Who are MLB's 40-40 club members? How Shohei Ohtani joined Barry Bonds, others in rare baseball history

Barry Bonds. Alex Rodriguez. Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers superstar has been unable to pitch this season due to offseason surgery on his elbow, but he is making up for it in other ways on offense.

Ohtani is the newest member of MLB's 40-40 club — 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases — an incredibly rare feat in baseball. He reached the milestone in grand fashion, a walk-off grand slam on Sept. 23 against the Rays in his 126th game of the season. He is the fastest player in major league history to reach the 40-40 club in a season.

#WALKOFF GRAND SLAM
TO JOIN THE 40-40 CLUB
THERE IS ONLY ONE SHOHEI OHTANI. pic.twitter.com/FksrBJCDSV

— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2024

It's only been done five previous times in history, as it's uncommon to see a player with the thundering power to smash that many homers paired with the blazing speed to swipe that many bags. 

The fact that the Japanese sensation did so before the calendar turned to September is another jaw-dropping feat. However, at this point, baseball fans should no longer be surprised at anything Ohtani does on a diamond. 

If Ohtani accomplishes the double dosage of 40s, he will join an elite group of baseball players headlined by Bonds and Rodrigez. But who else is in MLB's 40-40 club?

Here is a look at the five other players who hit 40 home runs and stole 40 bases in a single season.

MORE: Tracking Shohei Ohtani's progress to the 40-40 club

What is the 40-40 club?

The 40-40 club in the MLB refers to when one player hits 40 home runs and steals 40 bases in a single season. 

It's an incredibly rare feat in today's MLB. It's not common to find a player with a mix of power at the dish and speed on the base paths that results in 40 homers and stolen bases. 

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40-40 seasons in baseball

Only five other players have ever joined the exclusive club. The latest was Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who completed the feat last season. He finished the 2023 season with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases, becoming the first player since 2006 to join the 40-40 club.

Ohtani is now the fastest player to reach the 40-40 club. That record belonged to Alfonso Soriano, who achieved the feat in 147 games during the 2006 season, per MLB Network's Sarah Langs.

Here is a look at everyone who is in the exclusive group:

Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, 2023 — 41 HRs, 73 SBs

The last player to join the 40-40 club was Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. The Atlanta star did so just last season, hitting 41 home runs and stealing 73 bags. 

Getting the stolen bases was easy work for the speedster from Venezuela. By July, Acuna Jr. already reached 40 stolen bases, so it was only the power category that he needed to come through in. 

That took a little longer, but on Sept. 22, Acuna Jr. kicked off an away game against the Nationals in style, ripping a home run off Washington starter Patrick Corbin for No. 40. 

Alfonso Soriano, Nationals, 2006 — 46 HRs, 41 SBs

In 2006, Soriano became the fastest player ever to join the 40-40 club when he reached the milestone on Sept. 16, needing 147 games to achieve the feat. 

Soriano blasted home run No. 40 on Aug. 19 in a game against the Phillies, but it took him nearly another month before reaching 40 stolen bases. In a contest against the Brewers, the National outfielder took off for second in the first inning of the game. Milwaukee catcher Mike Rivera tried to rush the throw from behind the dish, but his haste resulted in no throw being made, as Soriano made history with ease. 

Alex Rodriguez, Mariners, 1998 — 42 HRs, 46 SBs

Stealing bases for a shortstop is fairly common. The position requires speed to play the toughest position in the infield, so the skill translates to the base paths. But it's quite uncommon to find a shortstop with speed and power, but Alex Rodriguez was exactly that. 

Entering a Sept. 19 contest against the Angels, the one they call A-Rod needed just one more home run to join the club. All he needed was one at-bat in the game, homering in the first inning off Anaheim starter Jack McDowell to clinch 40 home runs. 

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Rodriguez is the only infielder part of the 40-40 club, further encapsulating the rare skills he possessed for a player at his position. 

Barry Bonds, Giants, 1996 — 42 HRs, 40 SBs

Everyone knows of the power of Bonds. The MLB's all-time home run leader hit at least 40 dingers in a season eight times in his lengthy career. However, what some people may forget is the speed that the Giants superstar possessed.

Bonds nearly joined the 40-40 club earlier in his career. He swiped over 40 bags in the 1990 and 1991 seasons as a member of the Pirates but hit 25 and 34 home runs, respectively, in those seasons.

It took until 1996 for Bonds to become the second member of the exclusive group — and he needed every game in the season to do so. During the regular season finale against the Rockies, Bonds took off from first base in the hopes of stealing his 40th bag. He did just that, beating the throw from Colorado catcher Jeff Reed to complete the feat. 

Jose Canseco, Athletics, 1988 — 42 HRs, 40 SBs

There is a first for everything, For the 40-40 club, its inaugural member was Jose Canseco. 

The former star outfielder for the Athletics became the first player to steal 40 bases and hit 40 bombs in 1988. In a Sept. 23 contest against the Brewers, Canseco needed one more stolen bases in order to get 40 and 40. He took off and beat the throw to second from Milwaukee catcher B.J. Surhoff, creating the club with his successful swipe. 

40-40 club members

Here is a look at everyone who is in the exclusive 40-40 group:

*Ohtani reached 40-40 milestone with 33 games remaining

Is there a 50-50 club?

There is no 50-50 club in MLB. While there have been players to hit at least 50 home runs in a season and others to steal 50 bags in a season, no one has been able to accomplish both in the same season.  

Considering Ohtani's 2024 pace for both home runs and stolen bases, there is a shot he could become the first member. As of the games concluded on Aug. 23, he has 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases, averaging 0.31 of each per game.

The Dodgers have 34 games left in their season. If he continues his current pace for both homers and stolen bases, he would fall just barely short of accomplishing 50-50, finishing with 49 of each.