1
Pete Rose
Rose is the career hits leader with 4,256 over 24 seasons, 67 more than Ty Cobb. He is not in the Hall of Fame.
Primary team: Cincinnati RedsBats: SwitchSeasons: 24Hall of Fame: No
Top 10 MLB Players by Career Hits
Pete Rose's 4,256 hits lead Major League Baseball's career list, 67 ahead of Ty Cobb; on Baseball-Reference's count, 19th-century star Cap Anson is seventh and Albert Pujols completes the top ten.
Quick answer
Pete Rose has the most hits in Major League Baseball history, 4,256. Ty Cobb is second with 4,189 and Hank Aaron third with 3,771. The ranking uses Baseball-Reference's career regular-season hits, which include the 1871-1875 National Association; no active player is close to the top ten.
Career hits reward contact skill and durability over a long career. Only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb have passed 4,000. This list ranks players by regular-season career hits using a single source, Baseball-Reference. Its count differs from Major League Baseball's official one in a few places, explained in the methodology, and those differences decide who is seventh and who is tenth.
Career hits (regular season, Baseball-Reference)
Pete Rose
Ty Cobb
Hank Aaron
Stan Musial
Tris Speaker
Derek Jeter
Cap Anson
Honus Wagner
Carl Yastrzemski
Albert Pujols
The ranking
2
Ty Cobb
Cobb ranks second with 4,189 hits on Baseball-Reference's count, which corrects a double-counted two-hit game; MLB's official figure is 4,191.
Primary team: Detroit TigersBats: LeftSeasons: 24Hall of Fame: Yes
3
Hank Aaron
Aaron is best known for home runs, but his 3,771 hits are third all time, 141 more than Stan Musial.
Primary team: Milwaukee / Atlanta BravesBats: RightSeasons: 23Hall of Fame: Yes
4
Stan Musial
Musial collected 3,630 hits, all for the St. Louis Cardinals over 22 seasons.
Primary team: St. Louis CardinalsBats: LeftSeasons: 22Hall of Fame: Yes
5
Tris Speaker
Speaker ranks fifth with 3,514 hits from a 22-season career, most of it with Cleveland after starting in Boston.
Primary team: Cleveland IndiansBats: LeftSeasons: 22Hall of Fame: Yes
6
Derek Jeter
Jeter is sixth with 3,465 hits, all for the New York Yankees over 20 seasons.
Primary team: New York YankeesBats: RightSeasons: 20Hall of Fame: Yes
7
Cap Anson
Anson's 3,435 hits on Baseball-Reference include five seasons in the National Association (1871-1875), which MLB does not recognize as a major league. He then spent 22 seasons with Chicago's National League club and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.
Primary team: Chicago White Stockings / ColtsBats: RightSeasons: 27Hall of Fame: Yes
8
Honus Wagner
Wagner has 3,420 hits on Baseball-Reference, which follows the Macmillan encyclopedia's research; MLB and the Hall of Fame credit him with 3,430. Either figure places him eighth here.
Primary team: Pittsburgh PiratesBats: RightSeasons: 21Hall of Fame: Yes
9
Carl Yastrzemski
Yastrzemski collected 3,419 hits over 23 seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox, one fewer than Wagner on this count.
Primary team: Boston Red SoxBats: LeftSeasons: 23Hall of Fame: Yes
10
Albert Pujols
Pujols finished with 3,384 hits over 22 seasons, the most of any player who is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Primary team: St. Louis CardinalsBats: RightSeasons: 22Hall of Fame: Not yet eligible
Full comparison
| # | Name | Primary team | Bats | Seasons | Hall of Fame |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Rose | Cincinnati Reds | Switch | 24 | No |
| 2 | Ty Cobb | Detroit Tigers | Left | 24 | Yes |
| 3 | Hank Aaron | Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves | Right | 23 | Yes |
| 4 | Stan Musial | St. Louis Cardinals | Left | 22 | Yes |
| 5 | Tris Speaker | Cleveland Indians | Left | 22 | Yes |
| 6 | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees | Right | 20 | Yes |
| 7 | Cap Anson | Chicago White Stockings / Colts | Right | 27 | Yes |
| 8 | Honus Wagner | Pittsburgh Pirates | Right | 21 | Yes |
| 9 | Carl Yastrzemski | Boston Red Sox | Left | 23 | Yes |
| 10 | Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | Right | 22 | Not yet eligible |
How we ranked this
Players are ranked by career regular-season hits, most first, as listed on Baseball-Reference's career hits leaderboard (corroborated by Wikipedia's list of MLB career hits leaders, which follows it). Postseason hits are excluded. Baseball-Reference treats the National Association (1871-1875) as a major league, so Cap Anson is credited with 3,435 hits; MLB does not count those years and credits him with far fewer (3,081 per Elias, 3,011 on MLB.com), which would drop him out of the top ten. Baseball-Reference credits Honus Wagner with 3,420 hits, while MLB and the Hall of Fame use 3,430; MLB also lists Ty Cobb at 4,191 against Baseball-Reference's researched 4,189. On MLB's official count, Paul Molitor (3,319) would be tenth instead of Anson appearing. There are no ties in the top ten. No active player is near it: the active leader, Freddie Freeman, had 2,598 hits as of September 27, 2026.
FAQ
Who has the most hits in MLB history?
Pete Rose, with 4,256 regular-season hits. Ty Cobb is second with 4,189 on Baseball-Reference's count (4,191 on MLB's).
Are playoff hits included?
No. This ranking uses regular-season career hits only.
Why is Cap Anson on this list but not on MLB's?
Baseball-Reference counts the National Association of 1871-1875 as a major league, giving Anson 3,435 hits. MLB does not, and credits him with about 3,000 to 3,081. On MLB's count Paul Molitor (3,319) is tenth instead.
Who has the most hits among Hall of Famers?
Ty Cobb, with 4,189. Pete Rose, who has more, is not in the Hall of Fame.
Sources
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