Greatest Home Run Hitter

[AstrosFan]

Just a series of polls, in the Bill Burgess tradition, in which we will vote for the greatest home run hitters of all time. Any baseball player is eligible, not just MLB players. Let the voting begin for number one.

[Bill Burgess]

Alright, I'll bite. I'll go with the obvious choice, Babe Ruth. The only hitter to hit more HRs than Babe per PA, Mark McGwire, had 3,000 less PAs than Babe. And that makes a big difference. Decline ordinarily lowers one's rate stats.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/ABpHR_career.shtml

[Blackout]

AT THEIR PEAKS:

babe ruth
lou gehrig
josh gibson
alex rodriguez (3 50 home runs seasons)
hack wilson (when sober)
barry bonds*
hank aaron
ralph kiner
mickey mantle
ty cobb (when he wanted to ofcourse)

[frehleyscomet]

They say Willie Stargell probably would have had 600+ home runs if he wouldnt had played half his years at forbes field, which had the longest outfield in baseball.

[KCGHOST]

As I like to say there is only one Babe.

[2Chance]

Wow, how many years have I been here and you finally got me to vote Babe Ruth for something!

Sure, I thought about Josh Gibson, but in this area, Ruth is the man.

[whoisonit]

Of course it's Ruth, but I voted for Hammerin Hank anyway. This guy needs some respect !

[White Knight]

Big Mac by a full at-bat.

[White Knight]

AT THEIR PEAKS:

babe ruth
lou gehrig
josh gibson
alex rodriguez (3 50 home runs seasons)
hack wilson (when sober)
barry bonds*
hank aaron
ralph kiner
mickey mantle
ty cobb (when he wanted to ofcourse)

If you're going to list Bonds, why not McGwire?

[Blackout]

If you're going to list Bonds, why not McGwire?

beacuse i wanted to make room for Ty Cobb

[White Knight]

beacuse i wanted to make room for Ty Cobb

You can list both. With the POSSIBE exception to Babe Ruth, I personally believe Mac is far greater a HR hitter than anyone on any list.

[AstrosFan]

Just so you know, you can nominate players for the next round. It looks like Ruth is running away with this one, so I may ask a mod to close it before 2/18 so we can move on.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Big Mac by a full at-bat.

I assume your speaking of AB/HR ratio. Mac at 10.61 and Babe at 11.76.
I would think that one stat can't settle the issue, there is more to look at.

Some other numbers that have a bearing on the matter.
-----------------At bats-------------Plate appearance
Ruth--------------8399----------------10,616
Mac--------------6187------------------7,660
Difference...........2212......................... 2,956

You can see that Ruth maintained his AB/HR ratio over a far longer period. Ruth has more at bats than Mac has plate appearances.

Also Ruth spent his first 3 seasons (1915-1917) as a pitcher only batting every 4th or 5th day not the best for maintaining a hitters timing. Add to that his first 6 seasons (1914-1919) in the dead ball era also hitting against trick deliveries and hitting a ball that was left in the game for many innings.
We may omit 1914 since he played so little in MLB.

If you look at his AB/HR ratio from the time he became an everyday player 1920-1935 he is at 10.96.

Mac hit 65 and 70, Ruth's highest 59 and 60. In the mid 1990s baseball changed, the ball, the strike zone and home runs were flying out of parks like never before 50 and 60 home runs were hit like never before. Mac made his biggest gains in that time period starting in 1996. before that he topped 40 in only two other seasons.

Seasons with 50 or more....Mac---4 seasons.....Ruth---4 seasons
Seasons with 40 or more....Mac---6 seasons.....Ruth---11 seasons a record.

Consider this Ruth never hit 40 until his 7th season yet he hit 40 more times than any other hitter, Killebrew, Aaron and Bonds all with 8 seasons.

Ruth never hit 50 until his 7th season and he hit 50 four times, as many as any other hitter.

After his first 6 seasons in MLB he had only 49 career home runs and yet he is only the third hitter to hit 700+.

Two flukes cost him another 50 and 60 home run season.

1921 A fan deflected a ball hit into the stands back on to the field. Ruth was sent back to second base. He hit 59 that season, could have been 60. Today the ground rule is fan interference, a home run.
1930, twice at shibe Park he hit balls that cleared the wall but struck speaker supports, he was given a double. That season he finished with 49 home runs and it could have been 51.

Respect to Mac and all the other great sluggers but Ruth is in his own world when it comes to all around home run hitting. Never anyone as consistent over a whole career. The bulk of his home run hitting came after the 1919 season when he became an every day player.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Respect to Mac and all the other great sluggers but Ruth is in his own world when it comes to all around home run hitting.

Well put. Not even a question. Even a non-clean Mac isn't very close.

[Blackout]

You can list both. With the POSSIBE exception to Babe Ruth, I personally believe Mac is far greater a HR hitter than anyone on any list.

sure but it was SO much easier to hit home runs inthe late 90s and early 00's than at ANY point in time, even 1920