The batting championship is awarded to the Major League Baseball player in each the American League and National League who has the highest batting average in a particular season.
Currently, players need to accrue an average of 3.1 plate appearances for each game their team plays in order to qualify for the batting title. An exception to this qualification rule is that, if a player falls short of the 3.1 plate appearances per game but would still have the highest batting average even if enough hitless at bats were added to reach the 3.1 mark, the player still wins the batting championship. The latest example of this exception being employed occurred in 1996 when Tony Gwynn had 159 hits in 451 at bats for a .353 batting average but had only 498 plate appearances, four short of the 502 necessary. Since four hitless at bats would have lowered his batting average to .349 but .349 was still better than anyone else in the league, Gwynn was named the National League batting champion. [1]
American League[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .426 | 1902 | {{player | Ed Delahanty)) | Washington Senators | .376 | 1903 | Template:Player | Cleveland Naps | .344 |
| 1904 | Template:Player | Cleveland Naps | .376 | |||||||||
| 1905 | Template:Player | Cleveland Naps | .308 | |||||||||
| 1906 | Template:Player | St. Louis Browns | .358 | |||||||||
| 1907 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .350 | |||||||||
| 1908 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .324 | |||||||||
| 1909 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .377 | |||||||||
| 1910 | Template:Player | Cleveland Naps | .384 | |||||||||
| 1911 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .420 | |||||||||
| 1912 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .409 | |||||||||
| 1913 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .390 | |||||||||
| 1914 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .368 | |||||||||
| 1915 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .369 | |||||||||
| 1916 | Template:Player | Cleveland Indians | .386 | |||||||||
| 1917 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .383 | |||||||||
| 1918 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .382 | |||||||||
| 1919 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .384 | |||||||||
| 1920 | Template:Player | St. Louis Browns | .407 | |||||||||
| 1921 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .394 | |||||||||
| 1922 | Template:Player | St. Louis Browns | .420 | |||||||||
| 1923 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .403 | |||||||||
| 1924 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .378 | |||||||||
| 1925 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .393 | |||||||||
| 1926 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .378 | |||||||||
| 1927 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .398 | |||||||||
| 1928 | Template:Player | Washington Senators | .379 | |||||||||
| 1929 | Template:Player | Cleveland Indians | .369 | |||||||||
| 1930 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .381 | |||||||||
| 1931 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .390 | |||||||||
| 1932 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox |
.367 | |||||||||
| 1933 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .356 | |||||||||
| 1934 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .363 | |||||||||
| 1935 | Template:Player | Washington Senators | .349 | |||||||||
| 1936 | Template:Player | Chicago White Sox | .388 | |||||||||
| 1937 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .371 | |||||||||
| 1938 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .349 | |||||||||
| 1939 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .381 | |||||||||
| 1940 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .352 | |||||||||
| 1941 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .406 | |||||||||
| 1942 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .356 | |||||||||
| 1943 | Template:Player | Chicago White Sox | .328 | |||||||||
| 1944 | Template:Player | Cleveland Indians | .327 | |||||||||
| 1945 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .309 | |||||||||
| 1946 | Template:Player | Washington Senators | .353 | |||||||||
| 1947 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .343 | |||||||||
| 1948 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .369 | |||||||||
| 1949 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .343 | |||||||||
| 1950 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .354 | |||||||||
| 1951 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .344 | |||||||||
| 1952 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .327 | |||||||||
| 1953 | Template:Player | Washington Senators | .337 | |||||||||
| 1954 | Template:Player | Cleveland Indians | .341 | |||||||||
| 1955 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .340 | |||||||||
| 1956 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .353 | |||||||||
| 1957 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .388 | |||||||||
| 1958 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .328 | |||||||||
| 1959 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .353 | |||||||||
| 1960 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .320 | |||||||||
| 1961 | Template:Player | Detroit Tigers | .361 | |||||||||
| 1962 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .326 | |||||||||
| 1963 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .321 | |||||||||
| 1964 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .323 | |||||||||
| 1965 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .323 | |||||||||
| 1966 | Template:Player | Baltimore Orioles | .316 | |||||||||
| 1967 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .326 | |||||||||
| 1968 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .301 | |||||||||
| 1969 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .332 | |||||||||
| 1970 | Template:Player | California Angels | .329 | |||||||||
| 1971 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .337 | |||||||||
| 1972 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .318 | |||||||||
| 1973 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .350 | |||||||||
| 1974 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .364 | |||||||||
