Ted Williams, one of baseball’s greatest players, said the hardest thing to do is to hit a baseball. He might be right.
Even the best hitters in MLB history fail to record a hit in most of their at-bats. The player with the best batting average in MLB history hit .366 in his career, meaning he failed to record a hit in nearly 45% of his at-bats. What’s more, no player has hit .400 in a season since Williams did so in 1941.
That said, you know you’re special if you’re among the top 10 in MLB hits. Let’s take a look at who makes that list.
10. Paul Molitor: 3,319
Molitor was arguably one of the most consistent hitters of all time, recording 140 or more hits in 16 of his 21 seasons. A steady force in the Milwaukee Brewers’ lineup for nearly two decades, Molitor also led the majors in hits on two occasions.
MLB has seen an infusion of foreign-born stars over the last few decades. As of 2025, Pujols is the best hitter in that group. The St. Louis Cardinals icon has the most hits and home runs (703) for a foreign-born player.
8. Carl Yastrzemski: 3,419
“Yaz” had a swing made for Fenway Park, as evidenced by his hit total. The Boston Red Sox icon had a career .305 batting average at his home ballpark, while he led the majors in hits twice. He also led the majors in batting average on three occasions, holding a .285 career batting average.
7. Honus Wagner: 3,430
While some might know Wagner for being the face of the most popular trading card in baseball history, his prowess at the plate helped create value for the card. He had 16 seasons in which he had a batting average of at least .300, leading the National League in the stat eight times in his 21-year career.
6. Derek Jeter: 3,465
The New York Yankees have had several great hitters in their storied history. How else do you think they won 27 titles? Jeter has the most of any player to wear the pinstripes, hitting .310 in his historic career. His strong hitting ability was a key reason why the Yankees won their last five World Series titles, and his 3,000th hit was memorable as he hit a home run to reach the landmark.
5. Tris Speaker: 3,515
Speaker was not only one of the best hitters in MLB history, but he is also the league’s doubles king. His 752 career doubles are the most of all time and nearly 50 more than any other player. Additionally, he recorded a batting average of .300 or better in 18 of his 22 seasons.
4. Stan Musial: 3,630
“Stan the Man’s” hitting prowess helped him become one of the best hitters in MLB history. As he led the National League in hits on seven occasions, Musial was named an All-Star in every season he played (excluding his 12-game 1941 season), playing in the Midsummer Classic 21 times.
3. Hank Aaron: 3,771
MLB’s home run king is also one of the best hitters in history. Aaron led the league in hits and batting average twice in his legendary career. He also finished in the top 10 in the National League in hits 13 times and batting average a dozen times. The most hits he had in a season came in 1959, recording 223 that year to go with a .355 batting average.
2. Ty Cobb: 4,191
Cobb might not be the all-time hits leader, but he is MLB’s all-time batting average leader. His .366 batting average is the only career batting average over .360 in league history (min. 5,000 career plate appearances), as he led the majors in that stat on 12 occasions. In two of those years, Cobb had a batting average of .400, as he also led the majors in hits eight times.
1. Pete Rose: 4,256
The baseball player who holds the Major League record for most career hits, Pete Rose, of the Philadelphia Phillies bats.
Rose is the MLB’s all-time hit king, leading the majors in hits on seven occasions in his historic career. While no one has more hits than Rose in league history, he became better known for his gambling scandal as a manager, which led MLB to ban him for life. That ban was lifted in 2025, making him eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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