Honestly, if you just looked at the headlines from last October, you’d think the 2024 MLB season was just two guys playing home run derby in different time zones. And yeah, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani did things that literally nobody had ever seen before. But if you’re trying to actually understand the mlb stat leaders 2024 list, you have to look at the guys who weren't always on the SportsCenter loop.
Take Bobby Witt Jr. for example. He basically turned the American League into his own personal video game.
The kid ended up with a .332 batting average. That didn't just lead the AL; it was the highest mark for a qualified hitter in the entire league. He beat out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.323) and Judge (.322) to take the crown. It’s kinda wild that a guy hitting 58 homers also managed to finish third in average, but that’s just how locked in Judge was.
The Power Surge and the 50/50 Myth
We have to talk about the home runs because the numbers were just stupid. Aaron Judge finished with 58. That’s his second time hitting at least 50 in three years. He also drove in 144 runs. You don't see 140+ RBI seasons much anymore because of how lineups are built now, but Judge just didn't care about modern trends.
Then there's Shohei. 54 home runs. 59 stolen bases.
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People call it the 50/50 club, but he almost started the 55/60 club by himself. He led the National League in homers, RBI (130), and runs scored (134). He didn't even pitch! He just spent six months destroying baseballs while his elbow healed.
The sheer volume of total bases Ohtani put up—411—is the kind of number you usually only see in the pre-integration era or the height of the "steroid era." For a guy to do that in 2024 with modern pitching is, frankly, terrifying.
Pitching's Triple Crown Duo
Pitching was weirdly symmetrical this year. For the first time since 2011, we had a Triple Crown winner in both leagues.
Tarik Skubal was the soul of that Detroit Tigers "Gritty Tigs" run. He finished with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts. He was the unanimous AL Cy Young winner, and if you watched him pitch in September, you knew why. He was throwing high-90s heat with a changeup that looked like it was falling off a table.
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Over in the National League, Chris Sale finally got his flowers.
- Wins: 18 (Tied for MLB lead)
- ERA: 2.38 (Led MLB)
- Strikeouts: 225 (Led NL)
Sale had been written off by a lot of people after all those injuries in Boston. Seeing him dominate at age 35 was probably the coolest "I told you so" in recent baseball history. He didn't just lead the mlb stat leaders 2024 pitching categories; he reminded everyone that when he's healthy, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
The Speed Merchants
While everyone was watching Judge and Ohtani launch moonshots, Elly De La Cruz was turning every single or walk into a triple.
The Reds' phenom swiped 67 bags. 67!
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That’s the most by any player since the rules changed to encourage more running, and he did it with a flair that makes him the most exciting player to watch in the dirt. Jose Caballero actually led the AL with 44 steals after moving over to the Rays, which is a massive jump for him.
Why These Stats Actually Matter for 2025
A lot of people think stats are just for historians, but the 2024 numbers tell us where the game is going. We’re seeing a massive shift back to "plus" athleticism. You can’t just be a "three true outcomes" hitter anymore and expect to lead the league in value.
Look at Jarren Duran in Boston. He led the majors in doubles (48) and triples (14). He was an extra-base machine because he could fly. If you're looking at the mlb stat leaders 2024, don't just look at the homers. Look at the guys like Duran and Witt Jr. who are putting pressure on the defense every single time they put the ball in play.
- Check the BABIP: High batting averages like Witt's aren't always luck; they're often a result of exit velocity combined with elite speed.
- Follow the Pitch Counts: Skubal and Sale dominated because they stayed efficient, proving that "workhorse" starters aren't dead yet.
- Monitor the Run Environment: With steals up across the board, the value of a high-OBP guy who can run (like Juan Soto's .419 OBP) has never been higher.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for next season, stop focusing solely on the "Big Two." Start looking at the strikeout-to-walk ratios of guys like Emmanuel Clase, who had 47 saves and a microscopic 0.61 ERA. That's where the real edge is.
Go back and look at the final standings on Baseball-Reference or FanGraphs. Pay attention to the "Baserunning Runs" and "Defensive Runs Saved" categories. The stat leaders of 2024 proved that while power wins headlines, the combination of high-contact and elite speed is what actually breaks the game.
Check your local team's prospects for guys who fit the "Witt Jr." mold—high contact, low K%, and 90th percentile sprint speed. Those are the names you'll see at the top of these lists by this time next year.