We’ve spent a lot of time here at MLB Daily Dingers discussing some memorable (and powerful) performances that enabled certain players to set a franchise record for home runs in a single season. There are many more details to stories like that beyond their specific performance. So, not too long ago, we set out on a journey to shine light on MLB home run leaderboards for each of the league’s 30 teams.
It took a while, but we’ve finally made it, folks, and just in time for Opening Day. To make it easier to view each of these leaderboards, they’ll be organized and linked accordingly below. Some of the details for each squad’s leaderboard will be divulged — with a random video of home runs to enjoy — but for more context to each of the performances (and videos for virtually all of the players) simply click the link and enjoy.
Luis Gonzalez gets the rare distinction of being both the single-season home run record holder and the all-time home run leader for the Dbacks. Here’s what the top five looks like:
For a deep dive on each of these seasons (and a chance to watch them launch some homers via video), head over to the Diamondbacks‘ single-season leaderboard.
When it comes to any home run list involving the Braves, it’s easy to automatically assume Hank Aaron is going to be at the top. That’s the case for the Atlanta Braves‘ all-time leaderboard (which he accomplished quite easily), but not for a single season. Here’s how the top five shakes out:
I mean, if you’re going to join an exclusive group like Aaron and Mathews, you might as well grab the top spot, right? Jones knew what he was doing. Here is the Braves’ single-season leaderboard for your viewing pleasure.
Yes, it’s hard to remember now after his career ended so rough, but Chris Davis was one of the league’s premier power hitters for a period of time. He’s one of two hitters in Orioles history to surpass the half-century mark, as well. Here’s the top of Baltimore’s single-season list:
Plenty of context to each of the above seasons — and accompanying videos — can seen on the Orioles’ leaderboard.
Jimmie Foxx held the single-season home run record for two separate teams for quite a while, until Big Papi came along and ruined the party for him. It wasn’t the only time the designated hitter had a performance good enough to be in Boston’s top five. Here’s what it looks like right now:
Check out the full Red Sox leaderboard right here.
Admiring home runs from the past on a daily basis has truly helped me appreciate the kind of production Albert Belle fit into a career that was cut too short. In addition to setting the single-season record for the White Sox, he simultaneously held the same honor in Cleveland for a couple of years. Here is Chicago’s top five:
It’s not surprising to see Thomas find his way on this list, but it was surprising to see him not land in the top two. Check out the full White Sox leaderboard here.
The Cubs’ single-season home run leaderboard was first owned handily by Ernie Banks, until Sammy Sosa put together one of the most dominant five-year spans in history. He’s owns five of the top six spots on Chicago’s leaderboard, so here’s what the top 10 looks like:
Get all the detes for each of these players and their performances by checking out the Cubs’ single-season leaderboard.
The Reds have one of the older single-season home run record holders with George Foster still manning the top spot. Only two performances since the turn of the century have entered the top five, though.
Learn more about each of these performances by checking out the Reds’ single-season leaderboard.
Jim Thome’s fingerprints are all over the Guardians’ record books, especially whenever we talk about home runs. That’ll happen for a Hall of Fame slugger who is on MLB’s all-time home run leaderboard. Here’s what Cleveland’s top five looks like:
You can watch all these dudes blast home runs by heading over to the Guardians’ single-season leaderboard.
Although Coors Field is still an offensive haven, it was interesting to find out that no Rockies hitters have put themselves in the five most powerful seasons in franchise history since 2001. Here’s what the top of the leaderboard looks like:
There have been a couple of close calls in the top 10 when looking at recent individual player performances, but that’s about it. Check out the Rockies’ full leaderboard here.
Speaking of records that have stood the test of time so far, the Tigers’ single-season home run record is the second-oldest one in baseball. Here’s the top of the leaderboard:
To get the full story on all these Tigers sluggers, head this way.
Jeff Bagwell never led the league in home runs during his Hall of Fame career. What he lacked in that category, though, he made up for in Astros-specific scenarios. He’s another one that holds the single-season record and is the all-time leader in homers for Houston, so you just know he’s going to be heavily featured here:
Check out the details to these monster seasons on the Astros’ single-season leaderboard.
It took the Royals decades before they had the pleasure of watching a player in their uniform slug 40-plus homers in a season. And now it’s happened in two of the past three years. Here’s what the top of the leaderboard looks like:
Get all the juicy details from the most powerful seasons in Royals history right here.
No Angels leaderboard would be complete without Mike Trout being included, and that’s no different here. It’s just weird that this is something he hasn’t totally conquered yet by taking the top spot. Here’s what it looks like:
It’s not very often we see a top five completely filled with seasons from 2000 onward. Read more about these performances from Angels’ history here.
