1959 Season Leaders

Top performers from the 1959 baseball season. Click column headers to sort.

These are the 1959 Major League Baseball season leaders in batting and pitching. Eddie Mathews led with 46 home runs, Ernie Banks led with 143 RBI, and Hank Aaron led with 223 hits. Batting average, OBP, SLG and OPS list qualified hitters only — 3.1 plate appearances per team game, which is 480 plate appearances at 155 team games; ERA and WHIP require one inning per team game (155 innings). Lines below those thresholds are shown and marked unqualified.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.

Data updated

← Back to 1959 Season Overview

Batting Leaders

Qualified: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 480 plate appearances at 155 team games. 71 of the 173 hitters listed qualify; the rest cleared 200+ plate appearances and are marked UNQ. Rate columns (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS) rank qualified hitters first.

1959 OPS Distribution

Every qualified batter that season, plotted as a histogram. The highlighted bin contains the league leader.

Complete Statistics

1959 Season Leaders — Complete Statistics
Player Team G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS
Hank Aaron ML1 154 693 629 116 223 46 7 39 123 8 51 54 .355 .401 .636 1.037
Harvey Kuenn DET 139 617 561 99 198 42 7 9 71 7 48 37 .353 .402 .501 .903
Joe Cunningham SLN 144 556 458 65 158 28 6 7 60 2 88 47 .345 .453 .478 .931
Al Kaline DET 136 595 511 86 167 19 2 27 94 10 72 42 .327 .410 .530 .940
Orlando Cepeda SFN 151 647 605 92 192 35 4 27 105 23 33 100 .317 .355 .522 .878
Vada Pinson CIN 154 706 648 131 205 47 9 20 84 21 55 98 .316 .371 .509 .880
Pete Runnels BOS 147 661 560 95 176 33 6 6 57 6 95 48 .314 .415 .427 .841
Willie Mays SFN 151 648 575 125 180 43 5 34 104 27 65 58 .313 .381 .583 .964
Frank Robinson CIN 146 626 540 106 168 31 4 36 125 18 69 93 .311 .391 .583 .975
Johnny Temple CIN 149 696 598 102 186 35 6 8 67 14 72 40 .311 .380 .430 .809
Ken Boyer SLN 149 633 563 86 174 18 5 28 94 12 67 77 .309 .384 .508 .892
Eddie Mathews ML1 148 682 594 118 182 16 8 46 114 2 80 71 .306 .390 .593 .983
Nellie Fox CHA 156 716 624 84 191 34 6 2 70 5 71 13 .306 .380 .389 .770
Ernie Banks CHN 155 671 589 97 179 25 6 45 143 2 64 72 .304 .374 .596 .970
Wally Moon LAN 145 637 543 93 164 26 11 19 74 15 81 64 .302 .394 .495 .890
Minnie Miñoso CLE 148 650 570 92 172 32 0 21 92 8 54 46 .302 .377 .468 .846
Bill White SLN 138 561 517 77 156 33 9 12 72 15 34 61 .302 .344 .470 .814
Bobby Richardson NYA 134 508 469 53 141 18 6 2 33 5 26 20 .301 .335 .377 .713
Bill Tuttle KC1 126 521 463 74 139 19 6 7 43 10 48 38 .300 .369 .413 .782
Gene Woodling BAL 140 524 440 63 132 22 2 14 77 1 78 35 .300 .402 .455 .856
Don Hoak PIT 155 651 564 60 166 29 3 8 65 9 71 75 .294 .374 .399 .773
Gus Bell CIN 148 620 580 59 170 27 2 19 115 2 29 44 .293 .325 .445 .770
Johnny Logan ML1 138 540 470 59 137 17 0 13 50 1 57 45 .291 .369 .411 .780
Don Blasingame SLN 150 691 615 90 178 26 7 1 24 15 67 42 .289 .361 .359 .720
Vic Power CLE 147 645 595 102 172 31 6 10 60 9 40 22 .289 .334 .412 .746
Bill Bruton ML1 133 522 478 72 138 22 6 6 41 13 35 54 .289 .338 .397 .735
Charlie Neal LAN 151 685 616 103 177 30 11 19 83 17 43 86 .287 .337 .464 .802
Bob Cerv KC1 125 513 463 61 132 22 4 20 87 3 35 87 .285 .332 .479 .812
Mickey Mantle NYA 144 639 541 104 154 23 4 31 75 21 93 126 .285 .390 .514 .904
Ed Bouchee PHI 136 581 499 75 142 29 4 15 74 0 70 74 .285 .375 .449 .824
Yogi Berra NYA 131 521 472 64 134 25 1 19 69 1 43 38 .284 .347 .462 .809
Hector Lopez 2 teams 147 593 541 82 153 26 5 22 93 4 36 77 .283 .333 .471 .804
