In 2023, four MLB players recorded at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Helped in part by the introduction of bigger bases and the limit on mound disengagements, that tied the AL/NL record for most 30-30 seasons in a single year.

This season may break it.

Four players, all included in the list of 10 below, entered Friday on pace to reach 30-30 while a couple of others are not too far off the pace. Major League Baseball has never been faster or stronger (or better or, for some, harder). And these players who can wow you at the plate and on the basepaths are examples of why the game has also never been more exciting to watch.

All stats updated through Thursday.

Elly De La Cruz, Reds
20 HR, 59 SB

The 22-year-old De La Cruz has attained full-blown superstardom in his second season. Besides making improvements to become a better hitter, the Cincinnati shortstop has displayed a blend of power and speed we’ve rarely seen in baseball history. With his next stolen base, De La Cruz will become the fifth player in the Modern Era (since 1900) to record at least 20 homers and 60 steals, joining Ronald Acuña Jr., Rickey Henderson and former Reds stars Eric Davis and Joe Morgan. He is on pace to surpass 80 stolen bases, which hasn’t been achieved since 1988. Can De La Cruz go on a power surge over the season’s final seven weeks and end with at least 28 dingers? No player in the 80-steal club has hit more in a single season.

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
34 HR, 32 SB

While we’re all looking forward to seeing Ohtani return to being a two-way star in 2025, this year has given us answers to a simple question: What could he accomplish if he focused solely on his offensive game for a full season? For starters, Ohtani became one of the quickest in AL/NL history to join the 30-30 club, and a 40-40 season appears well within his grasp. He has long been one of the sport’s best at crushing baseballs — he has registered a 100th-percentile barrel rate in two of the past three seasons, and only Aaron Judge is ahead of him in that category this year. But the global phenom is a much greater threat on the basepaths, nabbing 32 bags in 36 tries (88.8% success rate). From 2021-23, he went 57-for-82 in steals (69.6%).

José Ramírez, Guardians
30 HR, 25 SB

Ramírez swatted his 30th homer on Wednesday, making him only the third primary third baseman to notch at least 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases three times, joining Alex Rodriguez and Howard Johnson. But J-Ram has more history in his sights. With five more steals, he’ll become Cleveland’s first player with multiple 30-30 seasons. He reached that mark in 2018 with 39 home runs and 34 steals. Johnson is the only primary third baseman with multiple such years on his ledger. One of the most consistent yet underrated position players in the bigs, Ramírez averaged 32 homers and 26 stolen bases over his previous four full seasons.

Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
22 HR, 25 SB

Is Witt the best player in baseball? That would have seemed a little outlandish to ask just a couple of months ago, especially as Judge was on an extended rampage at the plate. But the Royals’ franchise star has overtaken the Yankees slugger as the Major League leader in fWAR (8.1), and Witt’s value as a hitter, baserunner and fielder is currently unmatched. He recently wrapped up a bonkers 25-game stretch in which he batted .500 and had nearly as many home runs (eight) as strikeouts (11). The AL Player of the Month for July, Witt has stolen only four bases in his past 43 games, but he remains on track to go 30-30 for the second straight year. He would be the first player in AL/NL history to record multiple 30-30 seasons before his age-25 campaign.

Francisco Lindor, Mets
22 HR, 24 SB

Lindor is also on pace for 30-30 for a second consecutive year. Such a feat appeared unobtainable as recently as mid-May as he got off to a frigid start. He tallied seven homers and six steals through his first 44 games, but a move to the leadoff spot seemingly unlocked him. Since settling in atop New York’s lineup on May 18, Lindor has racked up 15 dingers and 18 stolen bases through 71 games. From that date, he leads the National League in fWAR (4.4) while the Mets have gone 41-30 and entered Friday with a hold on the final NL Wild Card spot. Consequently, Lindor has landed in the MVP conversation. He has registered a homer and a steal in six games this season, which is tied with Ohtani for the most in MLB.

Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
29 HR, 14 SB

Henderson came to the big leagues with 55-grade speed, and we’ve seen him use those wheels more often in 2024. His 14 steals so far are three more than his total through his first 184 games from 2022-23. It was Henderson’s 65-grade power, however, that earned headlines throughout the season’s first half as his 28 homers at the All-Star break trailed only Judge and Ohtani. Even though he is fighting through a slump right now, Henderson still has a decent chance of reaching 30 home runs and 20 steals by year’s end. The 23-year-old would be the second-youngest Oriole to attain those numbers. Manny Machado, at age 22, compiled 35 dingers and 20 stolen bases in 2015.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
18 HR, 24 SB

Chisholm has racked up five homers and two steals through his first 10 games with the Yankees. That included his first Yankee Stadium homer in pinstripes on Thursday. A 25-25 season or better has always been in the cards for the dynamic 26-year-old; injuries just kept getting in the way. After falling shy of 100 games in each of the past two seasons, Chisholm is lined up to exceed his personal best for games played in a season (124 in 2021) before the end of this month. His 162-game average from 2021-23 was 29 home runs and 33 stolen bases. He’s currently on pace for 25 taters and 34 bags.

Jarren Duran, Red Sox
14 HR, 27 SB

Duran’s breakout season began to take shape at the beginning of June, and he owns a .329/.380/.584 slash line with 11 homers and 16 steals over his past 55 games. That doesn’t include his go-ahead clout in the All-Star Game that contributed to Duran taking home the game MVP award named for Red Sox legend Ted Williams. With four more homers, Duran will match his single-season best in his seven years as a pro. He could also eclipse the 35-steal mark, something only two Red Sox players have achieved in the past 50 years: Otis Nixon in 1994 and Jacoby Ellsbury in 2008-09, ’11 and ’13.

Brenton Doyle, Rockies
19 HR, 21 SB

Defense was Doyle’s calling card during his 2023 rookie season as he led the Majors with a +20 fielding run value. His glove remains stellar in center field, but Doyle has become a much stronger offensive player this season, highlighted by a massive jump in his OPS+ (54 to 111). He’s nearly doubled his 2023 home run total (10) in about the same number of at-bats. Eleven of his 19 dingers came in July, a leading reason why the 26-year-old was named NL Player of the Month. If Doyle continues going yard and stealing bases at a healthy clip, he could become the Rockies’ first 30-30 player since Larry Walker in 1997.

CJ Abrams, Nationals
17 HR, 20 SB

“If it’s high, let it fly.”

Abrams took that adage to its extreme on Tuesday when he hit a pitch that was 4.42 feet above the ground for a home run. It was the highest pitch hit for a homer this season. After tallying only 14 HRs through his first three pro seasons, Abrams went deep 18 times last season. He’ll almost certainly best that number this year and although he likely won’t match his 47 steals from 2023, he could become the fourth player in Nationals/Expos history to post a 25-25 campaign. Only Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Alfonso Soriano have done that. More importantly for the Nats, the 23-year-old Abrams looks like a foundational piece at shortstop and is a big reason why one trade has the club’s future looking bright.