Highest Single-Season PIV (Player Impact Value): Leaders & Records

Single Season

Includes the 2026 season through October 9, 2026

This board follows the record MLB adopted in 2024, when the statistics of the seven recognised Negro Leagues (1920–1948) became part of the official record. Because a Negro Leagues season ran roughly 69 games to the American and National Leagues’ 149, the career qualification is prorated from 3,000 at-bats to 1,389 for careers played mainly in those leagues, and from 400 plate appearances to 185 for a single Negro Leagues season. The all-time AL & NL board uses the traditional 3,000-at-bat rule and excludes Negro Leagues records.

As of October 9, 2026, the single-season leader in Player Impact Value is Babe Ruth (1921) with 10,137.04. Babe Ruth (1920) is second with 9,809.86 and Babe Ruth (1923) is third with 9,715.45. This page ranks the top 100 seasons in Player Impact Value.

PIV (Player Impact Value):
Baseball Data Hub's own offensive metric: production measured against the league average of the player's own era, then adjusted for how often he actually played.

Data updated

Babe Ruth holds the single-season PIV record with 10,137.04 PIV in 1921, ahead of his own 9,809.86 in 1920 and his own 9,715.45 in 1923.

Rankings cover the top 100 qualifying seasons (1901 onward).

Top 10 PIV

Single Season. Click a bar to view the player.

Highest Single-Season PIV (Player Impact Value): Leaders & Records (AL/NL + Negro Leagues Combined)
Rank Player Year Team PIV
1 Babe Ruth 1921 NYA 10,137.04
2 Babe Ruth 1920 NYA 9,809.86
3 Babe Ruth 1923 NYA 9,715.45
4 Barry Bonds 2001 SFN 9,433.15
5 Barry Bonds 2004 SFN 9,293.52
6 Barry Bonds 2002 SFN 8,991.75
7 Ted Williams 1941 BOS 8,671.53
8 Babe Ruth 1924 NYA 8,610.89
9 Jimmie Foxx 1932 PHA 8,549.89
10 Babe Ruth 1927 NYA 8,547.91
11 Lou Gehrig 1927 NYA 8,524.51
12 Babe Ruth 1926 NYA 8,173.00
13 Ted Williams 1942 BOS 8,055.91
14 Ted Williams 1946 BOS 7,956.42
15 Aaron Judge 2024 NYA 7,825.60
16 Babe Ruth 1931 NYA 7,752.36
17 Rogers Hornsby 1922 SLN 7,623.09
18 Lou Gehrig 1934 NYA 7,564.12
19 Ted Williams 1949 BOS 7,558.54
20 Mark McGwire 1998 SLN 7,529.39
21 Lou Gehrig 1936 NYA 7,476.10
22 Jimmie Foxx 1933 PHA 7,419.27
23 Stan Musial 1948 SLN 7,410.20
24 Rogers Hornsby 1924 SLN 7,347.92
25 Ted Williams 1947 BOS 7,347.03
26 Jimmie Foxx 1938 BOS 7,248.37
27 Mickey Mantle 1957 NYA 7,206.00
28 Babe Ruth 1928 NYA 7,192.92
29 Ted Williams 1957 BOS 7,182.54
30 Norm Cash 1961 DET 7,172.05
31 Mickey Mantle 1956 NYA 7,085.98
32 Aaron Judge 2025 NYA 7,071.99
33 Lou Gehrig 1931 NYA 7,020.15
34 Sammy Sosa 2001 CHN 7,015.11
35 Babe Ruth 1930 NYA 7,013.97
36 Rogers Hornsby 1925 SLN 7,004.74
37 Lou Gehrig 1930 NYA 6,969.26
38 Aaron Judge 2022 NYA 6,906.90
39 Larry Walker 1997 COL 6,795.67
40 Hack Wilson 1930 CHN 6,755.37
41 George Sisler 1920 SLA 6,735.79
42 Barry Bonds 2003 SFN 6,701.67
43 Lou Gehrig 1937 NYA 6,673.25
44 Barry Bonds 1993 SFN 6,620.85
45 Hank Greenberg 1938 DET 6,480.16
46 Carl Yastrzemski 1967 BOS 6,472.91
47 Todd Helton 2000 COL 6,463.85
48 Ty Cobb 1911 DET 6,461.72
49 Rogers Hornsby 1929 CHN 6,444.10
50 Luis Gonzalez 2001 ARI 6,430.91
51 Bryce Harper 2015 WAS 6,379.23
52 Mickey Mantle 1961 NYA 6,375.85
53 Willie McCovey 1969 SFN 6,344.74
54 Lou Gehrig 1928 NYA 6,324.41
55 Ty Cobb 1917 DET 6,315.29
56 Ted Williams 1948 BOS 6,287.94
57 Carlos Delgado 2000 TOR 6,271.30
58 Hank Greenberg 1937 DET 6,262.14
59 Lou Gehrig 1932 NYA 6,259.73
60 Nap Lajoie 1901 PHA 6,259.14
61 Jason Giambi 2001 OAK 6,247.13
62 Hank Greenberg 1940 DET 6,235.05
63 Babe Ruth 1932 NYA 6,161.53
64 Ty Cobb 1915 DET 6,157.12
65 Todd Helton 2001 COL 6,121.36
66 Frank Robinson 1966 BAL 6,114.26
67 Chuck Klein 1930 PHI 6,079.60
68 Babe Herman 1930 BRO 6,067.82
69 Albert Pujols 2009 SLN 6,055.91
70 Albert Pujols 2003 SLN 6,038.48
71 Carl Yastrzemski 1970 BOS 6,036.53
72 Miguel Cabrera 2013 DET 6,029.50
73 Rogers Hornsby 1921 SLN 6,025.94
74 Tris Speaker 1920 CLE 6,022.36
75 Jimmie Foxx 1934 PHA 6,000.96
76 Lefty O'Doul 1929 PHI 5,993.24
77 Stan Musial 1949 SLN 5,966.78
78 Ralph Kiner 1951 PIT 5,959.69
79 Shoeless Joe Jackson 1911 CLE 5,956.07
80 Todd Helton 2003 COL 5,919.19
81 Ralph Kiner 1949 PIT 5,901.49
82 Rogers Hornsby 1928 BSN 5,897.77
83 Tris Speaker 1923 CLE 5,891.58
84 Stan Musial 1946 SLN 5,865.97
85 John Olerud 1993 TOR 5,863.64
86 Joe DiMaggio 1937 NYA 5,857.87
87 Tris Speaker 1912 BOS 5,848.14
88 Babe Ruth 1919 BOS 5,841.81
89 Cy Seymour 1905 CIN 5,841.76
90 Shohei Ohtani 2024 LAN 5,839.41
91 Stan Musial 1951 SLN 5,834.90
92 Harmon Killebrew 1969 MIN 5,827.46
93 Harry Heilmann 1923 DET 5,788.55
94 Jimmie Foxx 1935 PHA 5,782.18
95 Duke Snider 1954 BRO 5,765.22
96 Albert Pujols 2008 SLN 5,763.72
97 Frank Robinson 1962 CIN 5,759.52
98 Willie Mays 1965 SFN 5,750.96
99 Joe DiMaggio 1941 NYA 5,742.29
100 Chuck Klein 1932 PHI 5,724.41

