If Todd Helton scores 4 runs and drives in 3 this weekend, he’ll have his 4th consecutive season of 110 runs and 110 RBI. How hard is this? Let’s look at the guys who have done it, ranked by consecutive seasons (I compiled this list from baseball-reference.com, so it’s possible I missed somebody):
13 Lou Gehrig
8 Ted Williams*
7 Babe Ruth
7 Jimmie Foxx
5 Alex Rodriguez+
4 Hank Greenberg
4 Chuck Klein
4 Jeff Bagwell=
4 Ken Griffey jr.
*-1939-42 and 1946-49. So sue me for giving him credit for the World War II gap.
+ – Including 2002
= – Assumes he won’t drive in and score 15-20 runs this weekend.
Three observations: (1) wow, 13 years in a row. (2) How’s this for fast company for A-Rod? (3) All these guys are either active or played in the 1930s. Also, consider the names who don’t appear here to see how exclusive this club is, like Mays, Cobb, Hornsby, and Musial.
I’m not sure how many guys did it three times; here’s the list of guys I found after looking all over: besides Helton, there’s Mel Ott, Duke Snider, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Medwick, Hank Aaron, and Vern Stephens.