 BLN .386
T-60 Willie Keeler 1896 BLN .386
T-60 Chuck Klein 1930 PHI .386
T-60 Tris Speaker 1916 CLE .386
T-64 Willie Keeler 1898 BLN .385
T-64 Arky Vaughan 1935 PIT .385
T-66 Ty Cobb 1919 DET .384
T-66 Rogers Hornsby 1923 SLN .384
T-68 Jesse Burkett 1897 CL4 .383
T-68 Ty Cobb 1917 DET .383
T-68 Nap Lajoie 1910 CLE .383
T-68 Lefty O'Doul 1930 PHI .383
T-68 Tris Speaker 1912 BOS .383
T-73 Ty Cobb 1910 DET .382
T-73 Ty Cobb 1918 DET .382
T-73 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1920 CHA .382
T-76 Joe DiMaggio 1939 NYA .381
T-76 Babe Herman 1929 BRO .381
T-76 Al Simmons 1930 PHA .381
T-76 Honus Wagner 1900 PIT .381
T-80 Billy Hamilton 1893 PHI .380
T-80 Rogers Hornsby 1929 CHN .380
T-80 Tris Speaker 1923 CLE .380
T-80 Paul Waner 1927 PIT .380
T-84 Lou Gehrig 1930 NYA .379
T-84 Goose Goslin 1928 WS1 .379
T-84 Willie Keeler 1899 BRO .379
T-84 Freddie Lindstrom 1930 NY1 .379
T-84 Larry Walker 1999 COL .379
T-89 Earl Averill 1936 CLE .378
T-89 Pete Browning 1882 LS2 .378
T-89 John Cassidy 1877 HAR .378
T-89 Ty Cobb 1925 DET .378
T-89 Sam Crawford 1911 DET .378
T-89 Heinie Manush 1926 DET .378
T-89 Heinie Manush 1928 SLA .378
T-89 Babe Ruth 1921 NYA .378
T-89 Babe Ruth 1924 NYA .378
T-89 Tris Speaker 1922 CLE .378
T-99 Ty Cobb 1909 DET .377
T-99 Ed Delahanty 1897 PHI .377

Reading the single-season Batting Average board

The final row on this board, rank T-99, is held at .377. By decade, the 1920s and 1890s are the best represented, while the list as a whole spans the 1870s through the 1990s. Within the top ten, the 1890s are the most common decade. The board repeats several players, among them Rogers Hornsby (1924, 1925, 1922, 1921, and 1928), Willie Keeler (1897, 1896, 1898, and 1899), and Ty Cobb (1911, 1912, 1922, 1913, and 1921). DET is the most common entry in the Team column. The largest tie on the board is at T-89, where Earl Averill, Pete Browning, John Cassidy, and Ty Cobb and others share .378. Hugh Duffy leads at .440 in 1894. Tip O'Neill is next at .435 in 1887.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the highest single-season batting average (MLB's qualification rule of 3.1 plate appearances per game the player's team played)?
Hugh Duffy — a .440 batting average in 1894, among qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of 3.1 plate appearances per game the player's team played). Next are Tip O'Neill (.435 in 1887) and Ross Barnes (.429 in 1876).
What was Hugh Duffy's batting average in 1894?
Hugh Duffy posted a .440 batting average for BSN in 1894 — the highest mark on this leaderboard.
Who else ranks in the top 5 for single-season batting average?
1. Hugh Duffy (.440 in 1894); 2. Tip O'Neill (.435 in 1887); 3. Ross Barnes (.429 in 1876); 4. Nap Lajoie (.426 in 1901); 5. Rogers Hornsby (.424 in 1924).
Who qualifies for this Batting Average leaderboard?
This leaderboard ranks qualifying seasons (MLB's qualification rule of 3.1 plate appearances per game the player's team played), showing the top 100. Hugh Duffy leads with a .440 batting average in 1894.