Shohei Ohtani 50-50: How significant is this singular feat?

Shohei Ohtani is one of the best players in baseball. Even without the ability to pitch, the Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar continues to mash baseballs at a pace we've never seen before. That's not a hyperbole either. Ohtani has just accomplished something we've never seen in the history of Major League Baseball: 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Nobody had ever even achieved a 45-45 season, and Ohtani just blew that accomplishment right out of the water in his first season with the Dodgers.

Prior to their game against the Marlins on September 19, Ohtani needed one stolen base and two homers to charter the 50-50 club, and very few people thought he could pull it off in just one game. Ohtani still has nine games left to really bolster those numbers and set his 2024 season apart as arguably the greatest all-around offensive season of all-time.

While no one had ever before accomplished this feat, here are some other players who came eerily close.

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Closest players to 50-50

40-40 members:

• Ronald Acu?a Jr., ATL (2023)

2023 stats: 41 HR - 73 SB

Acu?a nearly accomplished this feat at just 21 years old, tallying 37 stolen bases (led National League) and 41 home runs in 2019. Injuries and COVID would prevent Acu?a from coming close the next few years, but he returned to form in 2023, en route to his first of hopefully many NL MVP Awards.

• Alfonso Soriano, WSH (2006)

2006 stats: 46 HR - 41 SB

Soriano was always a dual-threat of speed and power, but 2006 was his ultimate performance, setting a career-high in home runs. 2006 was actually the only year that Soriano would ever eclipse 40 home runs. This was also the third and final time that Soriano would eclipse 40 stolen bases. In fact, he'd never reach 20 swipes after this season.

• Alex Rodriguez, SEA (1998)

1998 stats: 42 HR - 46 SB

Prior to this season, Rodriguez had never stolen even 30 bases in a season. In fact, he'd never reach 30 again. However, in 1998, the stars aligned and Rodriguez, always a power threat, became an absolute menace on the basepaths as well.

• Barry Bonds, SF (1996)

1996 stats: 42 HR - 40 SB

A decade before Bonds was a 40-year-old breaking the all-time home run record, he was a 30-year-old and one of the best all-around players in baseball. Bonds is the only player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. That said, among members of this club, his 40-40 season is arguably the least impressive based on the pure numbers. Then you realize he had a 188 OPS+ during this season as well, which is the highest of anyone on this list by far, bolstered by his astonishing .461 on-base percentage and you realize that this Bonds guy, before the 'roids, was pretty good.

• Jose Canseco, OAK (1988)

1988 stats: 42 HR - 40 SB

Much like Rodriguez, Canseco never reached even 30 stolen bases before or after this season. However, that didn't stop him from going nuts on the basepaths in 1988 and becoming the first-ever member of the 40-40 club.

50 home runs, not enough stolen bases

• Alex Rodriguez, NYY (2007)

2007 stats: 54 HR - 24 SB

One of only two people on this list twice, Rodriguez may not have ever achieved the same stolen base figures as he did in 1998, but he was still a serious power threat for the remainder of his career (no comment as to why). Rodriguez led MLB in home runs this year en route to an American League MVP award. Of all players in MLB history (barring how Ohtani finishes this season), Rodriguez is tied for the most stolen bases in a season with at least 50 home runs hit.

• Ken Griffey Jr., SEA (1998)

1998 stats: 56 HR - 20 SB

It would've been a shock to not see Griffey Jr.'s name on this list. In 1998, Griffey arguably outshined Rodriguez's 40-40 season with an incredible 56 home run performance. Funny enough though, neither of them finished even top-three in MVP voting in 1998.

• Brady Anderson, BAL (1996)

1996 stats: 50 HR - 21 SB

Talk about your one-year wonders. Anderson had never reached 25 home runs prior to 1996 and never reached 25 after, but this year, he must've been feeling unstoppable. Absolutely zero idea how he could've had such a crazy, once-in-a-lifetime season.

• Willie Mays, SF (1955)

1955 stats: 51 HR - 24 SB

Even military service couldn't prevent Willie Mays from returning to the baseball diamond and putting up some of the best seasons of all-time. The 'Say Hey' Kid was the first member of the 50-20 club dating all the way back to 1955. Such a feat would not be accomplished again for another 40 years.

50 stolen bases, not enough home runs

• Barry Bonds, PIT (1990)

1990 stats: 33 HR - 52 SB

Only four times in MLB history has a player stolen 50 bases with at least 30 home runs. Excluding Ohtani, the most recent feat happened just a year ago with 2023 Ronald Acu?a Jr., who we've already talked about, but the second-most recent to do it was none other than Barry Bonds. Before Bonds even became a San Francisco Giant, Bonds was tearing up basepaths in Pittsburgh.

• Eric Davis, CIN (1987)

1987 stats: 37 HR - 50 SB

While a lot of the players on this list never reached the same stolen base numbers they saw in this one particular season, Davis had blown this number out of the water before. In fact, just a year prior, Davis recorded 80 stolen bases, which wasn't even enough to lead the league that year (Vince Coleman, 107). Davis would never reach even 40 stolen bases after this year though. He only had one other season with 30+ home runs (1989). Funny enough, despite finishing top-15 in MVP voting five times, those 30-homer seasons are the only times Davis was ever named an All-Star.

Has Ohtani always been a speed demon?

Not really, no. Ohtani has had wheels, for sure, but he's never been much of a base stealer, having never eclipsed 30 stolen bases in any of his six years prior. He isn't particularly fast either. According to baseballsavant, Ohtani ranks in the 73rd percentile for MLB player sprint speed, ranking 154th in MLB, behind the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. (10 stolen bases), Seiya Suzuki (15 stolen bases), and J.T. Realmuto (two stolen bases).

Still, Ohtani's 92.7% stolen base percentage is near the top of baseball and ahead of arguably the most prolific base stealers in MLB like Elly de la Cruz (80%) and Bobby Witt Jr. (71.4%). Ohtani has a knack for timing pitchers, which makes sense as timing is one of the keys to hitting as well, and Ohtani clearly does that extraordinarily well. However, when Ohtani returns to the mound, it's unlikely we'll ever see him reach these stolen base numbers again as the Dodgers will want to conserve his body as much as possible, meaning this was likely Ohtani's last chance to charter the 50-50 club, and the madman did it.

Dodgers remaining schedule:

*all times listed are Eastern (ET)

• Sep. 20 vs. Colorado, 10:10 p.m.

• Sep. 21 vs. Colorado, 9:10 p.m.

• Sep. 22 vs. Colorado, 4:10 p.m.

• Sep. 24 vs. San Diego, 10:10 p.m.

• Sep. 25 vs. San Diego, 10:10 p.m.

• Sep. 26 vs. San Diego, 10:10 p.m.

• Sep. 27 @ Colorado, 8:10 p.m.

• Sep. 28 @ Colorado, 8:10 p.m.

• Sep. 29 @ Colorado, 3:10 p.m.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani gets 50-50. Who else has come close?