MLB Sluggers: The Greatest Home Run Seasons In Baseball History

Darren - October 4, 2022

MLB Sluggers: The Greatest Home Run Seasons In Baseball History

Darren - October 4, 2022

Jim Thome – 52

Many people forget about Thome’s’ excellence in 2002 because Alex Rodriguez hit 57 home runs. But Thome was also fantastic but did everything without using performance-enhancing drugs. Very few players escaped accusation during the Steroid Era but Thome was one of the few.

That’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame but most of his generation didn’t get a place. Thome didn’t even lead MLB in home runs this year but he proved that he was one of the NL’s top sluggers. He was phenomenal for the Indians in 2002 and played well for multiple other franchises (via Canton Rep).

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Pete Alonso – 53

It’s not easy being the New York Mets because they exist in the Yankees’ shadow. However, Alonso is one of the league’s best players. He announced his arrival as one of the best rookie sluggers in baseball when he smashed 53 home runs. This was also a rookie record as he wrote his name in the history books.

Furthermore, Alonso broke the Mets’ home run record in the process. The franchise’s fans loved him even more because Aaron Judge held the previous rookie record. The Mets rarely beat the Yankees in any aspect but they did here. Alonso had a sophomore slump but bounced back in style in 2022 (via North Jersey).

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Chris Davis – 53*

Only the best sluggers are capable of hitting 50 home runs or more. Many of them only achieve this feat once in their career. Davis is one of these players as he smashed 53 homers in 2013. This made him the second Orioles player in history to beat the half-century mark (via Baltimore Magazine).

He also won the Silver Slugger Award as he beat his fellow first baseman with his cool consistency. However, Davis has an asterisk beside his name because he failed a drug test in 2014. He previously had a therapeutic use exemption for Adderal but failed to renew this. Unfortunately, this puts a stain on his legacy.

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David Ortiz – 54*

Ortiz had the season of his life in 2006 as he hit a career-high total of 54 home runs. This was the only time “Big Papi” achieved 50 or more homers but he was one of the decade’s greatest homers. The three-time World Series champion remains a Red Sox favorite because of his consistency (via Boston.com).

The 10-time All-Star also won a ludicrous seven Silver Slugger awards during his brilliant career. However, there’s an asterisk next to his name because of a 2003 controversy. Allegedly, Ortiz was one of about 100 MLB players who tested positive for PEDs but the league agreed not to punish them.

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Babe Ruth – 54

Ruth set the standards for the rest of baseball by breaking past 50 home runs for the first time. He slugged 54 in 1920 as he showed the sport how to play. It was a remarkable achievement but Ruth went even further over the next few years. He didn’t stop there as his game continued to develop.

Before 1920, Ruth held the home run record with 29. But then the live ball era began and new possibilities opened up for the Yankees star. In the end, Ruth was operating in a different arena from his rivals because he went past 50 three times before anybody else achieved it (via Bleacher Report).

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José Bautista – 54

Few players have broken past the 50 home run mark since 2010. Baseball became a more pitcher-friendly game over the past few years. In 2010, Bautista hit 54 homers during his time with the Blue Jays. This was one of the best seasons of his career and he won a bunch of accolades.

Unsurprisingly he won the Silver Slugger award and broke multiple franchise records. Bautista showed that he was one of MLB’s best sluggers as he led the league in home runs for three consecutive seasons. Furthermore, he earned the first of his six All-Star appearances after his improvement (via Deadspin).

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Alex Rodriguez – 54*

A-Rod won another AL MVP award in 2007 after another scorching season. This was a brilliant year for Rodriguez as he maintained a .645 slugging percentage and won the Silver Slugger Award. Strangely, it was also the only time he won the latter and an MVP award in the same season (via MLB.com).

Unfortunately, we must take all of Rodriguez’s achievements with a pinch of salt because of the Biogenesis scandal. Many of the most exciting sluggers tainted their names through drug scandals. It’s a shame that we’re including Rodriguez on this list because he was brilliant at his best.

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Ken Griffey Jr. – 56

Griffey Jr. hit 56 home runs for back-to-back seasons with the first coming in 1997. They came toward the end of his time in Seattle where he evolved into one of the league’s most effective players. He won the MVP award because he was magnificent and achieved all of the first-place votes.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Griffey’s career was that nobody accused him of PED use. He is one of a few players from his era who achieved great things without using steroids. This is remarkable because he played during the most infamous era in the sport’s history (via The Athletic).

