In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance no matter what happens during his turn at bat. A batter is not credited with an at bat if he: Receives a base on balls (BB).In 1887, Major League Baseball counted bases on balls as hits. The result was high batting averages, including some near .500, and the experiment was abandoned the following season. Is hit by a pitch (HBP). Hits a sacrifice fly or a sacrifice bunt (also known as sacrifice hit). Is awarded first base due to interference or obstruction, usually by the catcher. Is replaced by another hitter before his at bat is completed, in which case the plate appearance and any related statistics go to the pinch hitter (unless he is replaced with two strikes and his replacement completes a strikeout, in which case the at bat and strikeout are still charged to the first batter).
At bats are used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. A player can only qualify for the season-ending rankings in these categories if he accumulates 502 plate appearances during the season.Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland Books, 2014. See www.baseballexplained.com
Pete Rose is the all-time leader in at bats with 14,053, and the only player in MLB history with more than 12,400 at bats. Only 30 MLB players have reached 10,000 career at bats. As of September 27, 2026, only one active players is in the top 100 of career at-bats. The active leader is Freddie Freeman, 95th all-time with 8,693.
Key Rank Rank among leaders in career at-bats. A blank field indicates a tie.Player (2026 ABs)Name (at-bats in 2026)ABCareer at-bats*Elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. BoldActive player.A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or not played for a full season.
List
Stats updated as of September 27, 2026. RankPlayer (2026 ABs)AB1Pete Rose14,0532Hank Aaron*12,3643Carl Yastrzemski*11,9884Cal Ripken Jr.*11,5515Ty Cobb*11,4406Albert Pujols11,4217Eddie Murray*11,3368Derek Jeter*11,1959Adrián Beltré*11,06810Robin Yount*11,00811Dave Winfield*11,00312Stan Musial*10,97213Rickey Henderson*10,96114Willie Mays*10,88115Craig Biggio*10,87616Paul Molitor*10,83517Brooks Robinson*10,65418Omar Vizquel10,58619Alex Rodriguez10,56620Rafael Palmeiro10,47221Honus Wagner*10,43922Miguel Cabrera10,35623George Brett*10,34924Lou Brock*10,33225Cap Anson*10,28126Luis Aparicio*10,23027Tris Speaker*10,19528Al Kaline*10,11629Rabbit Maranville*10,07830Frank Robinson*10,00631Eddie Collins*9,94932Ichiro Suzuki*9,93433Andre Dawson*9,92734Harold Baines*9,90835Reggie Jackson*9,86436Barry Bonds9,84737Ken Griffey Jr.*9,80138Tony Pérez*9,77839Carlos Beltrán*9,76840Johnny Damon9,73641Rusty Staub9,72042Vada Pinson9,64543Iván Rodríguez*9,59244Nap Lajoie*9,58945Sam Crawford*9,57046Jake Beckley*9,55147Paul Waner*9,45948Mel Ott*9,45649Roberto Clemente*9,45450Ernie Banks*9,421 RankPlayer (2026 ABs)AB51Bill Buckner9,397Steve Finley9,39753Ozzie Smith*9,39654Max Carey*9,36355Dave Parker*9,35856Billy Williams*9,35057Rod Carew*9,31558Jimmy Rollins9,29459Tony Gwynn*9,28860Joe Morgan*9,27761Sam Rice*9,26962Nellie Fox*9,23263Gary Sheffield9,21764Wade Boggs*9,18065Willie Davis9,17466Luis Gonzalez9,15767Doc Cramer9,14068Frankie Frisch*9,11269Zack Wheat*9,10670Lave Cross9,08471Roberto Alomar*9,07372Al Oliver9,04973George Davis*9,04574Bill Dahlen9,03675Dwight Evans8,99676Buddy Bell8,99577Graig Nettles8,98678Chipper Jones*8,98479Darrell Evans8,97380Gary Gaetti8,95181Tim Raines*8,87282Charlie Gehringer*8,86083Torii Hunter8,85784Luke Appling*8,85685Steve Garvey 8,83586Tommy Corcoran8,82487Sammy Sosa8,81388Harry Hooper*8,78589Robinson Canó8,77390Al Simmons*8,75991Fred McGriff*8,75792Carlton Fisk*8,75693Mickey Vernon8,73194Dave Concepción8,72395Freddie Freeman (579)8,69396Bert Campaneris8,68497Ted Simmons*8,68098Julio Franco8,67799Chili Davis8,673100Goose Goslin*8,656
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