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Baseball BrosIssue #027

Rickey Henderson — The

Monday, March 8, 2027

NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.

VOL. 1, NO. 27 · AUGUST 31, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY

ISSUE #027 · FREE AGENT

Rickey Henderson — The

Greatest Leadoff Hitter And

Baserunner Who Ever Lived

On May 1, 1991, Rickey Henderson stole base #939 to break Lou Brock's all-time record. He picked up the

📅 THIS DATE IN

BASEBALL bag and declared himself the greatest.

THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01

HE SCORED MORE RUNS THAN ANYONE. HE STOLE MORE BASES THAN ANYONE. IT WASN'T CLOSE.

1,406 Stolen Bases. 2,295 Runs. The Stats That

Define The Greatest Leadoff Hitter Ever.

RICKEY HENDERSON SB CAREER RUNS SCORED CAREER WALKS

HR AS LEADOFF HITTER CAREER OBP LOU BROCK SB (2ND)

Henderson stole 1,406 career bases — 468 more than the #2 all-time (Lou Brock at 938). He scored 2,295

career runs — the all-time record. He drew 2,190 walks. He hit 297 career HR — the most ever by a leadoff

hitter. His career OBP was .401. He did everything.

THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02

VS New York Yankees MAY 1, 1991

Lou Brock 12 1,406 W

SB # PREVIOUS RECORD YEARS TO BREAK IT FINAL CAREER SB RESULT

Stolen Base 939

BROKE LOU BROCK'S RECORD. PICKED UP THE BAG. SAID HE WAS THE GREATEST.

Henderson broke Lou Brock's all-time stolen base record on May 1, 1991, in Oakland — stealing third base for

career theft #939. He picked up the base, held it over his head, and declared himself 'the greatest of all

time.' Lou Brock was there and shook his hand. Henderson still had 15 more seasons left. He ended at 1,406.

The second-most all-time is 938. Nobody was competing with him.

ERA VS ERA 03

Greatest Leadoff Hitter In History?

RICKEY HENDERSON TIM RAINES

STOLEN BASES SB SUCCESS RATE

CAREER RUNS VS CAREER OBP

CAREER HR (LEADOFF) CAREER WAR

Henderson is the consensus answer. But Tim Raines was an elite leadoff hitter who played in Rickey's shadow

for 20 years. Raines' stolen base success rate (84.7%) is higher than Henderson's. Raines was a legitimately

great player who happens to exist in the same era as a player who is impossible to compare to anyone.

Greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history?

RICKEY HENDERSON TIM RAINES LOU BROCK WADE BOGGS

THE COLDEST MOMENT 04

1981 STRIKE SEASON — 56 SB IN 108 GAMES

He Missed The Record By Two Stolen Bases In A

Strike-Shortened Year. Came Back And Shattered

It.

In 1980 Henderson stole 100 bases. In 1981 — a strike-shortened year of 108 games — he stole

56 and missed out on another 80+ season only because the season was cut in half. He finished

with 1,406 over a 25-year career. In any 10-year stretch of that career, he would have broken

Brock's record. He just happened to do it 12 years into it.

I am the greatest of all time. I am the best in the world.

— RICKEY HENDERSON, AFTER BREAKING THE SB RECORD, 1991

THE STAT VAULT 05

CAREER STOLEN BASES CAREER RUNS SCORED

468 more than Lou Brock. The record isn't All-time record. He scored more runs than

close. It will never be broken. Ruth, Cobb, or anyone.

CAREER WALKS CAREER HR AS LEADOFF HITTER

Second-most all-time. He knew how to Most in baseball history. He had power

get on base in every way possible. AND speed at the top of the lineup.

.401 CAREER ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

He reached base 40% of all plate appearances across 25 seasons.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06

OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE

Vada Pinson

CINCINNATI REDS · 1958-1975

.286 BA · 256 HR · 2,757 HITS

One Of The Best Outfielders Of The 1960s. Zero HOF Support. You've Never

Heard Of Him.

Vada Pinson hit .286 with 256 HR and 2,757 career hits across 18 seasons. He made 2 All-Star teams. He

was a contemporary of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Frank Robinson — all HOFers — which contributed to

his historical invisibility. He received minimal HOF support and is not inducted.

THE CONNECTION:

Pinson and Henderson both played CF in the same era. Henderson became a legend. Pinson became

a footnote. Part of that is talent. Part is that Pinson played in the shadow of three all-time greats

simultaneously.

COMING NEXT MONDAY

Next Monday: Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 consecutive games. Broke Gehrig's record by 502.

Who's Your Forgotten Man?

Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.

All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.

Every Monday. No exceptions.

© 2026 BASEBALL BROS · VOL. 1, NO. 27

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