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In baseball, the ability to hit the ball with power is arguably the most coveted talent of all, especially in the modern game. Meanwhile, having a fast runner that can take an extra base could be just as beneficial for a team in the long run. Anyone who can combine these two very different skills is rightly adjudged to be among the elite players of the sport.
The 40-40 mark is considered to be the epitome of the power-speed combination, but we will take a look at the similarly exclusive 20-60 club.
5 Players who have hit 20 home runs and stolen 60 bases in the same season
#1. Joe Morgan - 1973, 1976
Joe Morgan is a Hall of Famer, a 10-time All-Star and two-time MVP who was an integral part of the legendary Cincinnati Reds team of the 1970's. Morgan became the first player to set this milestone when he recorded 26 home runs and 67 stolen bases in 1973.
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He repeated the feat again in 1976 with 27 home runs and 60 stolen bases before being named the National League MVP for the second straight year.
#2. Rickey Henderson - 1985, 1986, 1990
Rickey Henderson is enshrined in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest of all time, and his record of 1406 stolen bases will probably never be broken. He hit more than 20 home runs and stole over 80 bases during his first two years playing for the New York Yankees in 1985 and 1986.
Henderson arguably had the best season of his 25-year career in 1990, when he notched 28 home runs along with 65 stolen bases for the Oakland Athletics and was named the American League MVP.
#.3 Eric Davis - 1986
Eric Davis was regarded as among the top exponents of the power-speed combination of his generation and finished his 17-year MLB career with 282 home runs and 349 stolen bases. He had eight seasons with 20 or more home runs and just as many with over 20 stolen bases.
In 1986, Davis posted 27 home runs and 80 stolen bases for the Cincinnati Reds, making him the only player besides Rickey Henderson to reach that benchmark.
#2. Ronald Acuna Jr. - 2023
Ronald Acuna Jr. won the NL Rookie of the Year with the Atlanta Braves and has picked up four All-Star appearances thus far. The Venezualan showed his power-speed combination in 2021, but injuries have greatly limited his abilities since then.
Nevertheless, Acuna Jr. stayed healthy for the entire 2023 campaign and delivered a historic season with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases en route to winning the NL MVP.
#1. Elly de la Cruz - 2024
Elly De La Cruz cemented himself as one of the most exciting players in the game immediately after making his MLB debut. The 22-year-old possesses raw power from both sides of the plate along with blistering speed on the basepaths, all the while playing in a premium defensive position at shortstop.
On Wednesday, De La Cruz became the newest member of the 20-60 club after picking up his 60th stolen base of the season to go along with his 21 home runs.
