Each team's all-time home run leader

September 29th, 2024

With his two-run blast in the sixth inning on Sept. 10, 2024, at T-Mobile Park, Manny Machado passed Nate Colbert for the most home runs (164) in Padres franchise history. That raises the question: Who are the other active players who have the most home runs in their franchise's history? And, for that matter, who is each team's all-time home run king? Here's a breakdown of the 30 players who hold a franchise's home run record.

American League East

Blue Jays: Carlos Delgado -- 336

Delgado was one of the more underrated sluggers of the late 1990s and eraly 2000s, thanks to names like Griffey, McGwire, Sosa and Bonds grabbing headlines. But when he connected, you knew Delgado, as ESPN's Rich Eisen liked to say, Del-got it. He launched 30 or more home runs in a season eight years in a row for Toronto from 1997-2004, including a career-high 44 in 1999. He was a two-time All-Star in that span, finishing among the top five in American League MVP Award voting twice (fourth in 2000, and second in 2003).

Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr. -- 431

It's fitting that Ripken, the greatest Oriole of them all, is the all-time leader in home runs for the franchise. Though he'll forever be remembered most for breaking Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played in 1995, he also hit a few homers in his day, including the day he tied Gehrig's mark of 2,130 consecutive games played, and the day he broke it, giving the fans at Camden Yards even more of a thrill than they bargained for. Ripken's career high in homers was 31 in an AL MVP campaign in 1991. The Iron Man was not only dependable to be on the field, but also remarkably consistent with home runs, hitting 25 or more in eight of his first 12 full seasons.

Rays: Evan Longoria -- 261

In his 10 seasons with the Rays, Longoria became the face of the franchise, hitting the most famous home run in its history on the final day of the 2011 regular season -- a walk-off shot down the left-field line at Tropicana Field in the 12th inning against the Yankees on Sept. 28, which clinched a postseason spot for Tampa Bay. That was just one of 31 homers Longoria hit that season. Overall, he hit 20 or more homers nine times in 10 seasons in a Rays uniform. He hit No. 300 while with the Giants in 2020.

Red Sox: Ted Williams -- 521

Many call him the greatest hitter who ever lived. His signature stat is a .401 batting average in 1941, and he remains the last man to hit .400 or better in a Major League season. But Williams had plenty of power, too. He belted his first career home run on April 23, 1939, a year in which he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award after driving in an MLB-best 145 runs. Williams' 521st and final home run came in the final plate appearance of his storied career, a solo shot off the Orioles' Jack Fisher at Fenway Park on Sept. 28,1960.

Yankees: Babe Ruth -- 659

This one's a no-brainer. Had Mickey Mantle stayed healthy throughout his career, he certainly would've challenged Ruth's mark. Lou Gehrig certainly would have as well, the way he was slugging prior to his tragic death as a result of the disease that bears his name (ALS). But Ruth is a fitting answer here given that he was the first great home run hitter in baseball history, revolutionizing the game after joining the Yankees in 1920. The Sultan of Swat belted more than 40 home runs 11 times in his 22-year career, and hit more than 50 four times, including a 60-homer campaign in 1927. That record stood for 34 years before another Yankee, Roger Maris, broke it in 1961.

AL Central

Guardians: Jim Thome -- 337

Thome, as humble as they come, "quietly" amassed 612 home runs in his Hall of Fame career, just over half of which came while slugging for the Indians from 1991-2002. In 1995, Thome's first full season in the Majors, he hit 25 homers in 137 games to help Cleveland reach the World Series. Two years later, he helped fuel another Tribe World Series run, smashing 40 homers and drawing an AL-best 120 walks. He had the finest campaign of his career in 2002, when he launched a career-high 52 homers and posted a 1.122 OPS. Thome returned to Cleveland for 22 games toward the end of his career in 2011, hitting three homers, including his final home run with the Tribe on Sept. 23 against the Twins at Progressive Field.

Royals: George Brett -- 317

Another case in which the player most often associated with a franchise is also its home run leader. Brett spent his entire 21-year career with Kansas City, hitting not only 317 homers but also recording 3,154 hits. His career slash line is .305/.369/.487, and he came ever so close to hitting .400 in 1980, an AL MVP campaign in which he hit .390 with a 1.118 OPS. Brett hit a career-best 30 homers in 1985, helping the Royals win the first World Series title in franchise history.

