Alex Rodriguez punched his ticket to one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs in 1998 while playing for the Seattle Mariners. What’s even more impressive is that over 25 years later, he still holds a distinction that no one else in the 40-40 club can claim.
Currently, six MLB players have registered at least 40 home runs and 40 steals in a single season. Each one of them — except A-Rod — either played the outfield or DH’d when they did it. As a 22-year-old shortstop, Rodriguez put together a campaign in which he slugged 42 homers while stealing 46 bases.
Related: A Complete Guide to Single-Season (& Single-Game) HR Performances
The 40-40 Club: Every Member in History
Before getting into what makes A-Rod’s version special, here’s the full picture of everyone in this club:
| Player | Year | Team | HR | SB | Primary Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Canseco | 1988 | Oakland Athletics | 42 | 40 | Outfield |
| Barry Bonds | 1996 | San Francisco Giants | 42 | 40 | Outfield |
| Alex Rodriguez | 1998 | Seattle Mariners | 42 | 46 | Shortstop |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2006 | Washington Nationals | 46 | 41 | Outfield |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | 2023 | Atlanta Braves | 41 | 73 | Outfield |
| Shohei Ohtani | 2024 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 54 | 59 | DH |
This was just a four-person club before the 2023 season, with Soriano being the last one to accomplish the feat in 2006 with Washington. But the new MLB rules around pickoff attempts and pace of play changed things fast. Acuña and Ohtani each joined in back-to-back seasons, and each made their own mark in different ways.
Acuña went 40-70 while capturing the National League MVP Award, while Ohtani became the first member of the 50-50 club. But even with those jaw-dropping performances on the ledger, nobody in the 40-40 club did it like A-Rod.
Looking Back on A-Rod’s 40-40 Campaign
During his historic 1998 campaign, A-Rod was selected to his third straight All-Star Game, finished ninth in American League MVP Award voting, and won his second Silver Slugger Award.
The young shortstop slashed .310/.360/.560 with 42 homers, 35 doubles, 124 RBI, 123 runs scored, and 46 steals in 161 games. He also collected 213 hits, which led the league. While he was a rather consistent base stealer throughout the first 10 to 15 years of his big-league career, the 1998 season was the only time he registered more than 30 (though he did have five seasons with 20-plus).
A-Rod did most of his damage on the road instead of in front of Mariners fans at the Kingdome. He accumulated nearly the same number of plate appearances at home (372) as he did on the road (376). However, Rodriguez slashed .286/.332/.484 with 18 homers, 54 RBI, 52 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases in Seattle. Those numbers improved dramatically on the road, where he hit .335/.387/.636 with 24 homers, 70 RBI, 71 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases.
Digging Into What Makes A-Rod’s Effort So Special
Rodriguez wasn’t the first player to go 40-40. While his 46 steals were the most among the first four members of the club, that’s certainly no longer the case thanks to Acuña and Ohtani.
So what gives? As mentioned at the top of this article, A-Rod was the first (and still the only) primary infielder to accomplish this impressive feat. It’s easy to think Soriano was also in the same boat for a while.
He spent the first few years of his big-league career as a second baseman and flirted with 40-40 in 2002 and 2003 with the New York Yankees. But 2006 was the first year he transitioned to being a full-time outfielder, playing left field for 158 games during his lone year with the Nationals.
Who Has the Best Shot at Being the Next Infielder in the Club?
Who has the best shot at being the second primary infielder to join the 40-40 club? I think Bobby Witt Jr. has the potential to get it done, especially after posting consecutive 30-30 seasons in 2023 and 2024.
However, the player I think has the best chance of making it happen next is Elly De La Cruz. He’s in his fourth big-league campaign in 2026, is just 24 years old, and has proven to be a consistent power-speed threat for the Cincinnati Reds. His most eye-popping performance to date was in 2024 for Cincy. He slashed .259/.339/.471 with 25 homers, 36 doubles, 10 triples, and a league-leading 67 steals. Of course, the biggest knock on his season was the league-leading 218 strikeouts.
Although Elly is still striking out a bunch through the first month-plus of 2026, he’s putting together a first half worthy of All-Star consideration while racking up 10 homers and eight steals through his first 33 games. If he’s the next player to join the 40-40 club, De La Cruz would join A-Rod as the only infielders. He’d also be the first switch-hitter to get it done, though, which would be sick.
What About the Rest of the Field?
Beyond Witt and De La Cruz, this is actually a pretty thin list because it calls for an extremely specific skill set of elite raw power AND elite foot speed, sustained over a 162-game schedule. Most power hitters slow down as they get older. Most speedsters don’t develop the kind of pop it takes to clear 40.
The overlap is rare, which is what makes A-Rod’s 1998 season age so well. The rule changes have opened the door for more 40-40 seasons in general, but when it comes to an infielder getting the job done, A-Rod still stands alone for the time being.