Jim Gilliam LAN 145 655 553 91 156 18 4 3 34 23 96 25 .282 .387 .345 .732
Tony Taylor CHN 150 688 624 96 175 30 8 8 38 23 45 86 .280 .331 .393 .724
Frank Malzone BOS 154 660 604 90 169 34 2 19 92 6 42 58 .280 .323 .437 .760
Bob Skinner PIT 143 617 547 78 153 18 4 13 61 10 67 65 .280 .357 .399 .756
Gino Cimoli SLN 143 569 519 61 145 40 7 8 72 7 37 83 .279 .327 .430 .757
Tony Kubek NYA 132 553 512 67 143 25 7 6 51 3 24 46 .279 .313 .391 .704
Jim Lemon WS1 147 584 531 73 148 18 3 33 100 5 46 99 .279 .334 .510 .844
Eddie Yost DET 148 675 521 115 145 19 0 21 61 9 135 77 .278 .435 .436 .871
Jackie Jensen BOS 148 636 535 101 148 31 0 28 112 20 88 67 .277 .372 .492 .863
Gil Hodges LAN 124 480 413 57 114 19 2 25 80 3 58 92 .276 .367 .513 .880
Dick Groat PIT 147 640 593 74 163 22 7 5 51 0 32 35 .275 .312 .361 .673
Roger Maris KC1 122 498 433 69 118 21 7 16 72 2 58 53 .273 .359 .464 .824
Willie Kirkland SFN 126 511 463 64 126 22 3 22 68 5 42 84 .272 .335 .475 .810
Jim Landis CHA 149 623 515 78 140 26 7 5 60 20 78 68 .272 .370 .379 .749
Dick Williams KC1 130 538 488 72 130 33 1 16 75 4 28 60 .266 .309 .436 .746
Richie Ashburn PHI 153 660 564 86 150 16 2 1 20 9 79 42 .266 .360 .307 .667
Frank Bolling DET 127 520 459 56 122 18 3 13 55 2 45 37 .266 .339 .403 .742
Sherm Lollar CHA 140 576 505 63 134 22 3 22 84 4 55 49 .265 .345 .451 .796
Daryl Spencer SFN 152 621 555 59 147 20 1 12 62 5 58 67 .265 .332 .369 .701
Al Dark CHN 136 545 477 60 126 22 9 6 45 1 55 50 .264 .342 .386 .728
Bob Allison WS1 150 639 570 83 149 18 9 30 85 13 60 92 .261 .333 .482 .815
Jim Davenport SFN 123 510 469 65 121 16 3 6 38 0 28 65 .258 .301 .343 .645
Rocky Colavito CLE 154 664 588 90 151 24 0 42 111 3 71 86 .257 .337 .512 .849
Del Crandall ML1 150 581 518 65 133 19 2 21 72 5 46 48 .257 .318 .423 .741
Luis Aparicio CHA 152 686 612 98 157 18 5 6 51 56 53 40 .257 .316 .332 .647
Bill Virdon PIT 144 583 519 67 132 24 2 8 41 7 55 65 .254 .327 .355 .682
Wally Post PHI 132 510 468 62 119 17 6 22 94 0 36 101 .254 .310 .457 .767
Woodie Held CLE 143 577 525 82 132 19 3 29 71 1 46 118 .251 .313 .465 .778
Gil McDougald NYA 127 481 434 44 109 16 8 4 34 0 35 40 .251 .309 .353 .661
Charlie Maxwell DET 145 611 518 81 130 12 2 31 95 0 81 91 .251 .357 .461 .819
Willie Tasby BAL 142 552 505 69 126 16 5 13 48 3 34 80 .250 .303 .378 .682
Harmon Killebrew WS1 153 647 546 98 132 20 2 42 105 3 90 116 .242 .354 .516 .870
Bill Mazeroski PIT 135 537 493 50 119 15 6 7 59 1 29 54 .241 .283 .339 .621
Don Buddin BOS 151 589 485 75 117 24 1 10 53 6 92 99 .241 .366 .357 .723
Jerry Lumpe 2 teams 126 504 448 49 108 11 5 3 30 2 47 39 .241 .313 .308 .621
Harry Anderson PHI 142 561 508 50 122 28 6 14 63 1 43 95 .240 .304 .402 .706
George Strickland CLE 132 501 441 55 105 15 2 3 48 1 51 64 .238 .313 .302 .615
Al Smith CHA 129 529 472 65 112 16 4 17 55 7 46 74 .237 .311 .396 .707
Sparky Anderson PHI 152 527 477 42 104 9 3 0 34 6 42 53 .218 .282 .249 .531
Tito Francona UNQ CLE 122 443 399 68 145 17 2 20 79 2 35 42 .363 .414 .566 .980
Willie McCovey UNQ SFN 52 219 192 32 68 9 5 13 38 2 22 35 .354 .429 .656 1.085
Russ Snyder UNQ KC1 73 267 243 41 76 13 2 3 21 6 19 29 .313 .367 .420 .787
Duke Snider UNQ LAN 126 435 370 59 114 11 2 23 88 1 58 71 .308 .400 .535 .935
Bill Skowron UNQ NYA 74 309 282 39 84 13 5 15 59 1 20 47 .298 .349 .539 .888
Dick Stuart UNQ PIT 118 450 397 64 118 15 2 27 78 1 42 86 .297 .362 .549 .911
Smoky Burgess UNQ PIT 114 418 377 41 112 28 5 11 59 0 31 16 .297 .349 .485 .834
Roberto Clemente UNQ PIT 105 456 432 60 128 17 7 4 50 2 15 51 .296 .322 .396 .718
Carl Sawatski UNQ PHI 74 233 198 15 58 10 0 9 43 0 32 36 .293 .392 .480 .872
