Hank Aaron
The most staggering thing about Aaron isn't the 755 home runs — it's that he averaged 33 homers and 100 RBIs over 20 seasons while hitting .305. That's a level of sustained excellence that borders on the impossible. His 2,297 RBIs remain a record that looks increasingly untouchable in today's shorter careers.
Aaron's 1971 campaign at age 37 represents perhaps the greatest season by a player past his prime. That .327 average paired with 47 homers and an OPS+ of 158 came when most stars are contemplating retirement. He was already chasing Babe Ruth's record, but doing it with the patience and precision of a master craftsman rather than a slugger swinging for the fences.
The 21 All-Star selections tell the real story — this wasn't a player who peaked and faded, but one who redefined what consistency meant at baseball's highest level.
Career · Batting
23 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | ML1 | 122 | 468 | 13 | 69 | .280 | .769 | — |
| 1955 | ML1 | 153 | 602 | 27 | 106 | .314 | .906 | — |
| 1956 | ML1 | 153 | 609 | 26 | 92 | .328 | .923 | — |
| 1957 | ML1 | 151 | 615 | 44 | 132 | .322 | .978 | — |
| 1958 | ML1 | 153 | 601 | 30 | 95 | .326 | .931 | — |
| 1959 | ML1 | 154 | 629 | 39 | 123 | .355 | 1.037 | — |
| 1960 | ML1 | 153 | 590 | 40 | 126 | .292 | .919 | — |
| 1961 | ML1 | 155 | 603 | 34 | 120 | .327 | .974 | — |
| 1962 | ML1 | 156 | 592 | 45 | 128 | .323 | 1.008 | — |
| 1963 | ML1 | 161 | 631 | 44 | 130 | .319 | .977 | — |
| 1964 | ML1 | 145 | 570 | 24 | 95 | .328 | .907 | — |
| 1965 | ML1 | 150 | 570 | 32 | 89 | .318 | .938 | — |
| 1966 | ATL | 158 | 603 | 44 | 127 | .279 | .895 | — |
| 1967 | ATL | 155 | 600 | 39 | 109 | .307 | .943 | — |
| 1968 | ATL | 160 | 606 | 29 | 86 | .287 | .852 | — |
| 1969 | ATL | 147 | 547 | 44 | 97 | .300 | 1.003 | — |
| 1970 | ATL | 150 | 516 | 38 | 118 | .298 | .958 | 135 |
| 1971 | ATL | 139 | 495 | 47 | 118 | .327 | 1.079 | 158 |
| 1972 | ATL | 129 | 449 | 34 | 77 | .265 | .904 | 136 |
| 1973 | ATL | 120 | 392 | 40 | 96 | .301 | 1.045 | 148 |
| 1974 | ATL | 112 | 340 | 20 | 69 | .268 | .832 | 120 |
| 1975 | ML4 | 137 | 465 | 12 | 60 | .234 | .687 | 98 |
| 1976 | ML4 | 85 | 271 | 10 | 35 | .229 | .684 | 100 |
| Career | 3298 | 12364 | 755 | 2297 | .305 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.