Power & Speed: Only Five Baseball Players Are in the 20/60 Club
Amazingly, three of five–Joe Morgan, Eric Davis, and Elly De La Cruz–are Cincinnati Reds
Only 5 players in Major League Baseball have joined the 20/60 club, which refers to players who achieve at least 20 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a single season. Elly De La Cruz, the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, made history Wednesday, August 21, 2024, when he stole his 60th base of the season. Ironically, three of the five players to achieve the 20/60 distinction are Cincinnati Reds. Who are these players, how rare is it, and are all five on the way to the Hall of Fame?
A Brave and a Yankee
Ronald Acuña Jr.
Acuña debuted with the Atlanta Braves in 2018 and quickly became one of the most electrifying players in the league. In his second MLB season, Acuña nearly joined the exclusive 40/40 club (40 stolen bases and 40 home runs), finishing the season with 41 home runs and 37 stolen bases. He achieved the milestone of hitting 20 home runs and stealing 60 bases in the 2023 MLB season.
Rickey Henderson
Henderson played 25 seasons from 1979 to 2003 and is regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history. He holds the MLB all-time records for stolen bases (1,406), runs (2,295), and leadoff home runs (81). In 1986, Henderson achieved the 20/60 milestone with the New York Yankees, finishing the year with 28 home runs and 87 stolen bases.
Three Reds
Joe Morgan
Morgan was a Hall of Fame second baseman who played from 1963 to 1984. He was a key member of the “Big Red Machine” in the 1970s. His all-around skills helped lead the Reds to two World Series titles, earning him two National League MVP awards in 1975 and 1976. Morgan reached the 20/60 milestone in 1973 with 26 home runs and 67 stolen bases.
Eric Davis
Davis was an outfielder who played primarily for the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 2001. In 1986, he achieved the 20/60 milestone with 27 home runs and 80 stolen bases. In 1987, Davis almost did it again with another standout season of 37 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Elly De La Cruz
Elly De La Cruz is a switch-hitting shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, who was called up around the all-star break in 2023. Some of his other records include:
- First player since 1900 to have at least 65 stolen bases and 50 extra-base hits within one year of his MLB debut,
- First player since at least 1901 to hit 8+ home runs and steal 18+ bases in a calendar month.
- Tied an MLB record last set in 1922 for the most home runs and stolen bases combined in the first 23 games of a season.
He joins the 20/60 club with only one year of MLB experience.
When Did Each Player Join the Club?
Acuña hit his 20th home run on July 19, 2023, and stole his 60th base on August 12, 2023. He was the only one of the five to make the homerun mark in July.
Henderson, Davis, and Morgan waited on their 20th homerun to enter the club. Henderson hit his 20th home run on August 12, Davis on August 17, and Morgan on September 5.
De La Cruz hit his 20th home run on August 5, 2024, and stole his 60th base on August 21, 2024.
The Odds
Since MLB’s inception in 1876 (National League) and 1901 (American League), approximately 22,000 players have appeared in at least one MLB game. Around 15,000 players have played at least one full season, considering injuries, call-ups, and other factors. That makes five players out of 15,000 a rare feat.
Reflections on the 20/60 Club
The 20/60 Club in Becoming More Common
If baseball is 125 years old, no one made it into the 20/60 club in the first half of its history (Morgan did it in 1973). Home runs were not a significant part of the game until the live-ball era began around 1920. Most power hitters rarely hit 20 home runs in a season in this era.
For example, Ty Cobb’s career high in home runs for a single season was just 12 in 1921. However, he regularly led the league in stolen bases, achieving a high of 96 in 1915. Honus Wagner’s highest single-season home run total was just 10 in 1908, while he led the league in stolen bases multiple times, with a career-high of 61 in 1907.
Morgan’s achievement in 1973 stands out because it came during an era when players began to combine both power and speed in ways that early baseball legends didn’t. On average, baseball has seen approximately one player every 12 years make the 20/60 club since Margan did it.
Was Acuna and De La Cruz making the club in back-to-back years just randomness, or is it a sign of things to come?
Three of Five Players from the Same Team
At first glance, three of five players from the same team entering the 20/60 club seems extraordinary. However, at a second glance, it is not.
A player accumulates statistics while playing with multiple teams. In this case, Henderson entered the 20/60 club while with the Yankees, but most fans probably identify him with his previous team, the A’s. Morgan and Davis spent most of their careers with the Reds, but each played for multiple teams. Acuna and Da Le Cruz are young and have only played for a single team, at least so far.
While it is true that three of five players achieved their 20/60 status while Reds, it should not be concluded that the Reds are an organization that cranks out these types of players. There are multiple ways to do the statistics, and one way yields a 26.5% chance that, out of 5 players, 3 would come from the same team–at least when they entered the club.
Elly De La Cruz Stands Out
Acuna, Henderson, and Morgan needed five years to accomplish the task. Davis needed three years. De La Cruz did it in his full season.
That accomplishment says a lot about De La Cruz’s ability to read major league pitchers and the natural talent he has to overcome any shortfalls in experience. How great of a player will he be?
Final Thoughts on Baseball’s 20/60 Club
The 20/60 club is highly unusual. Only five players have made it in the history of the game. Does that mean all are Hall of Famers? Certainly, Morgan and Henderson are, but Davis came up short because of injuries that plagued his career. Of the two current players to make the club, Acuna appears to be injury-prone, similar to Davis. De La Cruz is still a work in progress for the Hall of Fame–after all, he has just played for a little over a year.