Joe Adcock UNQ ML1 115 444 404 53 118 19 2 25 76 0 32 77 .292 .339 .535 .874
Bob Nieman UNQ BAL 118 409 360 49 105 18 2 21 60 1 42 55 .292 .367 .528 .895
Rocky Nelson UNQ PIT 98 204 175 31 51 11 0 6 32 0 23 19 .291 .379 .457 .836
Dave Philley UNQ PHI 99 278 254 32 74 18 2 7 37 0 18 27 .291 .339 .461 .800
Norm Larker UNQ LAN 108 351 311 37 90 14 1 8 49 0 26 25 .289 .344 .418 .762
Hal Smith UNQ KC1 108 332 292 36 84 12 0 5 31 0 34 39 .288 .367 .380 .747
Brooks Robinson UNQ BAL 88 333 313 29 89 15 2 4 24 2 17 37 .284 .325 .383 .709
Sammy White UNQ BOS 119 405 377 34 107 13 4 1 42 4 23 39 .284 .324 .347 .672
Eddie Kasko UNQ CIN 118 347 329 39 93 14 1 2 31 2 14 38 .283 .309 .350 .659
Al Pilarcik UNQ BAL 130 317 273 37 77 12 1 3 16 9 30 25 .282 .355 .366 .722
Ted Lepcio UNQ 2 teams 79 237 218 26 61 9 0 7 25 2 17 51 .280 .332 .417 .749
Wes Covington UNQ ML1 103 405 373 38 104 17 3 7 45 0 26 41 .279 .329 .397 .726
Ted Kluszewski UNQ 2 teams 91 239 223 22 62 12 2 4 27 0 14 24 .278 .319 .404 .723
Gene Stephens UNQ BOS 92 310 270 34 75 13 1 3 39 5 29 33 .278 .353 .367 .720
Jim McAnany UNQ CHA 67 231 210 22 58 9 3 0 27 2 19 26 .276 .339 .348 .687
Felipe Alou UNQ SFN 95 268 247 38 68 13 2 10 33 5 17 38 .275 .318 .466 .784
Vic Wertz UNQ BOS 94 273 247 38 68 13 0 7 49 0 22 32 .275 .337 .413 .750
Elston Howard UNQ NYA 125 474 443 59 121 24 6 18 73 0 20 57 .273 .306 .476 .783
Norm Siebern UNQ NYA 120 431 380 52 103 17 0 11 53 3 41 71 .271 .341 .403 .744
Jackie Brandt UNQ SFN 137 471 429 63 116 16 5 12 57 11 35 69 .270 .324 .415 .739
Hal Smith UNQ SLN 142 473 452 35 122 15 3 13 50 2 15 28 .270 .295 .403 .698
Jerry Lynch UNQ CIN 117 415 379 49 102 16 3 17 58 2 29 50 .269 .320 .462 .782
Sammy Taylor UNQ CHN 110 390 353 41 95 13 2 13 43 1 35 47 .269 .336 .428 .764
Alex Grammas UNQ SLN 131 415 368 43 99 14 2 3 30 3 38 26 .269 .337 .342 .679
Julio Becquer UNQ WS1 108 230 220 20 59 12 5 1 26 3 8 17 .268 .296 .382 .677
Rocky Bridges UNQ DET 116 420 381 38 102 16 3 3 35 1 30 35 .268 .320 .349 .670
Gene Freese UNQ PHI 132 457 400 60 107 14 5 23 70 8 43 61 .268 .343 .500 .843
Wayne Terwilliger UNQ KC1 74 204 180 27 48 11 0 2 18 2 19 31 .267 .335 .361 .696
Bob Boyd UNQ BAL 128 461 415 42 110 20 2 3 41 3 29 14 .265 .312 .345 .656
Roy McMillan UNQ CIN 79 280 246 38 65 14 2 9 24 0 27 27 .264 .345 .447 .792
Ed Bailey UNQ CIN 121 447 379 43 100 13 0 12 40 2 62 53 .264 .370 .393 .763
Bubba Phillips UNQ CHA 117 415 379 43 100 27 1 5 40 1 27 28 .264 .319 .380 .699
Red Wilson UNQ DET 67 247 228 28 60 17 2 4 35 2 10 23 .263 .295 .408 .703
Ray Boone UNQ 2 teams 83 211 168 25 44 6 0 4 19 2 38 24 .262 .394 .369 .763
Dick Gernert UNQ BOS 117 352 298 41 78 14 1 11 42 1 52 49 .262 .369 .426 .795
Joe Koppe UNQ PHI 126 472 422 68 110 18 7 7 28 7 41 80 .261 .327 .386 .713
Billy Martin UNQ CLE 73 259 242 37 63 7 0 9 24 0 8 18 .260 .290 .401 .691
Maury Wills UNQ LAN 83 258 242 27 63 5 2 0 7 7 13 27 .260 .298 .298 .596
Bobby Thomson UNQ CHN 122 418 374 55 97 15 2 11 52 1 35 50 .259 .322 .398 .721
Lee Walls UNQ CHN 120 409 354 43 91 18 3 8 33 0 42 73 .257 .342 .393 .734
Don Demeter UNQ LAN 139 401 371 55 95 11 1 18 70 5 16 87 .256 .294 .437 .731
Willie Jones UNQ 2 teams 130 466 411 57 105 22 2 14 56 0 48 43 .255 .332 .421 .753
Stan Musial UNQ SLN 115 404 341 37 87 13 2 14 44 0 60 25 .255 .364 .428 .792
Curt Flood UNQ SLN 121 226 208 24 53 7 3 7 26 2 16 35 .255 .305 .418 .724
Ted Williams UNQ BOS 103 331 272 32 69 15 0 10 43 0 52 27 .254 .372 .419 .791
Kent Hadley UNQ KC1 113 318 288 40 73 11 1 10 39 1 24 74 .253 .310 .403 .713
Jim Marshall UNQ CHN 108 331 294 39 74 10 1 11 40 0 33 39 .252 .324 .405 .729
