MLB’s top 10 hitting duo seasons of all time: Will Judge-Soto, Ohtani-Betts join list?

Major League Baseball

Updated Jun. 5, 2024 5:38 p.m. ET

FOX Sports Research

A year ago, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were both MVP finalists and combined to produce one of the better seasons for a set of teammates in recent memory. Entering the 2024 season, thanks to some major player movement in the winter, the potential was there for a duo to be even greater — and two separate tandems are on track to do just that.

The Yankees ‘ Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are currently the top two hitters in MLB, while the Dodgers‘ Shohei Ohtani and Betts aren’t far behind.

But they haven’t just been great in the context of this season. Both duos are on track to place among the best of all time. Just look at their respective wRC+ marks, which is FanGraph’s metric for measuring a player’s entire batting value:

– Judge 201 wRC+ and Soto 190 wRC+ = 195.5 wRC+ average

– Ohtani 178 wRC+ and Betts 166 wRC+ = 172 wRC+ average

How likely are they to continue at their current paces? Well, all but Soto, who’s several years younger than the other three and likely hasn’t reached his peak, have posted better seasons in the past. So, it’s safe to say they can keep this going.

But will they make history?

With the season already two months old, we dove into the best single-season hitting duos of the modern era (1901-present) and where the Judge-Soto and Ohtani-Betts pairings rank thus far.

Note: Players must have a minimum of 400 AB and a wRC+ of 165 or higher to be considered. Duos are ranked by average wRC+ between two players.

10. 1915 White Sox: Jack Fournier (171 wRC+) and Eddie Collins (169 wRC+) = 170 wRC+ average

Fournier: .322/.429/.491, 5 HR, 77 RBIs, 6.0 WAR

Collins: .332/.460/.436, 4 HR, 77 RBIs, 9.3 WAR

The 1915 season was special for Collins and Fournier as they each posted a wRC+ in the top four in the majors. They also were in the top seven for WAR. They each relied on speed, combining for 67 stolen bases and 204 runs, forming a dynamic duo at the top of Chicago’s lineup. Unfortunately, the club’s 93 wins were not enough to earn a postseason berth.

9. 1959 Braves: Hank Aaron (175 wRC+) and Eddie Mathews (166 wRC+) = 170.5 average

Aaron: .355/.401/.636, 39 HR, 123 RBIs, 8.2 WAR

Mathews: .306/.390/.593, 46 HR, 114 RBIs, 8.3 WAR

The Hall of Fame tandem flexed its muscles in 1959, posting the two highest wRC+ marks in all of baseball. Aaron and Mathews combined for 85 home runs, the most by a single duo in the 1959 season. They also posted two of the three highest WAR totals and slugging percentages to pace the juggernaut Milwaukee offense. The Brewers came up just short as a team, though, finishing second in the National League when only one team per league made the postseason.

8. 1937 Cardinals: Joe Medwick (177 wRC+) and Johnny Mize (171 wRC+) = 174 average

Medwick: .374/.414/.641, 31 HR, 154 RBIs, 8.2 WAR

Mize: .364/.427/.595, 25 HR, 113 RBIs, 6.4 WAR

Only three players in 1937 qualified for this list and two played for the Cardinals. Mize and Medwick both topped 170 wRC+ after tallying 25 homers, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Unfortunately, that was not enough for St. Louis, which finished in the middle of the NL pack with an 81-73 record.

7. 2018 Red Sox: JD Martinez (170 wRC+) and Mookie Betts (185 wRC+) = 177.5 average

Betts: .346/.438/.640, 32 HR, 80 RBIs, 10.2 WAR

Martinez: .330/.402/.629, 43 HR, 130 RBIs, 5.9 WAR

The only duo on the list from this century belongs to Beantown. Betts and Martinez are one of just two tandems to lead their team to a World Series title in the same year. They posted the highest two slugging percentages in the majors in 2018, while Betts led MLB in runs (129) and Martinez in RBIs (130). Betts was a near-unanimous selection for AL MVP.