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Ken Griffey Jr. – 56

Griffey Jr. hit 56 homers for the second consecutive season in 1998 as he proved his status as one of MLB’s best sluggers. The Pennsylvania native trailed Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa but did it without the help of chemicals. He won another of his 10 Golden Glove awards this year (via Sports Illustrated).

Furthermore, he claimed a Silver Slugger award for his brilliance too. Sometimes it’s wild to imagine what a clean player would achieve if they did use steroids. Griffey pushed the likes of Sosa and McGwire close but couldn’t eclipse them. At least he has the moral high ground and a place in the Hall of Fame.

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Luis Gonzalez – 57*

Gonzalez had an excellent 2001 season but he didn’t come close to Barry Bonds who stole his thunder with 73 home runs. Meanwhile, he was one behind Ryan Howard as he had a breakout year. This put him in the NL MVP conversation and earned him another All-Star appearance.

One of the most electrifying parts of the season was when he hit nine homers in 10 games. Gonzalez was one of the top sluggers of the day but there are questions about his explosion. He received accusations of PED use but he furiously denied them during a press conference (via Bleacher Report).

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Alex Rodriguez – 57*

This is A-Rod’s final entry on this list from the most productive year of his career. He led his fellow sluggers with a staggering 57 home runs as he showed his brilliance. Yes, he was probably on the juice but the reality is that so was nearly everybody else in the Majors.

He achieved this in 2002 during his stay with the Rangers. Rodriguez won the Golden Glove and Babe Ruth awards for his excellence. He also set multiple franchise records and became one of the most desired players in MLB. He closed in on Roger Maris’s record but didn’t quite get there (via NPR).

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Mark McGwire – 58*

McGwire hit more than 50 home runs for four consecutive seasons. However, 1997 had an interesting footnote because he achieved this while playing for two different teams. First, McGwire played for the Oakland A’s and hit 34 homers. Then the Athletics traded him to the Cardinals and he wrapped up his year with another 24.

We know all about his admitted PED use but it was still a staggering achievement. Remember, all of the steroids in the world don’t change a person’s mentality. McGwire was one of the most ruthless sluggers ever and some fans think that he should be in the Hall of Fame (via Bleacher Report).

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Ryan Howard – 58

One of the best things that we can say about Howard’s career is that he had no links to steroids. But he came frighteningly close to Roger Maris’s record without chemical assistance. His sophomore year came in 2006 when he exploded into life with 58 home runs.

Howard was a homer machine as he set records everywhere he went. Nobody reached the 100 and 200 home run milestones faster than the “Big Piece.” Meanwhile, he remains one of the Phillies’ greatest-ever players and set many long-standing franchise records (via Audacy).

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Babe Ruth – 59

Ruth had a habit of hitting over 50 home runs per season. He did it in his two years with the Yankees as he showed why he’s one of baseball’s hardest-hitting sluggers. Furthermore, he broke his record as he demonstrated his skills in front of the world (via The Guardian).

It’s no surprise that the Yankees became the most dominant force in baseball because Ruth was a special talent. It’s incredible to think that he started life as a pitcher but developed into an elite hitter. They turned Yankee Stadium into a fortress as Ruth showed his talents.

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Giancarlo Stanton – 59

Stanton put together one of the greatest seasons in living memory when he hit 59 homers in 2017. This was his final year with the Marlins but he departed from Miami with a bang. The best aspect of his achievement was that he didn’t take PEDs as far as we know (via Sportsnet).

Furthermore, Stanton was the first NL player since 2007 to hit 50 home runs. Stanton also raised his batting average by 22 points and smashed balls as if they offended him. Miami fans applauded him at the end of his final game because they knew that they witnessed brilliance.

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Babe Ruth – 60

Nobody knew that Ruth set a record that would stand for over 30 years when he hit his 60th home run in 1927. It wasn’t until 1961 that Roger Maris finally eclipsed him. Ruth came close to this tally on several occasions but finally hit it as part of the Yankees’ Murderer’s Row.

Unsurprisingly this was one of the most impressive individual seasons he posted. With a slugging percentage of .772, Ruth set the standard for the rest of the league to follow. There’s a reason why he entered American folklore and became one of the nation’s heroes of the 20th century (via History).