Hobie Landrith UNQ SFN 109 335 283 30 71 14 0 3 29 0 43 23 .251 .345 .332 .678
Eddie Bressoud UNQ SFN 104 350 315 36 79 17 2 9 26 0 28 55 .251 .311 .403 .714
Faye Throneberry UNQ WS1 117 367 327 36 82 11 2 10 42 6 33 61 .251 .322 .388 .710
Billy Goodman UNQ CHA 104 291 268 21 67 14 1 1 28 3 19 20 .250 .304 .321 .625
Andre Rodgers UNQ SFN 71 266 228 32 57 12 1 6 24 2 32 50 .250 .342 .390 .733
Billy Klaus UNQ BAL 104 377 321 33 80 11 0 3 25 2 51 38 .249 .350 .312 .662
Lenny Green UNQ 2 teams 115 242 214 32 53 6 1 3 17 9 21 18 .248 .318 .327 .645
Hal Naragon UNQ 2 teams 85 248 231 18 57 7 3 0 16 0 11 11 .247 .283 .303 .586
Jim Baxes UNQ 2 teams 88 308 280 39 69 12 0 17 39 1 25 54 .246 .310 .471 .782
Ed FitzGerald UNQ 2 teams 68 211 191 17 47 9 1 1 9 0 16 22 .246 .311 .319 .630
Jim Piersall UNQ CLE 100 354 317 42 78 13 2 4 30 6 25 31 .246 .303 .338 .641
George Altman UNQ CHN 135 468 420 54 103 14 4 12 47 1 34 80 .245 .312 .383 .695
Gary Geiger UNQ BOS 120 360 335 45 82 10 4 11 48 9 21 55 .245 .289 .397 .686
Ken Aspromonte UNQ WS1 70 255 225 31 55 12 0 2 14 2 26 39 .244 .321 .324 .646
Joe DeMaestri UNQ KC1 118 387 352 31 86 16 5 6 34 1 28 65 .244 .305 .369 .674
Marty Keough UNQ BOS 96 285 251 40 61 13 5 7 27 3 26 40 .243 .320 .418 .739
Walt Dropo UNQ 2 teams 88 210 190 21 46 10 0 7 23 0 16 27 .242 .303 .405 .708
Roy Sievers UNQ WS1 115 444 385 55 93 19 0 21 49 1 53 62 .242 .333 .455 .788
Russ Nixon UNQ CLE 82 280 258 23 62 10 3 1 29 0 15 28 .240 .277 .314 .591
Marv Throneberry UNQ NYA 80 214 192 27 46 5 0 8 22 0 18 51 .240 .302 .391 .693
Ron Fairly UNQ LAN 118 284 244 27 58 12 1 4 23 0 31 29 .238 .324 .344 .668
Hank Bauer UNQ NYA 114 380 341 44 81 20 0 9 39 4 33 54 .238 .307 .375 .682
Reno Bertoia UNQ WS1 90 341 308 33 73 10 0 8 29 2 29 48 .237 .302 .347 .649
Earl Averill UNQ CHN 74 205 186 22 44 10 0 10 34 0 15 39 .237 .298 .452 .749
Dale Long UNQ CHN 110 330 296 34 70 10 3 14 37 0 31 53 .236 .306 .432 .738
Frank House UNQ KC1 98 371 347 32 82 14 3 1 30 0 20 23 .236 .282 .303 .584
Roman Mejias UNQ PIT 96 308 276 28 65 6 1 7 28 1 21 48 .236 .298 .341 .639
Walt Moryn UNQ CHN 117 432 381 41 89 14 1 14 48 0 44 66 .234 .316 .386 .702
Clint Courtney UNQ WS1 72 213 189 19 44 4 1 2 18 0 20 19 .233 .308 .296 .604
Pumpsie Green UNQ BOS 50 207 172 30 40 6 3 1 10 4 29 22 .233 .350 .320 .670
John Roseboro UNQ LAN 118 461 397 39 92 14 7 10 38 7 52 69 .232 .322 .378 .700
Frank Torre UNQ ML1 115 307 263 23 60 15 1 1 33 0 35 12 .228 .321 .304 .625
Bobby Avila UNQ 2 teams 93 306 264 37 60 3 2 6 25 3 34 47 .227 .314 .322 .636
Frank Thomas UNQ CIN 108 412 374 41 84 18 2 12 47 0 27 56 .225 .278 .380 .658
Ron Samford UNQ WS1 91 255 237 23 53 13 0 5 22 1 11 29 .224 .262 .342 .604
Chico Carrasquel UNQ BAL 114 391 346 28 77 13 0 4 28 2 34 41 .223 .292 .295 .587
Gail Harris UNQ DET 114 387 349 39 77 4 3 9 39 0 29 49 .221 .290 .327 .617
Earl Torgeson UNQ CHA 127 344 277 40 61 5 3 9 45 7 62 55 .220 .359 .357 .716
Billy Gardner UNQ BAL 140 451 401 34 87 13 2 6 27 2 38 61 .217 .284 .304 .589
Gus Triandos UNQ BAL 126 468 393 43 85 7 1 25 73 0 65 56 .216 .330 .430 .760
Lou Berberet UNQ DET 100 380 338 38 73 8 2 13 44 0 35 59 .216 .284 .367 .651
Albie Pearson UNQ 2 teams 105 249 218 31 47 5 2 0 8 5 27 8 .216 .301 .257 .558
Felix Mantilla UNQ ML1 103 274 251 26 54 5 0 3 19 6 16 31 .215 .266 .271 .537
Billy Consolo UNQ 2 teams 89 261 216 28 46 6 3 0 10 1 38 59 .213 .331 .269 .599
Bobo Osborne UNQ DET 86 228 209 27 40 7 1 3 21 1 16 41 .191 .254 .278 .532
Don Zimmer UNQ LAN 97 292 249 21 41 7 1 4 28 3 37 56 .165 .274 .249 .523
Showing 1-50 of 173 batters listed (71 qualified)

