MLB: Greatest Home Runners of All Time by Position

Historically, the different positions in baseball they bring different expectations when it comes to power. This is evident when looking at the all-time home run leaders at each spot on the diamond.

For example, the great Babe Ruth connected 714 career home runs, but not the leader among right-field defenders. Meanwhile, several players rule their respective positions with fewer than 450 homers.

With that in mind, down below they’ll find the hitter with the most homers at each position.

Catcher: Mike Piazza, 427

Piazza had nine seasons with no fewer than 30 home runs, more than double that of any other catcher. His personal top was 40, a figure he achieved twice (1997 and 1999). In total, the Hall of Famer hit 427 home runs in 16 seasons, and 396 of those were while catching. Piazza also hit 18 homers as a designated hitter, eight as first base and five as a pinch.

First base: Albert Pujols, 679

The Dominican, the only one among the positional leaders in home runs still active, has hit 679 home runs in 21 seasons in the majors. A three-time Most Valuable Player award winner, Pujols became the ninth member of the 600-homer club in 2017 when he hit fellow countryman Ervin Santana with a grand slam.

However, Pujols is second when it comes to hitting games in which he played in the starting line-up (476), after Mark McGwire (566). Pujols also has 105 as a designated hitter, 64 as a left fielder, 24 as a third baseman, six as a right fielder and four as a pinch hitter.

Second base: Jeff Kent, 377

Kent, Robinson Cano and Rogers Hornsby are the only three to hit 300 or more full-lap hits while playing at least two-thirds of their encounters in second half. Kent leads the way with 377, giving 20 or more 12 times. He was the National League MVP after hitting .334 with 33 homers, 125 RBIs and a 1,021 OPS in 2000.

Third base: Mike Schmidt, 548

Schmidt dominated the National League in the 1970s and 1980s, leading the circuit in home runs eight times and winning three MVP awards. The first award in that sense was achieved after giving 48 home runs, a personal record, in 1980. He reached 500 shots in 1987, becoming the second third baseman at that club after Eddie Mathews. Schmidt played his last season in 1989 and retired with 548 hits from four corners.

Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr., 431

In addition to holding the record for the most consecutive games at 2,632, Ripken is a member of the 3,000 hit club and hit 431 home runs during his 21-year career. Although he moved to third base in 1997, the Iron Man played more than three-quarters of his commitments at shortstop and is well ahead of his closest pursuer (Miguel Tejada, with 307 HR) in the lead. more homers for a shortstop.

Left field: Barry Bonds, 762

Bonds is not only the leader among the defenders of the left field, but the leader among all the players who have passed through the Big Top. The superstar hit 40 or more home runs eight times, including a season-high 71 in 2001. Next up in left field is Manny Ramirez with 555 homers, followed by Ted Williams with 521.

Center field: Willie Mays, 660

Mays is one of only nine players to hit 50 home runs more than once in a season, and in 1969 he became – by then – the second in Major League history to hit 600 home runs, joining Babe Ruth. In his 22-year career, Mays hit 660 home runs, the most of any Central Forest patrol. Ken Griffey Jr. came close to that mark, but came up short in the end, retiring at 630.

Right field: Hank Aaron, 755

Of the three with 700 or more home runs, two of them – Aaron and Ruth – played primarily in right field. Ruth was the all-time leader from 1920 to 1974, when Aaron surpassed him with his 715th slam. Aaron retired with 755 full-lap hits and held the mark for life until Bonds surpassed him in 2007.

That said, the leader in connected home runs in games played as right fielder is neither Aaron nor Ruth, but Sammy Sosa with 538. Aaron hit 520 as right fielder, 68 as left fielder, 64 as center patrol, 61 as first baseman. , 22 as a designated, six as second baseman and three as a pinch hitter.

Designated hitter: David Ortiz, 541

Although Puerto Rican Edgar Martínez is the player most associated with the designated hitter position, Dominican Ortiz is the leader in home runs as BD by far. Big Papi fired 30 or more cannon shots in 10 different seasons, with 41 or more in each year between 2004 and 2006 (personal top of 54 in 2006). Ortiz is the newest member of the 500 home run club, which he joined in 2015.

Thomas Harrigan / MLB.com