Shohei Ohtani Becomes The Sixth Member Of The 40/40 Club
There are a number of different ways to get into a club. Being famous or attractive is one good way, and bribing the bouncer is another. In order to get into Major League Baseball's 40/40 club, however, takes more than fame or fortune. It takes speed and power. It may be one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports, since it only has six members.
On August 23, 2024, Shohei Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the season, and he already had the requisite 40 stolen bases to go with it. Here is a look at all six players in the club, and the amazing seasons that got them admitted.
1. Jose Canseco, 1988
Jose Canseco these days is more known as the prominent whistle-blower of the steroid era than he is as the first baseball player ever to have a 40/40 season. His book Juiced spilled the beans about rampant steroid use in the 80s and early 90s and even named names. Steroids did his body good in his AL MVP year when he hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases in 151 games.
2. Barry Bonds, 1996
Another player synonymous with steroid use is former Pirates and Giants slugger Barry Bonds. Despite never failing an MLB drug test, and refusing to admit use, there is no denying a physique that went from Richard Pryor to Goldberg in less than five years. Although 1996 was not Bonds' most dominant season, he did finish with 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 158 games.
3. Alex Rodriguez, 1998
Almost as if a trend is revealing itself, another steroid user achieved a 40/40 season in 1998. Unlike Bonds, Rodriguez failed multiple PED tests during his career, and his reputation as not being the friendliest person is why he may never make it into Cooperstown. Before all the dirt in his career and life, Rodriguez was the golden boy of the MLB, and with the Mariners in 1998, he hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases in 153 games.
4. Alfonso Soriano, 2006
Eight years passed between 40/40 seasons, and Alfonso Soriano, then with the Washington Nationals, hit 46 home runs (the most by a 40/40 member) and stole 41 bases in 147 games. Though he was never implicated in a steroid scandal, 2006 was the one and only season he ever hit more than 40 home runs. Assumptions and speculation may not be fair, but it's part of playing during the dirtiest era of the game.
5. Ronald Acuna, 2023
Once major league baseball cracked down on the juice, the numbers dwindled and it would be 17 years until another player would get into the club. Atlanta Braves 25-year-old outfielder Ronald Acuna had an incredible season in 2023. Displaying more speed than power, he certainly left no questions about either, blasting 41 home runs and swiping 73 bases (a record for 40/40 members) in 152 games.
6. Shohei Ohtani, 2024
The most versatile player that baseball has ever seen, Ohtani did not pitch in 2024, and instead focused on hitting while his pitching elbow healed. The ink hasn't dried on his record-breaking 10-year and $700 million contract, and he is already in the 40/40 club. With exactly the number of each stat to get in, Ohtani still has 33 games left in the season to add to his totals. He may not pass Acuna for stolen bases, but Soriano's 46 home runs are certainly in play.