Pitching Leaders

Qualified: 1 inning pitched per team game — 155 innings at 155 team games. 57 of the 141 pitchers listed qualify; the rest cleared 50+ innings and are marked UNQ. ERA and WHIP rank qualified pitchers first.

Complete Statistics

1959 Season Leaders — Complete Statistics
Player Team W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA WHIP
Hoyt Wilhelm BAL 15 11 32 27 13 3 0 226.0 178 55 77 139 2.19 1.13
Camilo Pascual WS1 17 10 32 30 17 6 0 238.2 202 70 69 185 2.64 1.14
Bob Shaw CHA 18 6 47 26 8 3 3 230.2 217 69 54 89 2.69 1.17
Sam Jones SFN 21 15 50 35 16 4 4 270.2 232 85 109 209 2.83 1.26
Stu Miller SFN 8 7 59 9 2 0 8 167.2 164 53 57 95 2.84 1.32
Bob Buhl ML1 15 9 31 25 12 4 0 198.0 181 63 74 105 2.86 1.29
Art Ditmar NYA 13 9 38 25 7 1 1 202.0 156 65 52 96 2.90 1.03
Jerry Walker BAL 11 10 30 22 7 2 4 182.0 160 59 52 100 2.92 1.16
Billy O'Dell BAL 10 12 38 24 6 2 1 199.1 163 65 67 88 2.93 1.15
Warren Spahn ML1 21 15 40 36 21 4 0 292.0 282 96 70 143 2.96 1.21
Vern Law PIT 18 9 34 33 20 2 1 266.0 245 88 53 110 2.98 1.12
Gene Conley PHI 12 7 25 22 12 3 1 180.0 159 60 42 102 3.00 1.12
Whitey Ford NYA 16 10 35 29 9 2 1 204.0 194 69 89 114 3.04 1.39
Johnny Antonelli SFN 19 10 40 38 17 4 1 282.0 247 97 76 165 3.10 1.15
Harvey Haddix PIT 12 12 31 29 14 2 0 224.1 189 78 49 149 3.13 1.06
Jack Sanford SFN 15 12 36 31 10 0 1 222.1 198 78 70 132 3.16 1.21
Bud Daley KC1 16 13 39 29 12 2 1 216.1 212 76 62 125 3.16 1.27
Don Newcombe CIN 13 8 30 29 17 2 1 222.0 216 78 27 100 3.16 1.09
Early Wynn CHA 22 10 37 37 14 5 0 255.2 202 90 119 179 3.17 1.26
Jim Owens PHI 12 12 31 30 11 1 1 221.1 203 79 73 135 3.21 1.25
Milt Pappas BAL 15 9 33 27 15 4 3 209.1 175 76 75 120 3.27 1.19
Larry Jackson SLN 14 13 40 37 12 3 0 256.0 271 94 64 145 3.30 1.31
Don Mossi DET 17 9 34 30 15 3 0 228.0 210 85 49 125 3.36 1.14
Don Drysdale LAN 17 13 44 36 15 4 2 270.2 237 104 93 242 3.46 1.22
Dave Hillman CHN 8 11 39 24 4 1 0 191.0 178 75 43 88 3.53 1.16
Frank Lary DET 17 10 32 32 11 3 0 223.0 225 88 46 137 3.55 1.22
Billy Pierce CHA 14 15 34 33 12 2 0 224.0 217 90 62 114 3.62 1.25
Cal McLish CLE 19 8 35 32 13 0 1 235.1 253 95 72 113 3.63 1.38
Dick Donovan CHA 9 10 31 29 5 1 0 179.2 171 73 58 71 3.66 1.27
Glen Hobbie CHN 16 13 46 33 10 3 0 234.0 204 96 106 138 3.69 1.32
Ned Garver KC1 10 13 32 30 9 2 1 201.1 214 83 42 61 3.71 1.27
Barry Latman CHA 8 5 37 21 5 2 0 156.0 138 65 72 97 3.75 1.35
Tom Brewer BOS 10 12 36 32 11 3 2 215.1 219 90 88 121 3.76 1.43
Hal Brown BAL 11 9 31 21 2 0 3 164.0 158 69 32 81 3.79 1.16
Ralph Terry 2 teams 5 11 33 23 7 1 0 173.2 186 75 49 90 3.89 1.35
Jim Bunning DET 17 13 40 35 14 1 1 249.2 220 108 75 201 3.89 1.18