| 1975 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .359 | |||||||||
| 1976 | Template:Player | Kansas City Royals | .333 | |||||||||
| 1977 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .388 | |||||||||
| 1978 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .333 | |||||||||
| 1979 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .333 | |||||||||
| 1980 | Template:Player | Kansas City Royals | .390 | |||||||||
| 1981 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .336 | |||||||||
| 1982 | Template:Player | Kansas City Royals | .332 | |||||||||
| 1983 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .361 | |||||||||
| 1984 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .343 | |||||||||
| 1985 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .368 | |||||||||
| 1986 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .357 | |||||||||
| 1987 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .363 | |||||||||
| 1988 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .366 | |||||||||
| 1989 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .339 | |||||||||
| 1990 | Template:Player | Kansas City Royals | .329 | |||||||||
| 1991 | Template:Player | Texas Rangers | .341 | |||||||||
| 1992 | Template:Player | Seattle Mariners | .343 | |||||||||
| 1993 | Template:Player | Toronto Blue Jays | .363 | |||||||||
| 1994 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .359 | |||||||||
| 1995 | Template:Player | Seattle Mariners | .356 | |||||||||
| 1996 | Template:Player | Seattle Mariners | .358 | |||||||||
| 1997 | Template:Player | Chicago White Sox | .347 | |||||||||
| 1998 | Template:Player | New York Yankees | .339 | |||||||||
| 1999 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .357 | |||||||||
| 2000 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .372 | |||||||||
| 2001 | Template:Player | Seattle Mariners | .350 | |||||||||
| 2002 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .349 | |||||||||
| 2003 | Template:Player | Boston Red Sox | .326 | |||||||||
| 2004 | Template:Player | Seattle Mariners | .372 | |||||||||
| 2005 | Template:Player | Texas Rangers | .331 | |||||||||
| 2006 | Template:Player | Minnesota Twins | .347 |
The 1902 AL batting championship was awarded to Ed Delahanty at the time, and the Baseball Hall of Fame's statistics still credit Delahanty as the champion over Lajoie. The Hall of Fame lists Lajoie's 1902 stats as being 129 H / 352 AB / .368 BA, while Baseball-reference.com lists them as 133 H / 352 AB / .378 BA, which would place Lajoie above Delahanty.
Additionally, Lajoie had only 371 plate appearances to Delahanty's 535 or 536 (depending on which source you use), so there may also have been an issue of eligibility — Lajoie's 371 plate appearances falls well below the 424 that would be required under the current 3.1 plate appearances per team game standard of eligibility, and adding 53 hitless at bats would drop his average to .314.
This discrepancy is somewhat significant, as Delahanty is regarded as the only player to win a batting title in both leagues (.410, 1899 Phillies), as of the end of the 2005 season.
National League[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .429 |
| 1877 | Template:Player | Boston Red Caps | .387 |
| 1878 | Template:Player | Providence Grays | .358 |
| 1879 | Template:Player | Providence Grays | .357 |
| 1880 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .360 |
| 1881 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .399 |
| 1882 | Template:Player | Buffalo Bisons | .368 |
| 1883 | Template:Player | Buffalo Bisons | .374 |
| 1884 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .354 |
| 1885 | Template:Player | New York Giants | .371 |
| 1886 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .388 |
| 1887 | Template:Player | Detroit Wolverines | .372 |
| 1888 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .344 |
| 1889 | Template:Player | Boston Beaneaters | .373 |
| 1890 | Template:Player | New York Giants | .336 |
| 1891 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .340 |
| 1892 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Grooms | .335 |
| 1893 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .380 |
| 1894 | Template:Player | Boston Beaneaters | .440 |
| 1895 | Template:Player | Cleveland Spiders | .409 |
| 1896 | Template:Player | Cleveland Spiders | .410 |
| 1897 | Template:Player | Baltimore Orioles | .424 |
| 1898 | Template:Player | Baltimore Orioles | .385 |
| 1899 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .410 |
| 1900 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .381 |
| 1901 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .376 |
| 1902 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .357 |
| 1903 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .355 |
| 1904 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .349 |
| 1905 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .377 |
| 1906 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .339 |
| 1907 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .350 |
| 1908 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .354 |
| 1909 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .339 |
| 1910 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .331 |
| 1911 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .334 |
| 1912 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .372 |
| 1913 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Superbas | .350 |
| 1914 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Superbas | .329 |
| 1915 | Template:Player | New York Giants | .320 |
| 1916 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .339 |
| 1917 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .341 |
| 1918 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Robins | .335 |
| 1919 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .321 |
| 1920 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .370 |
| 1921 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .397 |
| 1922 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .401 |
| 1923 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .384 |
| 1924 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .424 |
| 1925 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .403 |
| 1926 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .353 |
| 1927 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .380 |
