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Barry Bonds holds the record for being walked the most times in MLB history.
A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls , and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules,[ 1] and further detail is given in 6.08(a).[ 2]
The following table lists the top 100 career base on balls leaders in Major League Baseball history. Since 2007, Barry Bonds [ 3] [ 4] holds the record for most career walks drawn with 2,558. Rickey Henderson [ 5] (2,190), Babe Ruth [ 6] (2,062), and Ted Williams [ 7] (2,021) are the only other players to draw more than 2,000 walks in their careers. The active leader in walks is Carlos Santana with 1,278.[ 8]
Rank
Rank among players in career walks. A blank field indicates a tie.
Player (2025 BB)
Name (walks in 2025 )
BB
Career walks
*
Elected to Hall of Fame
Bold
Active player[ a]
Carlos Santana, the active leader and 50th all-time in career bases on balls.
Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.
Rank
Player (2025 BB)
BB
1
Barry Bonds
2,558
2
Rickey Henderson *
2,190
3
Babe Ruth *
2,062
4
Ted Williams *
2,021
5
Joe Morgan *
1,865
6
Carl Yastrzemski *
1,845
7
Jim Thome *
1,747
8
Mickey Mantle *
1,733
9
Mel Ott *
1,708
10
Frank Thomas *
1,667
11
Eddie Yost
1,614
12
Darrell Evans
1,605
13
Stan Musial *
1,599
14
Pete Rose
1,566
15
Harmon Killebrew *
1,559
16
Chipper Jones *
1,512
17
Lou Gehrig *
1,508
18
Mike Schmidt *
1,507
19
Eddie Collins *
1,499
20
Bobby Abreu
1,476
21
Gary Sheffield
1,475
22
Willie Mays *
1,464
23
Jimmie Foxx *
1,452
24
Eddie Mathews *
1,444
25
Frank Robinson *
1,420
26
Wade Boggs *
1,412
27
Hank Aaron *
1,402
28
Jeff Bagwell *
1,401
29
Dwight Evans
1,391
30
Tris Speaker *
1,381
31
Reggie Jackson *
1,375
32
Albert Pujols
1,373
33
Jason Giambi
1,366
34
Joey Votto
1,365
35
Rafael Palmeiro
1,353
36
Willie McCovey *
1,345
37
Alex Rodriguez
1,338
38
Todd Helton *
1,335
39
Eddie Murray *
1,333
40
Tim Raines *
1,330
41
Manny Ramirez
1,329
42
David Ortiz *
1,319
Tony Phillips
1,319
44
Adam Dunn
1,317
Mark McGwire
1,317
46
Ken Griffey Jr. *
1,312
47
Fred McGriff *
1,305
48
Luke Appling *
1,302
49
Edgar Martínez *
1,283
50
Carlos Santana (0)
1,278
Rank
Player (2025 BB)
BB
51
Al Kaline *
1,277
52
John Olerud
1,275
53
Ken Singleton
1,263
54
Jack Clark
1,262
55
Miguel Cabrera
1,258
56
Rusty Staub
1,255
57
Ty Cobb *
1,249
58
Willie Randolph
1,243
59
Jimmy Wynn
1,224
60
Dave Winfield *
1,216
61
Pee Wee Reese *
1,210
62
Lance Berkman
1,201
63
Richie Ashburn *
1,198
64
Brian Downing
1,197
Lou Whitaker
1,197
66
Chili Davis
1,194
67
Billy Hamilton *
1,189
68
Charlie Gehringer *
1,186
69
Brian Giles
1,183
70
Craig Biggio *
1,160
71
Donie Bush
1,158
72
Max Bishop
1,156
73
Luis Gonzalez
1,155
74
Toby Harrah
1,153
75
Harry Hooper *
1,136
76
Jimmy Sheckard
1,135
77
Brett Butler
1,129
Cal Ripken Jr. *
1,129
79
Andrew McCutchen (0)
1,116
80
Carlos Delgado
1,109
81
Ron Santo *
1,108
82
Jim Gilliam
1,102
83
George Brett *
1,096
84
Paul Molitor *
1,094
85
Lu Blue
1,092
Stan Hack
1,092
87
Paul Waner *
1,091
88
Graig Nettles
1,088
89
Bobby Grich
1,087
90
Carlos Beltrán
1,084
91
Derek Jeter *
1,082
92
Mark Grace
1,075
Bob Johnson
1,075
Robin Ventura
1,075
95
Ozzie Smith *
1,072
96
Harlond Clift
1,070
Keith Hernandez
1,070
98
Bernie Williams
1,069
99
Bill Dahlen
1,064
100
Harold Baines *
1,062
^ A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.
^ rule 2.00
^ rule 6.00
^ "Barry Bonds Career Stats" . Baseball Reference . Retrieved August 1, 2021 .
^ Jensen, Don. "Barry Bonds Bio" . Society For American Baseball Research . Retrieved August 1, 2021 .
^ "Rickey Henderson Career Stats" . Baseball Reference . Retrieved August 1, 2021 .
^ "Babe Ruth Career Stats" . Baseball Reference . Retrieved August 1, 2021 .
^ "Ted Williams Career Stats" . Baseball Reference . Retrieved August 1, 2021 .
^ "Carlos Santana Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved 2024-08-22 .
"Career Leaders & Records for Bases on Balls" . Baseball-Reference.com .
General Batting leaders
Career Annual Season Game Misc
Baserunning leaders
Pitching leaders
Career Annual Season Game Misc
Fielding leaders
Managing records Multiple stat records Other