Frank Sullivan BOS 9 11 30 26 5 2 1 177.2 172 78 67 107 3.95 1.35
Mike McCormick SFN 12 16 47 31 7 3 4 225.2 213 100 86 151 3.99 1.32
Bob Friend PIT 8 19 35 35 7 2 0 234.2 267 105 52 104 4.03 1.36
Gary Bell CLE 16 11 44 28 12 1 5 234.0 208 105 105 136 4.04 1.34
Lew Burdette ML1 21 15 41 39 20 4 1 289.2 312 131 38 105 4.07 1.21
Johnny Podres LAN 14 9 34 29 6 2 0 195.0 192 89 74 145 4.11 1.36
Bob Anderson CHN 12 13 37 36 7 1 0 235.1 245 108 77 113 4.13 1.37
Mudcat Grant CLE 10 7 38 19 6 1 3 165.1 140 76 81 85 4.14 1.34
Pedro Ramos WS1 13 19 37 35 11 0 0 233.2 233 108 52 95 4.16 1.22
Vinegar Bend Mizell SLN 13 10 31 30 8 1 0 201.1 196 94 89 108 4.20 1.42
Bob Purkey CIN 13 18 38 33 9 1 1 218.0 241 103 43 78 4.25 1.30
Ron Kline PIT 11 13 33 29 7 0 0 186.0 186 88 70 91 4.26 1.38
Robin Roberts PHI 15 17 35 35 19 2 0 257.1 267 122 35 137 4.27 1.17
Bill Fischer WS1 9 11 34 29 6 1 0 187.1 211 89 43 62 4.28 1.36
Jerry Casale BOS 13 8 31 26 9 3 0 179.2 162 86 89 93 4.31 1.40
Johnny Kucks 2 teams 8 12 42 24 6 1 1 168.0 184 81 51 60 4.34 1.40
Russ Kemmerer WS1 8 17 37 28 8 0 0 206.0 221 103 71 89 4.50 1.42
Paul Foytack DET 14 14 39 37 11 2 1 240.1 239 124 64 110 4.64 1.26
Herb Score CLE 9 11 30 25 9 1 0 160.2 123 84 115 147 4.71 1.48
Ernie Broglio SLN 7 12 35 25 6 3 0 181.1 174 95 89 133 4.72 1.45
Ray Herbert KC1 11 11 37 26 10 2 1 183.2 196 99 62 99 4.85 1.40
Ryne Duren UNQ NYA 3 6 41 0 0 0 14 76.2 49 16 43 96 1.88 1.20
Roger Craig UNQ LAN 11 5 29 17 7 4 0 152.2 122 35 45 76 2.06 1.09
Larry Sherry UNQ LAN 7 2 23 9 1 1 3 94.1 75 23 43 72 2.19 1.25
Gerry Staley UNQ CHA 8 5 67 0 0 0 14 116.1 111 29 25 54 2.24 1.17
Bobby Shantz UNQ NYA 7 3 33 4 2 2 3 94.2 64 25 33 66 2.38 1.02
Bob Rush UNQ ML1 5 6 31 9 1 1 0 101.1 102 27 23 64 2.40 1.23
Don McMahon UNQ ML1 5 3 60 0 0 0 15 80.2 81 23 37 55 2.57 1.46
Jim Perry UNQ CLE 12 10 44 13 8 2 4 153.0 122 45 55 79 2.65 1.16
Bill Henry UNQ CHN 9 8 65 0 0 0 12 134.1 111 40 26 115 2.68 1.02
Roy Face UNQ PIT 18 1 57 0 0 0 10 93.1 91 28 25 69 2.70 1.24
Jim Coates UNQ NYA 6 1 37 4 2 0 0 100.1 89 32 36 64 2.87 1.25
Turk Lown UNQ CHA 9 2 60 0 0 0 15 93.1 73 30 42 63 2.89 1.23
Ike Delock UNQ BOS 11 6 28 17 4 0 0 134.1 120 44 62 55 2.95 1.35
Chuck Stobbs UNQ WS1 1 8 41 7 0 0 7 90.2 82 30 24 50 2.98 1.17
Jack Fisher UNQ BAL 1 6 27 7 1 1 2 88.2 76 30 38 52 3.05 1.29
Mike Fornieles UNQ BOS 5 3 46 0 0 0 11 82.0 77 28 29 54 3.07 1.29
Bobby Locke UNQ CLE 3 2 24 7 0 0 2 77.2 66 27 41 40 3.13 1.38
Don Ferrarese UNQ CLE 5 3 15 10 4 0 0 76.0 58 27 51 45 3.20 1.43
Bob Miller UNQ SLN 4 3 11 10 3 0 0 70.2 66 26 21 43 3.31 1.23
Don Elston UNQ CHN 10 8 65 0 0 0 13 97.2 77 36 46 82 3.32 1.26
Bob Gibson UNQ SLN 3 5 13 9 2 1 0 75.2 77 28 39 48 3.33 1.53
