GGOATRANK
🇺🇸
Baseball · Outfielder · United States

Hugh Duffy

1888–1906 · Holds the highest single-season batting average in history at .440 in 1894.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
87.8
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 75.5
Best season batting average
0.4
Career hits
2,282
Career batting average
0.3
Pennants won
4
Batting titles
1

Category profile

Dominance
88
Peak
96
Longevity
82
Honours
82
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
18880.282
18890.295
18900.32
18910.336
18920.301
18930.363
18940.44
18950.352
18960.3
18970.34
18980.321
18990.279
19000.302

Data sources

  • MLB
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Hugh Duffy ranks #99 in Baseball

Hugh Duffy ranks 99th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1278th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 88, Peak 96, Longevity 82, Honours 82, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1888–1906 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1894, which sets the Peak component at 96. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 96 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes best season batting average 0.44, career hits 2282, career batting average 0.326, pennants won 4.

Immediately ahead sits Clayton Kershaw on 87.8, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Home Run Baker on 87.8. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Hugh Duffy GOAT Score explained

Dominance88/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Duffy stood above the field while competing. Scored 88/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak96/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1894. Scored 96/100.
Longevity82/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 18 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 82/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Hugh Duffy — frequently asked

Is Hugh Duffy the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Hugh Duffy ranks 99th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 87.8, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Hugh Duffy's GOAT Score?
87.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 88 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 82 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Hugh Duffy rank all time?
1278th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 99th within Baseball.
Hugh Duffy vs Clayton Kershaw: who ranks higher?
Hugh Duffy, on 87.8 against Clayton Kershaw's 87.8 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Ruth