Saturday, October 25, 2025

What players had the three highest OPS+ seasons among AL/NL hitters in a 20 year period since 1900?

Aaron Judge joined this group in 2025. The others are Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.

Top seasons in OPS+ with 400+ PAs, 2005-25

Judge  225  2024
Judge  215  2025
Judge  210  2022
Harper  198  2015
Trout  198  2018
Pujols  192  2008
Cabrera  190  2013
Pujols  189  2009
Alvarez  188  2022
Ohtani  187  2024
Betts  186  2018
Trout  186  2017 

2005-25 is 21 seasons but since 2020 was only a 60 game season I wen back to 2025.

Since 1900, the longest period of time between seasons of an OPS+ 200 or higher was 18 (2004-22). So for a player to make this list, he would need to have at least 1 season of a 200 OPS+. If a player did not do that, then whatever their highest OPS+ was could not have been the highest in any 20 year period. Then they could not have had the top 3 as well.

Click here to see all the seasons of at least a 200 OPS+. Again, just the AL/NL since 1900 with 400+ PAs. 

This table has all of them.

Player

OPS+

Season

 

Player

OPS+

Season

Lajoie

200

1904

 

Williams

215

1946

Wagner

205

1908

 

Williams

205

1947

Cobb

205

1910

 

Musial

200

1948

Cobb

200

1912

 

Williams

201

1954

Cobb

209

1917

 

Williams

209

1955

Ruth

217

1919

 

Mantle

210

1956

Ruth

255

1920

 

Mantle

221

1957

Ruth

239

1921

 

Williams

233

1957

Hornsby

207

1922

 

Cash

201

1961

Ruth

239

1923

 

Mantle

206

1961

Ruth

220

1924

 

McCovey

209

1969

Hornsby

222

1924

 

Brett

203

1980

Hornsby

210

1925

 

Bonds

204

1992

Ruth

226

1926

 

Bonds

206

1993

Gehrig

220

1927

 

Thomas

212

1994

Ruth

225

1927

 

Bagwell

213

1994

Hornsby

202

1928

 

McGwire

200

1995

Ruth

206

1928

 

McGwire

216

1998

Gehrig

203

1930

 

Sosa

203

2001

Ruth

211

1930

 

Bonds

259

2001

Ruth

218

1931

 

Bonds

268

2002

Ruth

201

1932

 

Bonds

231

2003

Foxx

207

1932

 

Bonds

263

2004

Foxx

201

1933

 

Judge

210

2022

Gehrig

207

1934

 

Judge

225

2024

Williams

235

1941

 

Judge

209

2025

Williams

216

1942

 

 

 

 

It is easy to why Ruth makes the list. He had 255 in 1920, 239 in 1921 and 239 in 1923. The 239s are higher than any OPS+ before 1920 and higher than anything until 2001.

Williams makes it because the only other player besides him to have at least 200 from 1935-55 was Musial in 1948 with exactly 200. Williams beat that 6 times in that period.

Mantle does not make it because his highest is 221 in 1957. Williams beats that in that year with 233. Mantle's 206 in 1961 is eclipsed by McCovey's 209 in 1969.

It is possible that Brett has the 3 highest from 1970-1991 since has the only 200 or higher season. But Dick Allen (1972) is 2nd in this period with 199. Mike Schmidt is next with 198 in 1981. Brett's next highest was 179 in 1985.

A similar exercise could be done for all the other players. Only Ruth, Williams, Bonds and Judge have had the three highest OPS+ seasons in the AL/NL in any 20 year period. 

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