Jack Meyer UNQ PHI 5 3 47 1 1 0 1 93.2 76 35 53 71 3.36 1.38
Humberto Robinson UNQ 2 teams 3 4 36 4 1 0 1 81.2 79 31 28 38 3.42 1.31
Al Worthington UNQ SFN 2 3 42 3 0 0 2 73.1 68 30 37 45 3.68 1.43
Hal Woodeshick UNQ WS1 2 4 31 3 0 0 0 61.0 58 25 36 30 3.69 1.54
Juan Pizarro UNQ ML1 6 2 29 14 6 2 0 133.2 117 56 70 126 3.77 1.40
Pete Burnside UNQ DET 1 3 30 0 0 0 1 62.0 55 26 25 49 3.77 1.29
Jim Brosnan UNQ 2 teams 9 6 46 10 1 1 4 116.1 113 49 41 74 3.79 1.32
Lindy McDaniel UNQ SLN 14 12 62 7 1 0 15 132.0 144 56 41 86 3.82 1.40
Tex Clevenger UNQ WS1 8 5 50 7 2 2 8 117.1 114 51 51 71 3.91 1.41
Clem Labine UNQ LAN 5 10 56 0 0 0 9 84.2 91 37 25 37 3.93 1.37
Willard Schmidt UNQ CIN 3 2 36 4 0 0 0 70.2 80 31 30 40 3.95 1.56
Stan Williams UNQ LAN 5 5 35 15 2 0 0 124.2 102 55 86 89 3.97 1.51
Danny McDevitt UNQ LAN 10 8 39 22 6 2 4 145.0 149 64 51 106 3.97 1.38
Tom Morgan UNQ DET 1 4 46 1 0 0 9 92.2 94 41 18 39 3.98 1.21
Mike Garcia UNQ CLE 3 6 29 8 1 0 1 72.0 72 32 31 49 4.00 1.43
Frank Baumann UNQ BOS 6 4 26 10 2 0 1 95.2 96 43 55 48 4.05 1.58
Sandy Koufax UNQ LAN 8 6 35 23 6 1 2 153.1 136 69 92 173 4.05 1.49
Billy Loes UNQ BAL 4 7 37 0 0 0 14 64.1 58 29 25 34 4.06 1.29
Don Cardwell UNQ PHI 9 10 25 22 5 1 0 153.0 135 69 65 106 4.06 1.31
Joey Jay UNQ ML1 6 11 34 19 4 1 0 136.1 130 62 64 88 4.09 1.42
Bob Grim UNQ KC1 6 10 40 9 3 1 4 125.1 124 57 57 65 4.09 1.44
Ernie Johnson UNQ BAL 4 1 31 1 0 0 1 50.1 57 23 19 29 4.11 1.51
Ray Moore UNQ CHA 3 6 29 8 0 0 0 89.2 86 41 46 49 4.12 1.47
Tom Acker UNQ CIN 1 2 37 0 0 0 2 63.1 57 29 37 45 4.12 1.48
Moe Drabowsky UNQ CHN 5 10 31 23 3 1 0 141.2 138 65 75 70 4.13 1.50
Bill Monbouquette UNQ BOS 7 7 34 17 4 0 0 151.2 165 70 33 87 4.15 1.31
Carl Willey UNQ ML1 5 9 26 15 5 2 0 117.0 126 54 31 51 4.15 1.34
Leo Kiely UNQ BOS 3 3 41 0 0 0 7 55.2 67 26 18 30 4.20 1.53
Joe Nuxhall UNQ CIN 9 9 28 21 6 1 1 131.2 155 62 35 75 4.24 1.44
Marshall Bridges UNQ SLN 6 3 27 4 1 0 1 76.0 67 36 37 76 4.26 1.37
Bob Turley UNQ NYA 8 11 33 22 7 3 0 154.1 141 74 83 111 4.32 1.45
Dave Sisler UNQ 2 teams 1 3 35 0 0 0 7 58.1 55 28 37 32 4.32 1.58
Don Larsen UNQ NYA 6 7 25 18 3 1 3 124.2 122 60 76 69 4.33 1.59
Rip Coleman UNQ 2 teams 2 10 32 11 2 0 2 85.0 89 41 36 58 4.34 1.47
Duke Maas UNQ NYA 14 8 38 21 3 1 4 138.0 149 68 53 67 4.43 1.46
Tom Sturdivant UNQ 2 teams 2 8 43 6 0 0 5 97.0 90 51 43 73 4.73 1.37
Turk Farrell UNQ PHI 1 6 38 0 0 0 6 57.0 61 30 25 31 4.74 1.51
Jack Harshman UNQ 2 teams 7 10 35 16 5 1 1 138.0 133 73 51 73 4.76 1.33
Art Ceccarelli UNQ CHN 5 5 18 15 4 2 0 102.0 95 54 37 56 4.76 1.29
Orlando Peña UNQ CIN 5 9 46 8 1 0 5 136.0 150 72 39 76 4.76 1.39
Brooks Lawrence UNQ CIN 7 12 43 14 3 0 10 128.1 144 68 45 64 4.77 1.47