I love having the Angels and Dodgers side-by-side here because their leaderboards are so different. For the Angels, we just mentioned how all of their top five have happened since the turn of the century. That’s almost true for the Dodgers, as well, but the top spot has only changed hands a couple of times since the 1950s. Here’s who is on the list:
Check a bunch of cool stats and videos by viewing the Dodgers’ single-season leaderboard.
Can you imagine what the Marlins’ single-season leaderboard would look like without Giancarlo Stanton as part of the picture? Yea, me neither, and I’m glad we don’t have to. Here’s what it’s looking like at the moment:
Get the details you need by heading this way to check out the most powerful seasons in Marlins history.
Sure, Prince Fielder had proven to be a master at collecting inside-the-park home runs over his career, but as we’ll see in a moment, he was also pretty good at hitting balls over the fence for traditional dingers. Here’s what the top five looks like in Milwaukee’s history:
To get the full details and admire a bunch of long homers off Fielder’s bat (along with the others), check out the Brewers’ single-season home run leaderboard.
You legitimately can’t talk about Twins home run history without mentioning Harmon Killebrew. In fact, he’s put himself all over the record books so much that there isn’t much time to talk about anyone else. He owns the top six most powerful seasons in franchise history and eight of the top 10. Here’s who else snuck their way onto the list:
Get all the specifics about exactly how much Killebrew dominated during his career by checking out the Twins’ single-season leaderboard.
Babe Ruth obviously has a stronghold of the New York’s best single-season performances. But still, it was surprising to see that not many recent performances have challenged what certain Bronx Bomber legends did many years ago:
Take a stroll down memory lane by checking out the Yankees’ home run leaderboard.
Pete Alonso just torched all the Mets’ home run records in his Rookie of the Year campaign, and something tells me this performance won’t be the only one he records with 40-plus homers.
The Mets’ full single-season leaderboard is right here.
And here we are — the oldest single-season home run record belongs to the Athletics, and it happened in 1932 by Jimmie Foxx. Judging from the rebuild they’ve begun prior to the 2022 season, it seems as if this record will remain safe for a while.
It’s interesting that Davis is the only one from this millennium that’s in the top five. Get more information on the Athletics’ most powerful seasons ever here.
Since the end of his career was a bit of a rough road, it’s easy to forget how dominant Ryan Howard was when he first debuted with Philadelphia. Well, this will serve as a good reminder:
If you enjoy watching monster home runs, then check out the Phillies’ single-season leaderboard because there are plenty of them.
Ralph Kiner spent just 10 years in the big leagues, but he made them just about as powerful as possible. He owns five of the top-10 best home run-hitting seasons in Pirates history, including three of the top five:
Get more details about all of these performances on the Pirates’ single-season home run leaderboard.
San Diego’s single-season home run record hasn’t changed hands since Greg Vaughn set a new mark in 1998. However, I’ll venture a guess and say that Fernando Tatis Jr. will challenge it at some point soon:
For some context around these performances (and videos to enjoy), check out the Padres’ single-season leaderboard here.
Barry Bonds‘ 73-homer barrage in 2001 is the most home runs in a season in MLB history, so it’s no surprise that it lands at the top of San Francisco’s list. The rest of the top five is mostly dominated by Willie Mays, though:
Get the reminder we all need periodically about just how good Mays was during his Hall of Fame career by checking out the Giants’ single-season leaderboard.
What Killebrew is to the Twins, Ken Griffey Jr. is to the Mariners. He owns five of the most powerful seasons in franchise history. With that in mind, we expanded this list to 10 for some variety:
Get all the details you need by checking out the Mariners’ single-season leaderboard here.
Similar to Bonds and the Giants, Mark McGwire’s 70-homer campaign in 1998 is the obvious record here for the Cardinals. But, the majority of the top of this leaderboard is dominated by someone else:
As Pujols gears up for his final big-league season, get a reminder of just how dominant he was during the first 11 years of his career by checking out the full Cardinals single-season home run leaderboard.
The Rays have had just one season of 40-plus homers since their first season in 1998, but they’ve had a few close calls along the way. Here’s what the top five looks like:
See who else made the top 10 and watch some videos of these performances by checking out the Rays’ home run leaderboard for a single season.
He’s already made appearances in two other spots. However, Texas is where Alex Rodriguez finds himself at the top of a team-specific single-season list:
To get the full rundown of how these players made it here, check out the Rangers’ single-season home run leaderboard.
Jose Bautista continues to reign supreme in this department. But judging from how the team is constructed for the immediate future, the top of the single-season homer list may change quite a bit in the coming years:
If you’re interested in seeing lots of balls fly out of the yard north of the border, check out the Blue Jays’ single-season home run leaderboard.
This is a list for the Nationals, but it has a heavy tone of Expos thanks to one dude in particular. Here’s what the top of the list looks like:
Take a stroll down memory lane to remember how ridiculously good Vlad Sr. was by checking out the Nationals’ single-season home run leaderboard.
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