With about six weeks left during MLB’s 2025 regular season, could we be on the verge of seeing a record number of 50-homer seasons? According to an August 11 home run tracking report from FOX Sports, five players are on pace to surpass that benchmark.
As of August 15, the current leaders are Cal Raleigh (46 homers), Shohei Ohtani (43), Kyle Schwarber (43), Aaron Judge (38), and Eugenio Suárez (37). While FOX Sports’ last update has all five trending over the half-century mark, it’s worth noting that FanGraphs’ on-pace calculator has Suarez finishing with 49.
Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) were the only 50-homer hitters in 2024. But with the potential of five reaching that mark, the next question is an obvious one…if that does happen, would it be a record?
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A Record Number of 50-Homer Seasons Loading?
FOX pointed out that we’ve never had five players hitting 50-plus homers in the same season. The current record is four, which was achieved twice during the height of the steroid era (1998 and 2001).
What makes the possibility of what’s happening even more remarkable is the context. Those previous years featured players like Mark McGwire (70 homers in ’98), Sammy Sosa (66 in ’98, 64 in ’01), and Barry Bonds (73 in ’01) putting up video game numbers that seemed almost supernatural. This year’s chase feels different. More organic, more sustainable, and arguably more impressive given the emphasis on pitching depth and defensive positioning in today’s game.
There have only been 13 seasons when more than one player surpassed 50 taters, and it’s only happened 50 times overall in baseball history. So, even if all five players don’t reach that magical number by the end of September to break the record, we could still see something special.
Cal Raleigh’s Switch-Hitting Excellence Leading the Charge
Big Dumper has been mashing baseballs all season long, and his pursuit of history extends beyond just the 50-homer mark. His 45 homers through August 14 have already earned him the crown of being the switch-hitting catcher home run king (it was previously Todd Hundley, who slugged 41 taters for the New York Mets in 1996).
But Raleigh isn’t stopping there. He’s chasing Salvador Perez’s single-season catcher record of 48 homers, which he set in 2021 with the Kansas City Royals. He has a great chance to become just the third catcher ever to lead the majors in homers, joining Perez and Johnny Bench.
And then there’s Mickey Mantle’s single-season switch-hitter record of 54 homers, which was set in 1961. Raleigh’s current pace has him flirting with the 60-homer mark, so he also has a chance to challenge Judge’s American League record of 62 homers, which was set in 2022. A lot of fun things to watch as Raleigh’s season comes to a close.
Judge and Ohtani: Possible Back-to-Back Brilliance
The possibility of consecutive 50-homer campaigns from Judge and Ohtani adds another layer of historical significance. Despite missing time due to an elbow injury, Judge is still on pace to reach that mark for the fourth time in his career. If he does make it happen, he’d be tied with Sosa, McGwire, and Babe Ruth for the most such seasons in baseball history. Not bad, eh?
Ohtani’s current pace also has him flirting with the 60-homer mark, and as always with him, it’s just a little more remarkable because he’s pitching again. His 54 homers in 2024 helped him engineer the first 50-50 campaign in baseball history, and he was also the first Dodgers hitter to reach the half-century mark. While that was impressive, he was rehabbing his arm from Tommy John surgery, so he didn’t log any meaningful innings for Los Angeles.
Schwarber’s Quiet Quest for Phillies History
Schwarber has been quietly putting together what could be one of the most powerful seasons in Philadelphia Phillies history. He’s jockeying for position atop the National League home run leaderboard with Ohtani, but his current pace also has him within striking distance of Ryan Howard’s franchise record (58 homers in 2006).
Howard’s 2006 NL MVP performance ranks eighth all-time in National League home run history and is tied for 12th overall. If Schwarber can keep things going at this pace, he’ll not only be among the top single-season performances in Phillies history — he’ll also insert himself into a club of MLB’s most elite power performances of all time.
His consistency in the power department since arriving in the City of Brotherly Love is also noteworthy. This is his third 40-homer campaign in four tries. The only time he didn’t reach that mark was in 2024, when he finished with 38 dingers. Not a bad way to enter free agency, right?
Suárez’s Struggles Threaten the Historic Possibility
While four players seem well-positioned for 50-homer seasons, Suárez’s recent performance since landing in Seattle at the trade deadline has added some uncertainty. His first 13 games with the Mariners have been rough — he’s hit .125/.173/.208 with just one homer through 52 plate appearances. But even with this slump, he could still join the party if he turns things around quickly.
His lone bright spot came on August 5, which was his first homer since getting traded. But with each game that passes without taters, the margin for error shrinks. The baseball world will be watching closely to see if Suárez can shake off his cold streak and help cement 2025 as the most historically significant power season we’ve ever witnessed.
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