The player with the most stolen bases in a single season is Hugh Nicol, who achieved an impressive 138 stolen bases in 1887.
While Nicol holds the all-time record, it's important to distinguish this from the modern era of baseball (post-1900). In the modern era, Rickey Henderson is widely recognized as the king of the basepaths. Henderson set the modern era record by stealing 130 bases in 1982 while playing for the Oakland A's. This achievement significantly surpassed the previous modern era record of 118 stolen bases, which was set by Lou Brock in 1974.
Here's a summary of the top single-season stolen base records:
| Era | Player | Stolen Bases | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Time | Hugh Nicol | 138 | 1887 |
| Modern Era | Rickey Henderson | 130 | 1982 |
| Modern Era | Lou Brock | 118 | 1974 |