| 1928 | Template:Player | Boston Braves | .387 |
| 1929 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .398 |
| 1930 | Template:Player | New York Giants | .401 |
| 1931 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .390 |
| 1932 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Dodgers | .368 |
| 1933 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .368 |
| 1934 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .362 |
| 1935 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .385 |
| 1936 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .373 |
| 1937 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .374 |
| 1938 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .342 |
| 1939 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .349 |
| 1940 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .352 |
| 1941 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Dodgers | .343 |
| 1942 | Template:Player | Boston Braves | .330 |
| 1943 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .357 |
| 1944 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Dodgers | .357 |
| 1945 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .355 |
| 1946 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .365 |
| 1947 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies |
.363 |
| 1948 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .376 |
| 1949 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Dodgers | .342 |
| 1950 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .346 |
| 1951 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .355 |
| 1952 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .336 |
| 1953 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Dodgers | .344 |
| 1954 | Template:Player | New York Giants | .345 |
| 1955 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .338 |
| 1956 | Template:Player | Milwaukee Braves | .328 |
| 1957 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .351 |
| 1958 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Phillies | .350 |
| 1959 | Template:Player | Milwaukee Braves | .355 |
| 1960 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .325 |
| 1961 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .351 |
| 1962 | Template:Player | Los Angeles Dodgers | .346 |
| 1963 | Template:Player | Los Angeles Dodgers | .326 |
| 1964 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .339 |
| 1965 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .329 |
| 1966 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .342 |
| 1967 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .357 |
| 1968 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .335 |
| 1969 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .348 |
| 1970 | Template:Player | Atlanta Braves | .366 |
| 1971 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .363 |
| 1972 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .333 |
| 1973 | Template:Player | Cincinnati Reds | .338 |
| 1974 | Template:Player | Atlanta Braves | .353 |
| 1975 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .354 |
| 1976 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .339 |
| 1977 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .338 |
| 1978 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .334 |
| 1979 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .344 |
| 1980 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .324 |
| 1981 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .340 |
| 1982 | Template:Player | Montreal Expos | .331 |
| 1983 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .323 |
| 1984 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .351 |
| 1985 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .353 |
| 1986 | Template:Player | Montreal Expos | .334 |
| 1987 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .370 |
| 1988 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .313 |
| 1989 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .336 |
| 1990 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .335 |
| 1991 | Template:Player | Atlanta Braves | .319 |
| 1992 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .330 |
| 1993 | Template:Player | Colorado Rockies | .363 |
| 1994 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .394 |
| 1995 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .368 |
| 1996 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .353 |
| 1997 | Template:Player | San Diego Padres | .372 |
| 1998 | Template:Player | Colorado Rockies | .363 |
| 1999 | Template:Player | Colorado Rockies | .379 |
| 2000 | Template:Player | Colorado Rockies | .372 |
| 2001 | Template:Player | Colorado Rockies | .350 |
| 2002 | Template:Player | San Francisco Giants | .370 |
| 2003 | Template:Player | St. Louis Cardinals | .359 |
| 2004 | Template:Player | San Francisco Giants | .362 |
| 2005 | Template:Player | Chicago Cubs | .335 |
| 2006 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Pirates | .344 |
American Association[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Template:Player | Louisville Eclipse | .378 |
| 1883 | Template:Player | Pittsburgh Alleghenies | .357 |
| 1884 | Template:Player | New York Metropolitans | .354 |
| 1885 | Template:Player | Louisville Colonels | .362 |
| 1886 | Template:Player | Louisville Colonels | .341 |
| 1887 | Template:Player | St. Louis Browns | .435 |
| 1888 | Template:Player | St. Louis Browns | .335 |
| 1889 | Template:Player | Baltimore Orioles | .372 |
| 1890 | Template:Player | Louisville Colonels | .363 |
| 1891 | Template:Player | Boston Reds | .350 |
Federal League[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Template:Player | Indianapolis Hoosiers | .370 |
| 1915 | Template:Player | Brooklyn Tip-Tops | .342 |
Player's League[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Template:Player | Cleveland Infants | .373 |
Union Association[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | Template:Player | St. Louis Maroons | .412 |
National Association[]
| Year | Player | Team(s) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 | Template:Player | Philadelphia Athletics | .492 |
| 1872 | Template:Player | Boston Red Stockings | .432 |
| 1873 | Template:Player | Boston Red Stockings | .425 |
| 1874 | Template:Player | Chicago White Stockings | .394 |
| 1875 | Template:Player | Boston Red Stockings | .367 |