Matt Kemp and the 15 Biggest 40-40 Threats in MLB History

There may be no more prestigious club in baseball than the 40/40 club, as only four players have managed to tally 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season.

Last year, Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp came as close as you can, with 39 HR and 40 SB, and that led to the 27-year-old superstar proclaiming he would not only reach 40/40, but would become the first 50/50 player in baseball history.

While that may be a bit of a long shot, becoming the fifth member of the 40/40 club certainly seems within reach.

It requires a special power/speed combination to make a run at 40/40. With that in mind here are the 15 biggest 40/40 threats in baseball history.

Matt Kemp

Career HR: 134

Career SB: 145

20/20 Seasons: 2

30/30 Seasons: 1

Kemp has to be included on this list, even though he has just four full seasons under his belt, as he has emerged as the game's premier power/speed threat and a legitimate contender for the Triple Crown.

He is playing at another level early on this season, with .465 BA, 6 HR, 16 RBI and 1 SB. As he's just entering his prime, this could very well be the year that he joins the 40/40 club.

Reggie Sanders

Career HR: 305

Career SB: 304

20/20 Seasons: 4

30/30 Seasons: 0

It may come as a surprise to many that Sanders is one of just six players with 300 HR and 300 SB in his career, as he enjoyed a very productive 17-year career.

The closest he ever came to 40/40 came in 1995 when he hit 28 home runs and stole 36 bases to finish sixth in NL MVP voting.

He was as consistent as they came, posting 14 straight seasons of double-digit home runs and stolen bases. He posted a 22 HR, 21 SB season as a 36-year-old for the Cardinals in 2004.

Vladimir Guerrero

Career HR: 449

Career SB: 181

20/20 Seasons: 2

30/30 Seasons: 2

Guerrero was more of a high-average, big-power hitter throughout his career, and bad knees kept him from running and eventually relegated him to DH later in his career.

However, during his prime, he posted back-to-back runs at 40/40, with a 34/37 season in 2001 and an extremely close 39/40 season in 2002. He was the definition of a five-tool player at that point in his career.

Raul Mondesi

Career HR: 271

Career SB: 229

20/20 Seasons: 6

30/30 Seasons: 2

While he never quite reached the superstar level he seemed destined to after taking home NL Rookie of the Year as a 22-year-old in 1994, Mondesi was a solid big-leaguer for 13 seasons and a two-time 30/30 player.

He had the best season of his career in 1997, as he hit a career-high .310 while going 30/32. He would again join the 30/30 club in 1999 with a 33/36 season that included a career-high 99 RBI.

Andre Dawson

Career HR: 438

Career SB: 314

20/20 Seasons: 5

30/30 Seasons: 0

Despite never posting a 30/30 season, Dawson reached the 30-home run mark three times and the 30-steal mark three times as well, as he had the tools but never put it all together in one season. 

He never topped 20 steals following the 1983 season, at age 28, as his knees were shot thanks to playing on the concrete-like artificial turf of Olympic Stadium. 

Ron Gant

Career HR: 321

Career SB: 243

20/20 Seasons: 4

30/30 Seasons: 2

Another player effected by injuries, Gant looked to be a future superstar after back-to-back 30/30 seasons before the age of 27, but an ATV injury kept him from reaching his full potential.

From 1990-1993, Gant averaged 29 HR and 30 SB, but he missed the entire 1994 season with the injury and was released by the Braves. He played for nine more seasons, putting up productive numbers, but he was by no means the same player.

Carlos Beltran

Career HR: 306

Career SB: 295

20/20 Seasons: 7

30/30 Seasons: 1

Beltran burst onto the scene as a 22-year-old rookie with the Royals in 1999, hitting .293 BA, 22 HR, 108 RBI, 27 SB to win AL Rookie of the Year honors. 

He put up similar numbers throughout his time with the Royals before taking his game to the next level in 2004, as he went .267 BA, 38 HR, 104 RBI, 42 SB while splitting the season between the Royals and Astros.

