GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Second baseman · United States

Nap Lajoie

1896–1916 · Hit .426 in 1901, the highest single-season average of the modern era.

Retired
Ranking model

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

Pure sporting data
93.0
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 80.3
Career hits
3,243
Career batting average
0.3
Batting titles
4
Best season average
0.4
Seasons played
21

Category profile

Dominance
92
Peak
98
Longevity
92
Honours
88
Statistics
96

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
18960.326
18970.361
18980.324
18990.378
19000.337
19010.426
19020.378
19030.344
19040.376
19050.329
19060.355
19070.299
19080.289
19090.324
19100.384
19110.365
19120.368
19130.335
19140.258
19150.28
19160.246

Data sources

  • MLB.com
  • 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 Nap Lajoie ranks #4 in Baseball

Nap Lajoie ranks 4th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 747th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 93.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 92, Peak 98, Longevity 92, Honours 88, Statistics 96. 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 1896–1916 with 21 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1901, which sets the Peak component at 98. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 98 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes career hits 3243, career batting average 0.338, batting titles 4, best season average 0.426.

Immediately ahead sits Hank Aaron on 93.7, a gap of 0.7 points. Directly behind is Ty Cobb on 92.8. 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.

Nap Lajoie GOAT Score explained

Dominance92/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Lajoie stood above the field while competing. Scored 92/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak98/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1901. Scored 98/100.
Longevity92/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 20 years of competition and 21 recorded seasons. Scored 92/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics96/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 96/100.

Nap Lajoie — frequently asked

Is Nap Lajoie the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Nap Lajoie ranks 4th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 93.0, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Nap Lajoie's GOAT Score?
93.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 92 (25%), Peak 98 (20%), Longevity 92 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 96 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Nap Lajoie rank all time?
747th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 4th within Baseball.
Nap Lajoie vs Hank Aaron: who ranks higher?
Hank Aaron, on 93.7 against Nap Lajoie's 93.0 — a margin of 0.7 points.
Compare with Ruth