One of Brett's 317 career homers will be remembered above all the rest -- on July 24, 1983, Brett launched what he believed to be a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium, only to be called out for having excess pine tar on the bat. The home run was later reinstated by American League president Larry MacPhail.

Tigers: Al Kaline -- 399

While Ty Cobb holds the majority of Tigers records, the man known as “Mr. Tiger” is the franchise’s all-time home run leader. A Hall of Famer, Kaline spent his entire 22-year career in Detroit and fell one homer shy of the 400 mark while also collecting more than 3,000 hits. The 18-time All-Star never reached the 30-homer plateau in a season, but he finished with a total between 25-29 seven times. Miguel Cabrera, who is under contract with the Tigers through 2023, could eventually leapfrog Kaline. The two-time AL MVP Award winner entered the 2020 season with 339 homers as a Tiger.

Twins: Harmon Killebrew -- 559

When it comes to Senators/Twins home run hitters, no one is close to Killebrew, who spent 21 of his 22 seasons with the club and crushed 559 home runs in that time, 266 more than any other player in franchise history. The Hall of Fame slugger hit 40-plus homers in eight different seasons, tying him with Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Hank Aaron for the second most in Major League history behind Babe Ruth (11). Killebrew led the AL in six of those eight seasons, including 1969, when he won the league's MVP Award with an MLB-best 49 homers and 140 RBIs. Two years later, Killebrew became the 10th member of the 500 home run club. After spending a year with the Royals in 1975, Killebrew retired with 573 homers, now the 12th most all time.

White Sox: Frank Thomas -- 448

One of the most feared sluggers in MLB history, the Big Hurt played 16 of his 19 seasons with the White Sox and is the franchise’s all-time leader in homers, doubles (447), RBIs (1,465), walks (1,466) and OPS (.995). Thomas was a perennial MVP Award contender in his early years, and in 1993-94, he became the 11th player ever to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons. Thomas never led the league in home runs, but he had five 40-homer campaigns, all with the White Sox, including a career high of 43 at age 32 in 2000.

AL West

Angels: Mike Trout -- 378

It took Trout less than a decade to become the Angels’ all-time leader in homers, adding another accolade to his ever-expanding list when he swatted his 300th career homer on Sept. 5, 2020, passing Tim Salmon for first place on the Halos' leaderboard. Already among the most accomplished players in history, Trout finished first or second in the AL MVP Award race in seven of eight seasons between 2013 and 2019, winning three times.

Astros: Jeff Bagwell -- 449

Although injuries prevented him from making a run at 500 homers, Bagwell is easily the Astros’ all-time leader with 449 dingers. One of the greatest offensive first basemen ever, Bagwell hit 30-plus homers nine times in his 15-year career and exceeded 40 in 1997, ’99 and 2000 while also topping 30-plus steals twice ('97, '99). Bagwell hit .368/.451/.750 with 39 homers, 15 stolen bases and 8.2 Wins Above Replacement over 110 games in the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, earning AL MVP honors for his efforts. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, his seventh year of eligibility.

Athletics: Mark McGwire -- 363

Although he went on to break Roger Maris’ single-season home run record as a member of the Cardinals in 1998, McGwire spent 12 seasons with the A’s before joining St. Louis in a trade during the ’97 season. The 10th-overall Draft pick in 1984, McGwire didn’t take long to establish himself as a must-see attraction, setting a then-rookie record with 49 homers in 1987 -- one of five times in his career he led MLB in round-trippers. The first baseman blasted an MLB-best 52 homers in 1996, his final full season with the A’s and the first of four straight 50-homer campaigns for the California native. McGwire is one of two players in A's history, along with Jimmie Foxx (302), to hit 300-plus homers with the club.

Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr. -- 417

With his sweet swing, megawatt smile and magnetic personality, Griffey captured the hearts of Mariners fans after breaking in with the club as a 19-year-old in 1989. It wasn’t long before the effervescent center fielder became one of the best players in the game, making the AL All-Star team every year from 1990-99, winning an MVP Award and leading the league in home runs four times. Griffey was traded to the Reds prior to the 2000 season, but he returned to Seattle nearly a decade later to finish his career where it started. Griffey hit his 630th and final career home run -- and 417th with the M’s -- in front of the hometown fans on Oct. 3, 2009.

Rangers: Juan Gonzalez -- 372

One of the top sluggers of the 1990s, Gonzalez crushed 40-plus homers five times from '92-98, leading the Majors twice ('92, '93) and winning two MVP Awards ('96, '98) in that span. Gonzalez had another 39 homers in 1999 before Texas traded him to the Tigers in a nine-player blockbuster. After a top-five AL MVP Award finish with the Indians in 2001, Gonzalez returned to the Rangers for a two-year stint, though he wasn’t able to recapture his past glory, producing 32 home runs over 152 games with the team across ’02-03.

National League East

Braves: Hank Aaron -- 733

No surprise here, as Aaron spent 21 of his 23 seasons as a member of the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves franchise and hit most of his 755 home runs with the club. Early in his final season as a Brave, on April 8, 1974, the legendary slugger blasted the 715th homer of his career, breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time record. A model of consistency, Aaron crushed 30-plus homers 15 times, tied with Alex Rodriguez for the most in history. The first-ballot Hall of Famer now ranks second all time in homers, third in hits (3,771) and first in RBIs (2,297).

Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton -- 267

Stanton was a Marlin for only eight seasons and played fewer than 125 games in five of them, but the mammoth masher shattered the expansion franchise’s all-time home run record nonetheless. Stanton saved his best for last, slugging a single-season club record 59 homers and winning the NL MVP Award in 2017, his final year in Miami before being traded to the Yankees.

Mets: Darryl Strawberry -- 252

One of the brightest stars on the club that won the World Series in 1986, Strawberry initially joined the Mets as the first-overall pick in the ’80 MLB Draft and crushed 252 homers over eight seasons before signing a free-agent deal with the Dodgers. David Wright (242 homers) came close to unseating Strawberry as the Mets' home run king, but injuries limited him to just 77 games and 12 homers after he turned 32.

Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman -- 284

Arguably no player is more associated with the Nationals than Zimmerman, the franchise’s first Draft pick after the team moved from Montreal to Washington D.C. The University of Virginia product, who made his MLB debut just months after being selected fourth overall in the 2005 MLB Draft, is the Expos/Nationals leader in a number of categories, including homers, doubles (417), hits (1,846) and RBIs (1,061).

Phillies: Mike Schmidt -- 548

With three MVP Awards, 12 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves and a World Series title, Schmidt did it all during his career, which was spent entirely with the Phillies. The third baseman led the NL in homers eight times and hit 30-plus dingers in 13 seasons en route to 548 altogether. That included four against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 17, 1976, as Schmidt became the 10th player in big league history to go deep four times in a game.

NL Central

Brewers: Ryan Braun -- 352

After becoming the first Brewers player since Robin Yount to win an MVP Award in 2011, Braun flew past the Hall of Famer to claim sole possession of the franchise record with his 252nd career homer in 2015. A six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Braun continued to pad his total, crossing the 350 mark on Sept. 16, 2020.

Cardinals: Stan Musial -- 475

One of the toughest outs in MLB history, Musial played 22 seasons -- all with the Cardinals -- and holds numerous club records, though he might have ceded the home run mark if Albert Pujols hadn't departed St. Louis as a free agent. As it stands, Stan the Man’s 475 homers top the Cards’ leaderboard, as do his 3,630 hits, 725 doubles, 177 triples, 1,951 RBIs and 1,599 walks. A 24-time All-Star, three-time MVP and seven-time batting champion, Musial never hit 40 homers or led the league in that category, but he had 20-plus homers in 10 seasons.

Cubs: Sammy Sosa -- 545

Sosa played for four teams in his 18-year career, but he did much of his damage with the Cubs, hitting 545 of his 609 homers while representing the North Side of Chicago. Along with Mark McGwire, Sosa captivated the baseball world as the two chased Roger Maris’ single-season home run record in the summer of 1998. The right fielder averaged 55 homers per season from 1998-2003, topping 60 three times and hitting 48 more than any other big leaguer in that span. Ernie Banks was the previous franchise record-holder with 512 home runs, making the Cubs one of three teams -- the Giants and Yankees are the others -- to have multiple players with 500-plus homers.