6. 1989 Giants: Kevin Mitchell (185 wRC+) and Will Clark (174 wRC+) = 179.5 average

Mitchell: .291/.388/.635, 47 HR, 125 RBIs, 6.9 WAR

Clark: .333/.407/.546, 23 HR, 111 RBIs, 8.1 WAR

The top two run creators in 1989 both played for the Giants. Mitchell and Clark posted the only wRC+s of 170 or above, while also posting two of the three highest slugging percentages. Mitchell led the majors in home runs, while Clark was one of just four players to eclipse eight WAR. Mitchell won NL MVP and Clark was the runner-up, as the Giants appeared in their first World Series in nearly 30 years before being swept by the Athletics.

5. 1932 Yankees: Babe Ruth (188 wRC+) and Lou Gehrig (172 wRC+) = 180 average

Ruth: .341/.489/.661, 41 HR, 137 RBIs, 8.7 WAR

Gehrig: .349/.451/.621, 34 HR, 151 RBIs, 8.1 WAR

This was the last of many historic seasons for the Bronx duo. Ruth and Gehrig led the Yankees to a World Series title in 1932, combining for 288 RBIs, 258 runs and 75 homers. They spearheaded MLB’s best offense, with New York averaging 6.42 runs per game while being the only club to score 1,000 runs.

4. 1928 Yankees: Babe Ruth (197 wRC+) and Lou Gehrig (189 wRC+) = 193 average

Ruth: .323/.463/.709, 54 HR, 142 RBIs, 10.5 WAR

Gehrig: .374/.467/.648, 27 HR, 142 RBIs, 9.6 WAR

Another terrific year by two all-time greats, another World Series title. Ruth hit 54 homers — no one else cleared 31 — while Gehrig tied Ruth for the RBI crown. The duo also combined to walk 232 times and were the only two players in baseball to slug above .640.

3. 1931 Yankees: Babe Ruth (205 wRC+) and Lou Gehrig (183 wRC+) = 194 average

Ruth: .373/.495/.700, 46 HR, 163 RBIs, 10.7 WAR

Gehrig: .341/.446/.662, 46 HR, 184 RBIs, 9.1 WAR

OK, so the Yankees did not play in the World Series this season. But Ruth and Gehrig weren’t to blame. They both slugged above .650, the only two players to do that, and tied for the MLB lead in homers in a season where no one else hit more than 32. The Yankees duo also finished top two in runs scored, RBIs and OPS, showing their wide-ranging impact on MLB’s most potent offense.

2. 1930 Yankees: Babe Ruth (201 wRC+) and Lou Gehrig (194 wRC+) = 197.5 average

Ruth: .359/.493/.732, 49 HR, 153 RBIs, 10.5 WAR

Gehrig: .379/.473/.721, 41 HR, 174 RBIs, 9.6 WAR

Despite historic campaigns from their two titans, the Yankees finished well behind the A’s for the AL pennant. Still, Ruth and Gehrig led all players in WAR and OPS and were two of just three players to smack at least 40 homers. Their combined on-base percentage of .483 was the highest of their 12 years together. Accordingly, the Bronx Bombers led all MLB teams in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging.

1. 1927 Yankees: Babe Ruth (208 wRC+) and Lou Gehrig (205 wRC+) = 206.5 average

Ruth: .356/.486/.772, 60 HR, 164 RBIs, 12.9 WAR

Gehrig: .373/.474/.765, 47 HR, 175 RBIs, 12.4 WAR

What happens when you combine Gehrig’s best year with one of Ruth’s five best? The best season by a duo in MLB history. Ruth and Gehrig each had a wRC+ over 200, marking the first and only time two teammates have pulled that off. They combined for 107 homers and 339 RBIs — no other duo had more than 60 or 246, respectively. They also both held a 2.0 advantage in WAR over the third-highest finisher (Rogers Hornsby, 10.4. The 1927 Yankees are famously known as Murderers’ Row, and it started with Ruth and Gehrig. And yes, they won the World Series this year.

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