Home runs are one of the most enjoyable things to witness in baseball. They are certainly the most effective and positive outcome, a sign that a hitter perfectly timed a pitch and hit the sweet spot.
Players who can consistently hit a high volume of home runs are some of the most adored and coveted assets in MLB.
That said, who has had the most success at hitting the ball out of the park? FOX Sports Research compiled the list!
10 players with the most HRs in MLB history
10. Frank Robinson: 586
Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Orioles slugger Frank Robinson speaks with the media outside the team room after meeting the players, coaches and staff shortly before the Orioles’ daily spring training workouts at the Orioles’ spring training facility in February 2014. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Robinson had immense power from the moment he stepped into the majors, hitting 38 home runs and winning Rookie of the Year in his first season. He continued to display that consistent power, riding it to his first MVP award in 1961. He then peaked in 1966, hitting a career-high 49 home runs and leading the league with a .637 slugging percentage. After playing 10 seasons in Cincinnati, Robinson helped Baltimore win the World Series in 1966 and 1970.
9. Sammy Sosa: 609
Cubs’ Sammy Sosa with his second home run of the game, this one in the 8th. Giants v. Cubs. (Photo By MICHAEL MACOR/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The only thing Sosa didn’t accomplish during his career was winning a World Series. Arguably the greatest slugger in Chicago Cubs history, Sosa made five straight All-Star teams from 1998-2002 and was named NL MVP during the 1998 season. That year, he hit a career-high 66 dingers and followed that up with 63 home runs the next season.
8. Jim Thome: 612
Jim Thome #25 of the Minnesota Twins comes out of the dugout for a curtain call after hitting his 590 career home run against the Oakland Athletics during their game on April 10, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Thome and Sosa fought for the home run crown year after year in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Thome’s 22-year career helped him to climb the ranks of this leaderboard, but he was able to sustain his power nearly the whole time. His best seasons came from 2001 to 2003 when he 45 or more home runs in each season. He remains Cleveland’s all-time home run leader with 337 over 12 seasons. However, José Ramírez, who’s currently at 269, could catch him.
7. Ken Griffey Jr.: 630
Ken Griffey Jr. #30 of the Cincinnati Reds acknowledges the Busch Stadium crowd as he celebrates after hitting his 500th career home run in the sixth inning against pitcher Matt Morris #35 of the St. Louis Cardinals on June 20, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Griffey Jr. is one of two Seattle Mariners to be named AL MVP, with the other being Ichiro Suzuki. Griffey did so in 1997 when he set a career-high mark of 56 home runs and batted in a league-leading 147 runs. He hit 56 home runs in the following season as well. Griffey complemented his dynamic power with unlimited range in the outfield as one of the greatest center fielders of all time.
6. Willie Mays: 660
Hall of Famer Willie Mays receives his 2012 Championship Ring from President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer during the pre-game ceremony honoring the 2012 World Series champions before their game against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on April 7, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB via Getty Images)
If Griffey was a great center fielder, Mays might have been the absolute best. He set the standard for a five-tool player with basket-catches and diving snags, while hitting moonshots from the batter’s box. Mays led MLB in home runs in three separate seasons — when he hit 51 in 1955, 49 in 1962 and 52 in 1965. He won MVP during that 1965 season, as well as another in 1954 when he helped the then-New York Giants to a World Series victory.
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a home run for his 3,000th career hit in the first inning against Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers during their game at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 19, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
Best known for his tenure with the New York Yankees, Rodriguez showcased the most power during his three seasons with the Texas Rangers. He led the AL in home runs every season he was with the team, hitting 52 in 2001, 57 in 2002 and 47 in 2003. He was named AL MVP during his final season with the Rangers and won it twice more with the Yankees. While his power began to take a slight dip after 2007, he finally won a World Series in 2009 with New York.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols in action, runs the bases after hitting his 699th career home run vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Pujols was the epitome of consistency, never exceeding the 50-home run mark in a single season but sustaining power across his entire career. He was easily the St. Louis Cardinals’ best player of all time, making the All-Star team during nine of the 11 seasons he played with them. He won back-to-back NL MVP awards in 2008 and 2009, while leading the league in home runs that latter season with 47. He helped the Cardinals win their two most recent World Series in 2006 and 2011, before leaving for the Los Angeles Angels in 2012.
3. Babe Ruth: 714
Babe Ruth, seen here as a coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers, swings the baseball bat.
Ruth is widely considered the greatest baseball player of all time. He was the whole package — a slugger on the field and an impactful player off the field. He was the centerpiece of one of the most significant trades in MLB history as the Boston Red Sox moved him to their rival, the Yankees, after five seasons. He ultimately led the majors in home runs 10 times after joining the Yankees and helped the franchise win four World Series.
2. Henry Aaron: 755
Hank Aaron follows through here, after clouting his 714 career home run, off Red’s pitcher Jack Billingham to tie Babe Ruth’s career home run total.
Aaron was MLB’s all-time home run leader for 33 seasons after surpassing Ruth in 1974. He played for the Braves in all but his final two seasons and helped them win their first World Series in 1957, when Aaron was named NL MVP.
1. Barry Bonds: 762
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants watches his two run home run, his 760th of his career against pitcher Rick VandenHurk of the Florida Marlins as catcher Matt Treanor looks on in the fifth inning at Dolphin Stadium on August 18, 2007 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)
Not only does Bonds hold MLB’s all-time home run record, but he set the single-season record when he hit 73 in 2001 with the Giants. Bonds was a superstar prior to coming to San Francisco, as he won two NL MVP awards with the Pittsburgh Pirates before his arrival, but his power reached a new level once he changed franchises. He won four consecutive NL MVP awards from 2001 to 2004, giving him the most of all time with seven total.
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