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MLB Career Stolen Base Leaders, 1880 to 2026

Rickey Henderson stole 1,406 bases, nearly 470 more than runner-up Lou Brock (938), the widest gap at the top of any major MLB career list.

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What the data shows

  • In 2026, Rickey Henderson ranks #1 with 1,406, ahead of Lou Brock (938) and Billy Hamilton (914).
  • The top spot changed hands 3 times: Billy Hamilton in 1897, Lou Brock in 1978 and Rickey Henderson in 1991.
  • Biggest climber: Rickey Henderson, from #8 in 1979 to #1 in 2026.

About this chart

Rickey Henderson's 1,406 stolen bases over 25 seasons, from 1979 to 2003, sit nearly 470 clear of Lou Brock's 938. Henderson took the all-time lead in 1991, when he reached 994 and passed Brock. Brock had taken it from Billy Hamilton in 1978, and Hamilton's 914 had led the career list since 1897.

Ty Cobb (897) is fourth, Tim Raines (808) fifth and Vince Coleman (752) sixth. Stolen bases before 1898 were scored inconsistently, so some totals differ from MLB's own: this chart, using Baseball-Reference, shows Hamilton at 914 where MLB lists 912, and Cobb at 897 against 892. Players keep their final total after retirement.

The data

Source: Baseball-Reference.com, individual player Standard Batting tables (SB), summed cumulatively by season; totals cross-checked with BR career SB leaders page and Wikipedia's career SB leaders list. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Baseball-Reference totals (MLB official totals differ slightly for a few 19th/early-20th-century players). Players keep their final total after retirement; blank = before debut. 2026 regular season included. Stolen bases before 1898 were scored inconsistently; some totals differ from Wikipedia/MLB (e.g. Billy Hamilton 914 vs 912, Ty Cobb 897 vs 892, Arlie Latham 742 vs 739).

MLB Career Stolen Base Leaders, Career stolen bases at each season end, 1880-2026, 1880–2026
Date🇺🇸 Rickey Henderson🇺🇸 Lou Brock🇺🇸 Billy Hamilton🇺🇸 Ty Cobb🇺🇸 Tim Raines🇺🇸 Vince Coleman🇺🇸 Arlie Latham🇺🇸 Eddie Collins🇺🇸 Max Carey🇺🇸 Honus Wagner
18800
18810
18820
18830
18840
18850
188660
1887189
188819298
1889130367
1890232419
1891343506
1892400572
1893443629
1894543691
1895640739
1896723741
189778974120
189884374147
189986274184
1900894741122
1901914741171
1902914741213
1903914741259
1904914741312
19059142741369
1906914257411422
1907914787411483
19089141177419536
190991419374272571
19109142587421530595
191191434174219127615
191291440274225472641
1913914453742309133662
1914914488742367171685
1915914584742413207707
1916914652742453270718
1917914707742506316723
1918914741742528374723
1919914769742561392723
1920914784742581444723
1921914806742593481723
1922914815742613532723
1923914824742661583723
1924914847742703632723
1925914860742722678723
1926914869742735688723
1927914891742741720723
1928914897742741738723
1929914897742741738723
1930914897742741738723
1931914897742741738723
1932914897742741738723
1933914897742741738723
1934914897742741738723
1935914897742741738723
1936914897742741738723
1937914897742741738723
1938914897742741738723
1939914897742741738723
1940914897742741738723
1941914897742741738723
1942914897742741738723
1943914897742741738723
1944914897742741738723
1945914897742741738723
1946914897742741738723
1947914897742741738723
1948914897742741738723
1949914897742741738723
1950914897742741738723
1951914897742741738723
1952914897742741738723
1953914897742741738723
1954914897742741738723
1955914897742741738723
1956914897742741738723
1957914897742741738723
1958914897742741738723
1959914897742741738723
1960914897742741738723
19610914897742741738723
196216914897742741738723
196340914897742741738723
196483914897742741738723
1965146914897742741738723
1966220914897742741738723
1967272914897742741738723
1968334914897742741738723
1969387914897742741738723
1970438914897742741738723
1971502914897742741738723
1972565914897742741738723
1973635914897742741738723
1974753914897742741738723
1975809914897742741738723
1976865914897742741738723
1977900914897742741738723
1978917914897742741738723
1979339389148972742741738723
19801339389148977742741738723
198118993891489778742741738723
1982319938914897156742741738723
1983427938914897246742741738723
1984493938914897321742741738723
1985573938914897391110742741738723
1986660938914897461217742741738723
1987701938914897511326742741738723
1988794938914897544407742741738723
1989871938914897585472742741738723
1990936938914897634549742741738723
1991994938914897685586742741738723
19921,042938914897730610742741738723
19931,095938914897751648742741738723
19941,117938914897764698742741738723
19951,149938914897777740742741738723
19961,186938914897787752742741738723
19971,231938914897795752742741738723
19981,297938914897803752742741738723
19991,334938914897807752742741738723
20001,370938914897807752742741738723
20011,395938914897808752742741738723
20021,403938914897808752742741738723
20031,406938914897808752742741738723
20041,406938914897808752742741738723
20051,406938914897808752742741738723
20061,406938914897808752742741738723
20071,406938914897808752742741738723
20081,406938914897808752742741738723
20091,406938914897808752742741738723
20101,406938914897808752742741738723
20111,406938914897808752742741738723
20121,406938914897808752742741738723
20131,406938914897808752742741738723
20141,406938914897808752742741738723
20151,406938914897808752742741738723
20161,406938914897808752742741738723
20171,406938914897808752742741738723
20181,406938914897808752742741738723
20191,406938914897808752742741738723
20201,406938914897808752742741738723
20211,406938914897808752742741738723
20221,406938914897808752742741738723
20231,406938914897808752742741738723
20241,406938914897808752742741738723
20251,406938914897808752742741738723
20261,406938914897808752742741738723

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Suggested caption: “Henderson stole 1,406 bases. Second place has 938.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

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Frequently asked questions

Who has the most stolen bases in MLB history?

Rickey Henderson has the most, with 1,406 career stolen bases between 1979 and 2003. Lou Brock is second with 938, a gap of nearly 470.

When did Rickey Henderson break the career stolen base record?

Rickey Henderson took the all-time lead in 1991, reaching 994 steals by season's end and passing Lou Brock. Brock had held the record since passing Billy Hamilton in 1978.

Why do stolen base totals differ between sources?

Stolen bases before 1898 were scored inconsistently. Baseball-Reference shows Billy Hamilton at 914 and Ty Cobb at 897, while MLB lists 912 and 892, so older totals vary slightly by source.

Where does this data come from?

Baseball-Reference.com, individual player Standard Batting tables (SB), summed cumulatively by season; totals cross-checked with BR career SB leaders page and Wikipedia's career SB leaders list. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Baseball-Reference totals (MLB official totals differ slightly for a few 19th/early-20th-century players). Players keep their final total after retirement; blank = before debut. 2026 regular season included. Stolen bases before 1898 were scored inconsistently; some totals differ from Wikipedia/MLB (e.g. Billy Hamilton 914 vs 912, Ty Cobb 897 vs 892, Arlie Latham 742 vs 739). You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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