Leadoff hitter should not be confused with lead off.
In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning.
Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hitter is usually tasked with being able to reach base at a proficient on-base percentage and generate runs for the team. Secondary goals for such a player include wearing down a pitcher's stamina and providing a dangerous presence along the basepaths to create more offensive opportunities. As a result, the prototypical leadoff hitter is small ball oriented, with elements such as contact ability, speed, patience, and occasionally defense elevated to an important level.[1] Power hitters, instead, would be put in the third and fourth slots to drive in the leadoff hitter and produce more runs as a result, thus deemphasizing the necessity for power amongst leadoff hitters.[2] The correlation between leadoff hitters and small ball stretches as far back as 1898 with mentions of a "small, active fellow who can hit, run and steal bases" as being fit for the position.[3] Players such as Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki, and Kenny Lofton are often considered as archetypal leadoff hitters.[4]
In recent years, however, leadoff hitters are shifting away from the traditional makeup to generally more well-rounded players. Numerous teams have opted to utilize hitters with strong on-base skills and power potential at the top of the batting order in exchange for speed and pure contact ability.[5] Non-typical leadoff hitters such as Kyle Schwarber and George Springer have all seen time in the position in recent years.
| Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. |
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most times on base from the leadoff spot as of the end of the 2020 season.[6]
| Rank | Player | TOB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rickey Henderson * | 5,412 | |
| 2 | 4,181 | ||
| 3 | Eddie Yost | 3,243 | |
| 4 | 3,237 | ||
| 5 | 3,202 |
| Rank | Player | TOB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Lou Brock * | 3,080 | |
| 7 | Kenny Lofton | 3,018 | |
| 8 | Craig Biggio * | 2,777 | |
| 9 | Paul Molitor * | 2,732 | |
| 10 | Johnny Damon | 2,701 |
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most games played in the leadoff spot as of the end of the 2020 season.[7]
| Rank | Player | G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rickey Henderson * | 2,886 | |
| 2 | 2,313 | ||
| 3 | Lou Brock * | 1,901 | |
| 4 | Brett Butler | 1,858 | |
| 5 | Ichiro Suzuki | 1,827 |
| Rank | Player | G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Eddie Yost | 1,741 | |
| 7 | Kenny Lofton | 1,711 | |
| 8 | 1,584 | ||
| 9 | Paul Molitor * | 1,573 | |
| 10 | Harry Hooper * | 1,568 |
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most plate appearances from the leadoff spot as of the end of the 2020 season.[8]
| Rank | Player | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rickey Henderson * | 13,122 | |
| 2 | 10,710 | ||
| 3 | Lou Brock * | 8,653 | |
| 4 | Ichiro Suzuki | 8,451 | |
| 5 | Brett Butler | 8,432 |
| Rank | Player | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Eddie Yost | 8,023 | |
| 7 | Kenny Lofton | 7,929 | |
| 8 | 7,411 | ||
| 9 | Craig Biggio * | 7,297 | |
| 10 | Paul Molitor * | 7,291 |