List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders


In baseball, a triple is a hit in which the batter advances to third base in one play, with neither the benefit of a fielding error nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. Triples were more common in baseball's dead-ball era, when teams relied more on stolen bases and hit and run plays than on the home run. More distant fences in old ballparks, such as Pittsburgh's Forbes Field and Detroit's Tiger Stadium, also produced fewer home runs and more triples on well-hit balls. As a result, most of the players on this list have been retired for decades. Only two players in the top 50 all-time career triples leaders played after WWII, and there are no players in the top 50 who played after 1972.
In 2006, the Hardball Times lamented the decline of the 100-triple player, although three have joined the list since that time. Fangraphs, a statistical website, likewise noted the lack of modern 100-triple hitters in 2013. Of the 162 Major League Baseball players who have hit 100 or more triples, 69 are members of Baseball's Hall of Fame.
Hall of Famer Sam Crawford of the Detroit Tigers holds the Major League Baseball triples record, with 309. Second to him is his Tigers teammate, Ty Cobb, with 297, the American League record. Honus Wagner is third with 252, the National League record. Jake Beckley, Roger Connor, Tris Speaker, Fred Clarke, and Dan Brouthers are the only other players to have hit at least 200 triples. Only triples hit during the regular season are included in the totals.
Jim O'Rourke was the first player to reach the 100-triple mark, doing so with the New York Giants in 1886. With Kenny Lofton's retirement after the 2007 season, 2008 was the first season since 1885 in which no active player had more than 100 triples. Carl Crawford hit his 100th triple in 2010, becoming the only active player on the list at that time. José Reyes became the latest player to reach the 100 triple plateau, doing so on April 8, 2012.
When Reyes retired after the 2018 season, Major League Baseball once again had no active player with 100 career triples. The current active career triples leader is Dexter Fowler, who has 82 career triples as of the end of the 2019 season.

Key

Leaders

RankPlayerTriplesFirst MLB
season
Last MLB
season
Ref
1°309
2°297
3°252
4°243
5°233
6°222
7°220
8°205
9°194
10°191
11°188
12°187
13°185
14°184
15°182
15182
15°182
18°178
19°177
19°177
21174
22°173
23172
23°172
25°169
26168
27°166
27166
29165
30°164
30°164
30°164
33163
33°163
33°163
33°163
37162
38161
39°160
39°160
39°160
42°159
42159
44158
45°157
45157
47155
48°154
49°151
49°151
49°151
52149
52°149
54148
54°148
56147
56147
58°146
59145
59°145
61°143
62°142
63°141
64°140
65139
65139
67138
67138
67°138
70°137
71°136
71136
71136
74135
74135
76133
77132
78131
78°131
78131
78131
82130
83129
83129
85°128
85°128
87127
88126
88°126
90°125
91124
91124
91124
91124
95123
95123
95123
98121
99120
100°119
100119
102°118
102118
102°118
105117
105117
105117
108°116
108116
110115
110°115
110115
113114
113°114
113114
113°114
113114
118113
118°113
118°113
121°112
121°112
121°112
121112
125111
126110
126110
128°109
128109
128109
128109
128109
133108
133108
133108
133108
133108
133108
139107
139107
141106
141106
141106
144105
144105
143105
147104
148°103
148103
150°102
150102
150102
150102
150102
150°102
150102
150102
158101
158101
160100
160100
160100