Last Updated on October 6, 2025 by Matt Musico
The top of the Cleveland Guardians all time home run leaders list has two very distinct feels. When looking at the top five specifically, it has a late 1990s/early 2000s vibe, and then the second portion of the top five goes a little further back in history.
One constant between this list and the Guadians’ single-season home run leaderboard, though, is Jim Thome. He’s not only among the team-specific all-time home run leaders, but he also holds the franchise’s single-season home run record. Let’s dig into the details of Cleveland’s most consistent sluggers. We’ll first talk about the top five before listing out the remainder of the top 21.
Related: The Ultimate Guide for Career Home Run Leaders
Who is the all-time leader in home runs for Cleveland?
Jim Thome is the all-time home run leader for the Cleveland Guardians. He hit 337 home runs during his time with the organization.
Cleveland Guardians All Time Home Run Leaders: Top 7
Jim Thome: 337 Home Runs

We’ve talked about Thome’s powerful tenure in Cleveland quite a bit. His 612 dingers are among the most home runs of all time. We’ve previously discussed his 2001 and 2002 campaigns, which are among the most in Guardians’ history. One we haven’t touched on? His 1997 performance. This was Thome’s first of six seasons of 40-plus homers, and his sixth-place finish in AL MVP voting was the highest he’d get while with Cleveland.
Thome had already produced three seasons of 20-plus homers at this point in his career, and he was fresh off slugging 38 dingers in 1996. But in 1997, he posted an OPS greater than 1.000 for the second straight year thanks to a .286/.423/.579 line to go along with those 40 dingers, 102 RBI, and 104 runs scored. What’s interesting about this particular season is Thome hit five or fewer homers in four of the six months he played.
The two times he went above that number? That’d be June when he hit 12 dingers, and then August when he added another nine.
Jose Ramirez: 285 Home Runs (…and counting)
It’s going to take a little more work, but Jose Ramirez should rewrite Cleveland’s all-time home run record books within the next couple of seasons. He’s under contract through 2028, has Thome in his sights, and has averaged about 31 homers per year since 2021.
Ramirez has racked up four different 30-homer seasons while also placing within the top 10 of AL MVP Award voting six times.
The switch-hitting infielder has also added quite a bit of speed to his game consistently. He was one homer shy of joining the 40-40 club in 2024, finishing with 39 homers and 41 steals. While Ramirez fell short of that distinction again in 2025, he still slugged another 30 taters with 44 stolen bases.
READ MORE: Jose Ramirez’s Quest for the 300-300 Club Should Be Talked About More
Albert Belle: 242 Home Runs

Albert Belle spent eight of his 12 MLB seasons in Cleveland, and my Lord, were they powerful. His first full season came in 1991 as a 24-year-old, and he hit 28 home runs in 496 plate appearances. From 1992 through his last season with the club in 1996, he never hit fewer than 34.
It’s still hard for me to get over just how good he was over his last two seasons in Cleveland. Belle slugged 98 homers during this span. That’s about 40% of his career total with the Guardians, but the rest of his stats were equally ridiculous. He accumulated 1,346 plate appearances and slashed .314/.406/.655. The right-handed hitter averaged 49 home runs, 45 doubles, 137 RBI, and 122 runs scored. Belle led the league in homers once (50 in 1995), RBI twice (126 in ’95 and 148 in ’96), and doubles once (52 in ’95). This led to two top-three finishes in MVP voting, two Silver Sluggers, and two All-Star Game appearances.
And, until Thome came along, Belle held franchise records for the most home runs all-time and the most home runs in a single season. He at least owns plenty of real estate on the left-field franchise leaderboard.
Manny Ramirez: 236 Home Runs
It’s easy to just think about his time with the Boston Red Sox when someone mentions Manny Ramirez. But the work he did in Cleveland before heading to Beantown in free agency was just unreal. I mean, you don’t hit 555 career home runs without a solid foundation, and that’s what he created here.
ManRam enjoyed six seasons with at least 20 home runs for Cleveland. Five of those occasions were 30-plus homer efforts, and two of those were 40-plus homer efforts. What strikes me here is how Ramirez leveled up in his final two years before hitting free agency.
From 1995 through 1998 (once he became a full-time player), Ramirez slashed .310/.398/.570 while averaging 34 homers, 113 RBI, and 96 runs scored. Between 1999 and 2000, his triple slash jumped up to .341/.449/.679 to go along with an average of 41 homers, 144 RBI, and 112 runs scored. This included him leading the league with 165 RBI in 1999.
Carlos Santana: 227 Home Runs

While Santana was an unlikely candidate to hit an inside-the-park home run, he’s collected plenty of the traditional round-trippers during his multiple stints in Cleveland. He enjoyed six seasons of 20-plus homers and hit a career-high of 34 two different times.
His best overall performance in Cleveland when using OPS as the measuring stick? That’d be 2019 when he returned to the franchise after a one-year hiatus in Philadelphia with the Phillies. This was one of his 34-homer performances, and he paired it with career highs in RBI (93) and OPS (.911).
Santana returned to the Guardians for the third time for the 2025 season, which helped him break a tie with Hal Trosky on the all-time home run leaderboard. He added 11 homers and 52 RBI with a .650 OPS in 116 games.
Earl Averill: 226 Home Runs
Earl Averill spent all but two-and-a-half years of his Hall of Fame career in Cleveland, and he saved his best work for the franchise he suited up for most often. He posted a .940 OPS in 1,510 games for Cleveland, a .783 OPS in 151 games for the Detroit Tigers, and a .328 OPS in just eight games for the Boston Braves.
Averill’s Cleveland tenure included three seasons of 30-plus homers, which all came over four years (32 in 1931 and 1932, along with 31 in 1934). It’s interesting to see a player with just 238 total home runs produce a career slugging percentage of .534, but it helps when those dingers are accompanied by 401 doubles and 128 triples. Averill collected at least 33 doubles in each of his first nine seasons, while he logged 10-plus triples eight times.
Hal Trosky: 216 Home Runs
Trosky played for Cleveland between his age-20 and age-28 seasons, tallying at least 30 homers three times.
His most impressive performance was in 1936 when he racked up 216 total hits. The first baseman slashed .343/.382/.644 in 671 plate appearances, which was accompanied by 42 home runs, 45 doubles, 162 RBI, and 124 runs scored. July was easily his most impressive month, as he hit .403/.434/.736 with 11 homers and 45 RBI over just 153 trips to the plate.
Cleveland Guardians All Time Leaders: The Rest
Here’s what the rest of the top 21 all-time home run leaders in Guardians history look like:
- Larry Doby: 215 home runs
- Andre Thornton: 214
- Travis Hafner: 200
- Al Rosen: 192
- Rocky Colavito: 190
- Ken Keltner: 163
- Joe Carter: 151
- Grady Sizemore: 139
- Francisco Lindor: 138
- Woodie Held: 130
- Jason Kipnis: 123
- Jeff Heath: 122
- Brook Jacoby: 120
- Casey Blake: 116
Get all the details of the sluggers on the outside of this list by looking on FanGraphs.
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3 responses to “Top 21 Cleveland Guardians All Time Home Run Leaders”
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