Rickey Henderson certainly knew what to do with a bat, as evidenced by the 3,055 hits that he piled up during his 25-year career. And, of course, he was unparalleled at stealing bases, a total of 1,406 in all.
Those are the skills — and stats — that earned Henderson a plaque in Cooperstown.
But Henderson also knew the strike zone as well as anybody who ever played the game. He received 2,129 unintentional walks during his career, translating to a batting-eye rate (abbreviated as EY) of .160. (EY is calculated by dividing unintentional walks by the number of plate appearances after intentional walks have been subtracted.)
Henderson’s eye was so precise that he struck out 435 fewer times than he walked. His career totals: 1,694 strikeouts, 2,129 unintentional walks. That’s knowing the strike zone.
It’s unusual for any batter in our free-swinging era to come close to Henderson’s impressive EY, though two National Leaguers actually surpassed it in 2023.
Juan Soto, then with the San Diego Padres, coaxed 121 unintentional walks in 697 appearances-minus-IBBs for an EY of .174. Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies was the league’s runner-up at .169.
Soto’s performance earned him the NL’s 2023 Rickey Henderson Award, honoring him for having the best batting eye in the league. His American League counterpart was J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners at .146.
Look below to see the 15 best EY stats in each league. The rankings are limited to qualified batters, those who made at least 502 plate appearances during the season.
The Rickey Henderson Award is the fifth in a series of honors named after Hall of Famers. Follow these links to read about the previously bestowed awards with these namesakes: Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Nellie Fox.
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American League EY leaders
1. J.P. Crawford, Mariners, .146
2. Triston Casas, Red Sox, .136
3. Alex Bregman, Astros, .126
3. Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers, .126
3. Adley Rutschman, Orioles, .126
6. Randy Arozarena, Rays, .121
6. Shohei Ohtani, Angels, .121
8. Yandy Diaz, Rays, .108
9. Kyle Tucker, Astros, .107
10. Matt Chapman, Blue Jays, .105
11. DJ LeMahieu, Yankees, .104
12. Adolis Garcia, Rangers, .103
13. Isaac Paredes, Rays, .102
14. Eugenio Suarez, Mariners, .101
15. MJ Melendez, Royals, .100
15. Gleyber Torres, Yankees, .100
National League EY leaders
1. Juan Soto, Padres, .174
2. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, .169
3. Ian Happ, Cubs, .141
3. Max Muncy, Dodgers, .141
3. LaMonte Wade Jr., Giants, .141
6. Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals, .140
7. Jack Suwinski, Pirates, .137
8. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, .135
8. Trent Grisham, Padres, .135
8. Matt Olson, Braves, .135
11. Bryce Harper, Phillies, .134
12. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, .119
13. Ha-Seong Kim, Padres, .118
13. James Outman, Dodgers, .118
15. Christian Yelich, Brewers, .114