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Aaron Judge – 62

Judge was phenomenal in 2022 as he equalized Roger Maris’s long-standing record. This put him behind just Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds in the record books. But the difference between Judge and these men is that he hasn’t been involved in any drug controversy (via People).

Roger Maris Jr. even called for MLB to rewrite the record books. The baseball legend’s son thinks that baseball shouldn’t recognize the Steroid Era. There’s no doubt that Judge is one of the sport’s greatest-ever sluggers because he’s consistently brilliant. Fans witness history every time they attend Yankees Stadium and watch him play.

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Roger Maris – 61

Maris broke Ruth’s record in 1961 when he became the first player to hit 61 homers. We should note that the American League expanded the schedule this year for the first time. This meant that he played eight more games than Ruth so he had more opportunities to break the record (via The Atlantic).

Nonetheless, he remains one of baseball’s greatest sluggers and this was a legendary season. This is still an AL record but it was controversial because he hit his last homer in the final game of the year. That’s why many diehards think that Ruth’s achievement was more impressive than Maris’.

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Sammy Sosa – 63*

It would be very easy for us to ignore the final six entries on this list because they all have an asterisk beside them. That’s because they all took place during the height of the Steroid Era. Most MLB fans believe that Roger Maris’s record is the only one that matters because he didn’t cheat.

Sosa hit 63 home runs in 1999 as he battled Mark McGwire. He played in every game of the season but he failed to overhaul his rival. It was a remarkable year but everybody knows what was going on. The thing is that it was very entertaining so some fans miss this period (via Baseball Almanac).

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Sammy Sosa – 64*

In 1999, Sosa tried to overcome Barry Bonds and break all of MLB’s records. But he fell short for the second time despite hitting a ridiculous 64 home runs. The pair were two of baseball’s top sluggers but everybody knew that they used artificial means to improve their performances.

Bonds had an unbelievable season despite Sosa’s brilliance. This era divides fans because some people think that baseball was never more entertaining. Others think that it ruined the sport because it gave casuals a false impression of how it works (via Fansided).

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Mark McGwire – 65*

McGwire didn’t hit 70 home runs again in his career after an electrifying 1998 season. But he came close in 1999 as he demonstrated frightening consistency. Yes, we’ll mention again that he used PEDs but his accuracy remains impressive. This time he hit over 50 home runs for the fourth consecutive season.

The Cardinals star ensured his place in the history books by smashing 135 homers in two seasons. That’s a ludicrous achievement even if he cheated. It will be fascinating to see if a modern player can use sports science to eclipse these steroid-assisted records or if they’re insurmountable (via Defector).

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Sammy Sosa – 66*

Sosa hit his highest tally in 1998 as he desperately chased Mark McGwire. The pair shattered Roger Matis’s total of 61 home runs but they used PEDs to gain an edge. Nonetheless, this was one of the most exciting periods of baseball history. Some fans still look back at this era with fondness as baseball’s sluggers went head to head.

McGwire was the winner in 1998 but Sosa gave him a race to remember. Sosa’s contribution made this a thrilling competition between two men at the top of their game. Many people don’t think it matters that they took steroids because they believe many baseball players still do (via NPR).

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Mark McGwire – 70*

Baseball was in a confusing spot in 1998 after the MLB strike. Perhaps that’s why so many people invested their hope in McGwire and Sosa as they chased Roger Maris’s record. Finally, McGwire eclipsed the Yankees’ legend as he became the first first-baseman to hit 70 home runs (via Forbes).

Everybody knows that “Big Mac” was using PEDs to gain an edge. But unlike some of his rivals, McGwire openly admits that he took PEDs. It’s important to remember this era because many fans grew up watching these players. However, an asterisk remains beside all of their achievements.

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Barry Bonds – 73*

It says a lot that the MLB Commissioner didn’t attend the game when Bonds set a new home run record. His 2001 season remains the stuff of notoriety because of his alleged PED use. Bonds never failed a drug test but he became a central figure in the ensuing scandals.

That’s why the former Giants star will never make the Hall of Fame despite his stunning achievement. Some would say that it was impressive regardless of whether he used steroids or not. Finally, Bonds retired with a record of 762 home runs but only broke the 50-mark once (via Record Online).

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MLB Sluggers: The Greatest Home Run Seasons In Baseball History