Pirates: Willie Stargell -- 475

Stargell broke in with the Pirates as a 22-year-old in 1962 and spent the next two decades with the team, earning seven All-Star selections and helping Pittsburgh win two World Series titles ('71, '79). Stargell had two seasons with 40-plus homers during his career, leading the Majors with 48 in 1971 and doing so again two years later with 44. The heart and soul of the 1979 “We Are Family” Bucs, Stargell was named NL co-MVP with Keith Hernandez before going on to win both the NL Championship Series and World Series MVP Awards, all at age 39. Stargell fell short of the 500-homer mark, but he holds the Pirates’ franchise record by a wide margin over Ralph Kiner (301) and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

Reds: Johnny Bench -- 389

Widely considered the greatest catcher of all time, Bench was an excellent defender with a cannon arm on one side of the ball and an impressive power hitter on the other. The only backstop on this list, Bench slugged 389 homers over 17 seasons with the Reds, including a big league-leading 45 in 1970 and 40 in ’72, his two NL MVP seasons. With Bench as its centerpiece, the Big Red Machine won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975-76, and the catcher was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in '89.

NL West

D-backs: Luis Gonzalez -- 224

Gonzalez also holds Arizona's single-season home run record of 51, which he hit in 2001. That was a special year not only for Gonzalez individually, but for the D-backs, as they won their first World Series title in a seven-game thriller over the Yankees. Gonzalez finished third in NL MVP Award voting that season and to cap off his year, he delivered a walk-off single off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the World Series. Ironically, it was a broken-bat bloop to shallow center field over New York's drawn-in infield.

Dodgers: Duke Snider -- 389

Snider edges out teammate Gil Hodges, who hit 361 homers for the Dodgers. Though the Hall of Fame slugger, who together with Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays formed a center field triumvirate in New York. Though he only led the league in homers once, with 43 in 1956, Snider smashed more than 40 home runs every season from 1953-57. In '55, Snider's slugging helped the Dodgers win their first World Series title following years of Fall Classic losses to the rival Yankees. Snider also hit 11 postseason home runs, including four in October of 1955.

Giants: Willie Mays -- 646

No, not Barry Bonds (he hit 586 homers with the Giants). The all-time home run king hit 162 more than his godfather Mays did in his career, but Mays hit more for the Giants from 1951-72. He hit 14 more after being traded to the Mets during the '72 season, for a total of 660 in his Hall of Fame career. Mays hit 30 or more homers in a season 11 times, and 40 or more six times. His career-high was 52 in 1965, when he won the second of his two NL MVP Awards (also 1954). The 12-time Gold Glove Award winner's signature moment was "the Catch" in the 1954 World Series, when he raced back and made an over-the-shoulder grab of a deep fly ball off the bat of Cleveland's Vic Wertz in Game 1. But Mays' power was both prodigious and prolific.

Padres: Manny Machado -- 167

Machado tied Nate Colbert's franchise record with a pair of homers on Sept. 6, 2024, and surpassed Colbert four days later with a two-run blast against the Mariners. Since signing with the Padres before the 2019 season, Machado has hit 25-plus home runs in every full season and 16 homers in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Colbert previously held the record for years before Machado came along. Colbert was a three-time All-Star, being selected each year from 1971-73, and hit 163 of his 173 career homers with the Padres from 1969-74.

Rockies: Todd Helton -- 369

This one's not particularly close, even with Hall of Famer Larry Walker -- who hit 258 homers while with the Rockies -- in the conversation, since Walker spent 10 years in Colorado and No. 17 spent all 17 of his seasons with the Rockies. Helton's breakout season came in 2000, when he launched 42 homers but also had 59 doubles to go along with a 1.162 OPS (163 OPS+). Helton's career high in homers came the following year, when he belted 49. Overall, he hit 30 or more home runs six times, all from 1999-2004, when he averaged 37 a season and had a 154 OPS+.