Major League Baseball's 40-40 Club

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 23, 2013

Major League Baseball's 40-40 Club

Jose Canseco

Twenty-five years ago, on Sept. 23, 1988, Jose Canseco stole his 39th and 40th bases of the season and became the first professional ballplayer to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. Canseco began one of MLB's rarest and most exclusive groups with the feat, the 40-40 club, not to be confused with Jay-Z's chain of sports bars/lounges, named from the baseball term.

Barry Bonds

Early in his career, Bonds was more of a base stealer than a power hitter. Later in his career, it was quite the opposite. So naturally, Bonds became MLB's second player to enter the 40-40 club, on Sept. 27, 1996, right in the middle of his career.

Alex Rodiguez

In A-Rod's career, he has only stolen 30 or more bases in a season once, and on Sept. 19, 1998, Rodriguez became the only player to join the 40-40 club with a home run, rather than stolen base.

Alfonso Soriano

Soriano finished the 2002 season with 39 home runs and 41 stolen bases as a Yankee, just missing the mark. Four years later, in his lone season with the Nationals, Soriano hit over 40 homers for the first time in his career and stole his 40th bag on Sept. 16, 2006, becoming baseball's latest member of the 40-40 club.

Mike Trout

Trout is not a member of the 40-40 club...yet. He does have the distinction of becoming the first rookie to hit 25 home runs and steal 40 bases in one season (2012), and at just 21 years old. In the future, he could potentially join this or an even more exclusive group, the 30-50 club. Only two players, Eric Davis (1987) and Barry Bonds (1990), have ever hit 30 home runs with 50 stolen bases in a single season.