That earned him a seven-year, $119 million contract, and while he still put up productive numbers, including a 41-HR season in 2006, he never again approached 40/40.

Eric Davis

Career HR: 282 

Career SB: 349

20/20 Seasons: 7

30/30 Seasons: 1

Compared to Willie Mays early on in his career, Davis was unable to consistently stay healthy as he never topped 135 games in a season, or he likely would have produced Hall of Fame-caliber numbers.

Still, his early numbers were eye-opening, with a 27/80 season in his first full season in 1986, followed by a 37/50 season the next year, but that would be as close as he would get to 40/40.

Howard Johnson

Career HR: 228

Career SB: 231

20/20 Seasons: 5

30/30 Seasons: 3

Johnson's prime spanned just five seasons from 1987-1991, but it was quite the prime, as he averaged 31 HR and 32 SB over that stretch and finished top 10 in NL MVP voting three times.

Three of those seasons were 30/30 years, with his closest run at 40/40 coming in 1989 at the age of 28, when he had 36 HR and 41 SB, a career high in steals.

Bobby Bonds

Career HR: 332

Career SB: 461

20/20 Seasons: 10

30/30 Seasons: 5

The father of home run king Barry Bonds, Bobby was a legitimate 40/40 threat right out of the gates, as he went for 32/45 in his first full season.

He struck out a ton and hit just .268 for his career, but his power/speed combination was legit and he went 30/30 five times, with his closest run at 40/40 coming in 1977 as a member of the Angels, when he went 37/41 and also set a career high with 115 RBI.

Willie Mays

Career HR: 660

Career SB: 338

20/20 Seasons: 6

30/30 Seasons: 2

One of the greatest all-around players in the history of the game, Mays was never able to put together a 40/40 season, but not for lack of production.

The closest he came was a 36/40 season in 1956 when he led the National League in steals, and just a year before that he hit 51/24 season, so he was certainly capable of reaching the 40 mark in both categories.

Jose Canseco

Career HR: 462

Career SB: 200

20/20 Seasons: 3

30/30 Seasons: 1

40/40 Seasons: 1

In just his third full season in the majors, Canseco displayed the full range of his skills in putting together a .307 BA, 42 HR, 124 RBI, 40 SB line to capture the AL MVP and become baseball's first 40/40 player.

He only topped the 20-steal mark two other times in his 17-year career, so the 40 steals were as fluky as it gets, but nonetheless he achieved what only three others have managed to since.

Barry Bonds

Career HR: 762

Career SB: 514

20/20 Seasons: 10

30/30 Seasons: 5

40/40 Seasons: 1

It was a shock that Bonds only managed to reach the 40/40 mark once, achieving the feat in 1996 when he hit .308 BA, 42 HR, 129 RBI, 40 SB.

He came very close several other times, going 33/52 in 1990, 25/43 in 1991, 33/39 in 1992 and 40/37 in 1997. He is the only member of the 400/400 club and 500/500 club, despite the fact he stopped running over the final six years of his career.

Alex Rodriguez

Career HR: 630

Career SB: 307

20/20 Seasons: 6

30/30 Seasons: 1

40/40 Seasons: 1

A true baseball prodigy who won the AL batting title as a 20-year-old in 1996, Rodriguez reached his power/speed peak in 1998, as he went .310 BA, 42 HR, 124 RBI, 46 SB to join the prestigious 40/40 club.

His achievement was largely overshadowed by the Sammy Sosa-Mark McGwire home run race. He has not again approached those speed numbers, with a high of 28 steals in the 14 seasons since, but he put it all together for one season.

Alfonso Soriano

Career HR: 340

Career SB: 265

20/20 Seasons: 4

30/30 Seasons: 4

40/40 Seasons: 1

The most recent player to achieve 40/40, Soriano reached the milestone in 2006 as he hit .277 BA, 46 HR, 95 RBI, 41 SB in his lone season with the Washington Nationals.

He cashed in on that historic season with a eight-year, $136 million contract from the Cubs and promptly stopped running, as he has yet to achieve 20/20 in five full seasons in Chicago.