Reading the single-season Player Impact Value board (combined view)

The final row on this board, rank 100, is held at 5,724.41. Every decade from the 1900s to the 2020s appears in the era filter; the 1930s appear most often. The top ten leans toward the 1920s. The board repeats several players, among them Babe Ruth (1921, 1920, 1923, 1924, and 1927), Barry Bonds (2001, 2004, 2002, 2003, and 1993), and Ted Williams (1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, and 1947). The team code seen most often in the Team column is NYA. At the top of the table is Babe Ruth, with 10,137.04 in 1921. Babe Ruth is next at 9,809.86 in 1920. No Negro Leagues entry reaches this board even with the prorated qualification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the highest single-season PIV (1901 onward)?
Babe Ruth — 10,137.04 PIV in 1921, among qualifying seasons (1901 onward). Next are his own 9,809.86 in 1920 and his own 9,715.45 in 1923.
What was Babe Ruth's PIV in 1921?
Babe Ruth accumulated 10,137.04 PIV for NYA in 1921 — the highest mark on this leaderboard.
Who else ranks in the top 5 for single-season PIV?
1. Babe Ruth (10,137.04 in 1921); 2. Babe Ruth (9,809.86 in 1920); 3. Babe Ruth (9,715.45 in 1923); 4. Barry Bonds (9,433.15 in 2001); 5. Barry Bonds (9,293.52 in 2004).
Who qualifies for this Player Impact Value leaderboard?
This leaderboard ranks qualifying seasons (1901 onward), showing the top 100. Babe Ruth leads with 10,137.04 PIV in 1921.