Only 28 players in MLB history are in the 500 home run club. That’s impressive on its own, but it gets better when you consider the overall context of this accomplishment.
Across more than 150 years of professional baseball, 20,000-plus players, and billions of at-bats, just 28 dudes have cleared that threshold. The last player to reach this milestone was Miguel Cabrera in 2021. While we wait for someone else to join, let’s go over some details of this exclusive club.
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Complete List of Players in the 500 Home Run Club
| Rank | Player | Career HRs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Bonds | 762 |
| 2 | Hank Aaron | 755 |
| 3 | Babe Ruth | 714 |
| 4 | Albert Pujols | 703 |
| 5 | Alex Rodriguez | 696 |
| 6 | Willie Mays | 660 |
| 7 | Ken Griffey Jr. | 630 |
| 8 | Jim Thome | 612 |
| 9 | Sammy Sosa | 609 |
| 10 | Frank Robinson | 586 |
| 11 | Mark McGwire | 583 |
| 12 | Harmon Killebrew | 573 |
| 13 | Rafael Palmeiro | 569 |
| 14 | Reggie Jackson | 563 |
| 15 | Manny Ramirez | 555 |
| 16 | Mike Schmidt | 548 |
| 17 | David Ortiz | 541 |
| 18 | Mickey Mantle | 536 |
| 19 | Jimmie Foxx | 534 |
| 20 | Willie McCovey | 521 |
| 20 | Frank Thomas | 521 |
| 20 | Ted Williams | 521 |
| 23 | Ernie Banks | 512 |
| 23 | Eddie Mathews | 512 |
| 25 | Miguel Cabrera | 511 |
| 25 | Mel Ott | 511 |
| 27 | Gary Sheffield | 509 |
| 28 | Eddie Murray | 504 |
Going Beyond the Numbers To See What This List Means
The Distance Between 1st and 28th Is Eye-Opening
Barry Bonds sits atop this list with 762 home runs, while Eddie Murray closes it out at 504. That’s a 258-homer gap between the first and last member of the same group. If someone finished their career with 258 homers, they’d be considered a solid power hitter. But in this case, it just displays how big a gap there is in one club.
The other thing that jumps out here is the four dudes at the top. Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Albert Pujols all distinguish themselves by finishing their respective careers with at least 700 taters. And it was nearly five with Alex Rodriguez hanging up his spikes four homers short of that elusive number.
The Steroid Era Shadow
You can’t look at this list without acknowledging the influence of the Steroid Era. Bonds, Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and Manny Ramirez all have documented or heavy connections to performance-enhancing drugs. That’s six of the 28 members, which is more than 20%.
Their inclusion shapes how we read everything else on the list, and it’s a big reason why the Baseball Writers have kept them out of the Hall of Fame. If it wasn’t for the PED connection, each of them would’ve easily walked into Cooperstown. This doesn’t erase what happened on the field, but it does complicate how we contextualize their place in history.
The Clean Power Guys Who Deserve More Shine
Sandwiched between the household names are some genuinely underappreciated sluggers. The first one that sticks out is Jim Thome. Probably one of the most underrated dudes on this list, he only led the league in home runs once (47 in 2003) and never won an MVP. He just showed up every year and hit lots of homers for a smattering of teams across his 22-year Hall of Fame career.
Harmon Killebrew (573) is another one. While Killer’s career batting average was just .256, it was accompanied by a healthy .376 on-base percentage while he consistently slugged tanks. The right-handed hitter led the league in homers six times and has a stranglehold on the Minnesota Twins’ all-time and single-season home run leaderboards.
And then there’s Mike Schmidt, who accumulated 548 taters while playing home games at Veterans Stadium for the Philadelphia Phillies. He wasn’t just a slugger, though — Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a three-time MVP Award winner.
The Three-Way Tie at 521
Willie McCovey, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams all finished with exactly 521 career home runs. That’s just a wild coincidence, and it’s even more interesting when you consider how differently they got there.
McCovey was a feared left-handed hitter who spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants, where the cold winds off the Bay suppressed home run totals for everyone. He won the NL MVP in 1969 but arguably should’ve won it more than once. Thomas was a two-time MVP who combined elite on-base skills with massive power, and somehow never led the league in homers.
And Williams? Well, he lost nearly five full seasons of his prime to military service. I think about what his career numbers could’ve been if he spent 2-3 of those lost seasons on the diamond.
The Fastest and the Longest Roads to 500
Mark McGwire reached 500 home runs in his age-35 season because he hit them at a rate nobody had ever seen. His career rate of one home run every 10.6 at-bats is still a record. Big Mac reached the milestone in just 1,639 games and 5,487 at-bats. It also didn’t hurt that he launched at least 50 homers each year between 1996 and 1999.
On the other end, Eddie Murray was a model of steady, grinding accumulation. He never hit more than 33 homers in a season, which happened during his age-27 campaign in 1983. But he played 21 years, and he showed up almost every day, year after year, and eventually the taters just piled up.
David Ortiz might be one of the most surprising stories on this list, though. He didn’t become a full-time starter until his late 20s, was released by the Twins before the 2003 season, and became arguably the most feared clutch hitter in American League history while playing for the Boston Red Sox.
He didn’t hit his 500th homer until 2015, which was his age-39 campaign. This happened during a stretch in which he produced four straight 30-homer, 100-RBI performances to finish out his career.
Who’s Next? Active Players With a Realistic Shot
As mentioned previously, the 500 HR Club hasn’t added a new member since Cabrera punched his ticket in 2021. But what about the current active players with a realistic shot?
There are two dudes with more than 400 homers we need to mention: Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout. Although Stanton seems to constantly struggle with staying on the field, he entered 2026 (his age-36 campaign) with 453 homers. As for Trout, he began 2026 with 404 taters and is participating in his age-34 season. Like Stanton, he also needs to stay on the field more often, which has been extremely hard for him in recent years.
After them, the next three on the active all-time homer list include Aaron Judge (371 as of 4/4/26), Bryce Harper (365), and Kyle Schwarber (343). Who do you think will be the next player to join the club?
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the most home runs in the 500 home run club?
Barry Bonds holds the all-time record with 762 career home runs, making him the leader of the 500 home run club. Hank Aaron is second with 755, followed by Babe Ruth with 714.
Who was the last player to join the 500 home run club?
Miguel Cabrera was the last player to join the 500 home run club, accomplishing the feat in 2021. He finished his career with 511 home runs and retired after the 2023 season.
How many active players are on track to reach 500 home runs?
Giancarlo Stanton (453 HRs heading into 2026) and Mike Trout (404 HRs) are the active players closest to 500 career home runs. Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber are also building careers that could put them in range, though each would need to stay healthy for a prolonged period while maintaining elite production to get it done.
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