Home Run Leaders' Doubles

To hit a lot of doubles, you need to consistently hit the ball hard with the bat. This means that players who hit a lot of home runs also hit a lot of doubles, since hitting a home run requires hitting the ball hard with the bat.

In the modern era of Major League Baseball, which began in 1901, 11 players led the league in home runs and doubles in the same season, achieving this feat a total of 12 times. See the list below. Only Harry Davis has achieved this feat twice.

	Doubles	Home Runs
Harry Davis (1905)	47	8
(1907)	35	8
Tris Speaker (1912)	53	10
Heinie Zimmerman (1912)	41	14
Rogers Hornsby (1922)	46	42
Chuck Klein (1933)	44	28
Joe Medwick (1937)	56	31
Hank Greenberg (1940)	50	41
Tommy Holmes (1945)	47	28
Ted Williams (1949)	39	43
Willie Stargell (1973)	43	44
Albert Belle (1995)	52	50

Here are a few things I noticed when looking at these 11 players.

1. The four times recorded by the first three players on the list are records from the dead ball era, when players used balls that didn't fly far, so it's best not to equate them with records from after that era. If we consider records from after the dead ball era, there are eight players totaling eight times. Do you think this is a lot or a little? It should be considered extremely little. You can't get many home runs or doubles unless you consistently hit the ball hard with the bat, yet only eight players, a total of eight times, were the top players in home runs who also topped the doubles list. In other words, there are far more players who aren't top players in home runs who topped the doubles list. This is easy to explain. This is probably because there are far more players who can hit a lot of doubles who don't have the power to hit a lot of home runs (alley hitters) than players who can hit a lot of home runs (long-ball hitters). It's only natural that players who are the best at hitting doubles tend to emerge from among these alley hitters.

2. None of these 11 players are the six players I mentioned in my last column who led both home runs and triples in the same season (Tommy Leach, Harry Lumley, Jim Bottomley, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Jim Rice). Of the 15 players I mentioned in my previous column who have never led both home runs and triples in the same season but have been in different seasons, only two are included in this list: Rogers Hornsby and Joe Medwick. Furthermore, of the three players mentioned in my previous column who led both home runs and stolen bases in the same season (Ty Cobb, Jimmy Sheckard, and Chuck Klein), only one is included in this list: Chuck Klein. Willie Mays, who I mentioned in my previous column as the only player to have led both home runs and stolen bases in different seasons without leading both in the same season, is not included in this list of 11 players. These results may indicate that speed (being fast) is not necessary to be the leader in both home runs and doubles. In fact, the list of 11 players includes players who are widely recognized as slow runners (such as Ted Williams).

   

   A photo of Ted Williams at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

3. Based on 1) and 2) above, it can be said that hitting a lot of doubles does not require the power required to hit a home run, nor does it require fast running. This means that any player can hit a double if they hit the ball hard.

4. Since Albert Belle in 1995, no player has led both home runs and doubles in the same season. None of the active players have done so. Recently in Major League Baseball, many players have started swinging the bat with more force, so it may be becoming easier to produce players who can hit a lot of doubles even if they don't hit a lot of home runs.

I looked into players who have never led both home runs and doubles in a season, but have led both in different seasons. There are 18 of them. Their names are listed below.

Nap Lajoie

Sam Crawford

Socks Seybold

Ty Cobb

Jim Bottomley

Lou Gehrig

Hank Aaron

Frank Robinson

Carl Yastrzemski

Juan Gonzalez

Andres Galarraga

Larry Walker

Alex Rodriguez

Adrian Beltre

Miguel Cabrera

Albert Pujols

Bryce Harper

Nolan Arenado

Looking at this list of 18 players, there are a few things to note.

1. Of the six players who led both home runs and triples in the same season, as mentioned in my previous column, only Jim Bottomley is included among these 18. Also, of the 15 players who led both home runs and triples in different seasons, as mentioned in my previous column, only three are included among the 18 this time: Sam Crawford, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig.

2. Also not included among these 18 is Willie Mays, a remarkable player who possessed both power and speed, as clearly shown in my previous column. Incidentally, during his 22-year career, Willie Mays was in the top 10 in the National League in doubles seven times, and in the top five three of those times (third twice, second once). As you can see, he hit a fair number of doubles, but not enough to be the leader.

3. Some of these 18 players are not considered to be fast runners (such as Miguel Cabrera).

   

   Miguel Cabrera's compact and highly readable biography by Bill Redban (2015)

4. Two of these 18 players are currently active (Bryce Harper and Nolan Arenado), so it will be interesting to see if more players join the list.

   

   Bryce Harper's compact and excellent biography by Clayton Geoffreys (2020, Calvintir, Books, LLC)

( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or addtions.)