Gary Blaylock UNQ 2 teams 4 6 41 13 3 0 0 125.2 147 67 58 81 4.80 1.63
Murry Dickson UNQ KC1 2 1 38 0 0 0 0 71.0 85 39 27 36 4.94 1.58
John Tsitouris UNQ KC1 4 3 24 10 0 0 0 83.1 90 46 35 50 4.97 1.50
Dick Hyde UNQ WS1 2 5 37 0 0 0 4 54.1 56 30 27 29 4.97 1.53
John Buzhardt UNQ CHN 4 5 31 10 1 1 0 101.1 107 56 29 33 4.97 1.34
Jay Hook UNQ CIN 5 5 17 15 4 0 0 79.0 79 45 39 37 5.13 1.49
Jim O'Toole UNQ CIN 5 8 28 19 3 1 0 129.1 144 74 73 68 5.15 1.68
Hal Griggs UNQ WS1 2 8 37 10 2 1 2 97.2 103 57 52 43 5.25 1.59
Ted Wills UNQ BOS 2 6 9 8 2 0 0 56.1 68 33 24 24 5.27 1.63
Art Fowler UNQ LAN 3 4 36 0 0 0 2 61.0 70 36 23 47 5.31 1.52
Al Schroll UNQ 2 teams 2 5 17 5 1 0 0 55.1 59 33 28 30 5.37 1.57
Ray Semproch UNQ PHI 3 10 30 18 2 0 3 111.2 119 67 59 54 5.40 1.59
Bennie Daniels UNQ PIT 7 9 34 12 0 0 1 100.2 115 61 39 67 5.45 1.53
Taylor Phillips UNQ 2 teams 1 6 39 5 1 0 1 79.2 94 49 42 40 5.54 1.71
Murray Wall UNQ 2 teams 2 5 27 0 0 0 3 50.1 60 31 26 14 5.54 1.71
Billy Hoeft UNQ 2 teams 2 5 23 8 0 0 0 67.2 78 42 31 40 5.59 1.61
Ray Narleski UNQ DET 4 12 42 10 1 0 5 104.1 105 67 59 71 5.78 1.57
Dick Ricketts UNQ SLN 1 6 12 9 0 0 0 55.2 68 36 30 25 5.82 1.76
Ruben Gomez UNQ PHI 3 8 20 12 2 1 1 72.1 90 49 24 37 6.10 1.58
Eli Grba UNQ NYA 2 5 19 6 0 0 0 50.1 52 36 39 23 6.44 1.81
Arnie Portocarrero UNQ BAL 2 7 27 14 1 0 0 90.0 107 68 32 23 6.80 1.54
Red Witt UNQ PIT 0 7 15 11 0 0 0 50.2 58 39 32 30 6.93 1.78
Showing 1-50 of 141 pitchers listed (57 qualified)

Reading the 1959 leader tables

Of the 173 batting lines shown for 1959, 71 are qualified. Sorted by average, the qualified race is headed by Hank Aaron at .355, with Harvey Kuenn next at .353. Tito Francona hit .363 in 443 plate appearances, higher than any qualified hitter, but that line is marked UNQ and sits below the qualified rows. Sorting by home runs brings Eddie Mathews (46) to the top, while Ernie Banks leads the RBI column with 143. The 1959 pitching table lists 141 pitchers, 57 of them qualified. Hoyt Wilhelm has the lowest qualified ERA, 2.19, and Art Ditmar has the best WHIP, 1.03.

1959 Season Leaders: Frequently Asked Questions

Who led MLB in home runs in 1959?
Eddie Mathews led with 46 home runs in 1959.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1959?
Ernie Banks led with 143 RBI in 1959.
Who led MLB in hits in 1959?
Hank Aaron led with 223 hits in 1959.
Who led MLB in batting average in 1959?
Hank Aaron led at .355 in 1959, among qualified hitters (3.1 plate appearances per team game).
Who led MLB in wins in 1959?
Early Wynn led with 22 wins in 1959.
Who led MLB in strikeouts in 1959?
Don Drysdale led with 242 strikeouts in 1959.