Sluggers From the Start |

The former star in Cuban baseball Yoenes Cespedes has 12 homers so far in his debut season in Major League Baseball. Among those playing in their first season in MLB in 2012, the 26-year-old Cespedes has the most homers right now, but Will Middlebrooks is right behind him with 11 for the Red Sox. Other recent debut season home run leaders:

2011 Eric Hosmer, 19 homers
2010 Mike (now Giancarlo) Stanton, 22
2009 Colby Rasmus, 19
2008 Evan Longoria, 27
2007 Dan Uggla, 27

More in the same vein after the jump

Seven men have hit 30 or more homers in their very first season in the major leagues:

Wally Berger (1930) and Frank Robinson (1956), 38 homers
Albert Pujols (2001), 37
Ryan Braun (2007), 34
Jimmie Hall (1963), 33
Ted Williams (1939), 31
Pete Incaviglia (1986), 30

So Wally Berger and Frank Robinson jointly hold the record for most homers in a debut season in the majors. How about over a player’s first two seasons? Joe DiMaggio totalled 75 homers over his first two seasons in the majors (29 homers in 1936 and 46 in 1937). That’s the most for any player over his first two seasons. Here’s a list of the record holders for most career homers after each set of seasons beginning with the debut season:

Most Career Homers Through First Season in the Majors: Wally Berger and Frank Robinson, 38 homers
Most Career Homers Through Second Season in the Majors: Joe DiMaggio, 75
Most Career Homers Through Third Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner and Albert Pujols, 114
Most Career Homers Through Fourth Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner, 168
Most Career Homers Through Fifth Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner, 215
Most Career Homers Through Sixth Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner, 257
Most Career Homers Through Seventh Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner, 294
Most Career Homers Through Eighth Season in the Majors: Ralph Kiner, 329
Most Career Homers Through Ninth Season in the Majors: Albert Pujols, 366
Most Career Homers Through Tenth Season in the Majors: Albert Pujols, 408
Most Career Homers Through Eleventh Season in the Majors: Albert Pujols, 445
Most Career Homers Through Twelfth Season in the Majors: Albert Pujols, 462 (and counting)
Most Career Homers Through Thirteenth Season in the Majors: Alex Rodriguez, 464
Most Career Homers Through Fourteenth Season in the Majors: Mark McGwire, 522
Most Career Homers Through Fifteenth Season in the Majors: Mark McGwire, 554
Most Career Homers Through Sixteenth Season in the Majors: Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez, 583
Most Career Homers Through Seventeenth Season in the Majors: Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, 613
Most Career Homers Through Eighteenth Season in the Majors: Barry Bonds, 658
Most Career Homers Through Nineteenth Season in the Majors: Barry Bonds, 703
Most Career Homers Through Twentieth Season in the Majors: Hank Aaron, 713
Most Career Homers Through Twenty-First Season in the Majors: Barry Bonds, 734
Most Career Homers Through Twenty-Second Season in the Majors: Barry Bonds, 762

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John Autin

12 years ago

I tuned in the early part of the Yanks-A’s last night to see Cespedes and A.J. Griffin. When Cespedes came up the first time, the NY broadcast team had barely finished gushing about the show he put on during BP when Freddy Garcia went to the looping-curve well once too often, and this happened.

It was his 7th HR in 31 home games, and 8th with someone on base.

And is it just me, or is Griffin a little reminiscent of Bob Welch in an A’s uniform? He definitely reminds me of someone who’s worn those colors.

Voomo Zanzibar

23 – Aaron 755
24 – Fisk 376
25 – Rickey 297
26 – Deacon 45
27 – Cap 97

Vinnie

Is there a reason for excluding Rosen, Dropo, Montanez and McGuire who all had less than a hundred plate appearances prior to their full rookie season?

MikeD

Reply to Vinnie

Vinnie, I had the same question, but after reading it again it’s clear he’s not talking about rookie seasons, but debut seasons. In other words, the first season any player swung a bat. It does eliminate a whole class of rookies who got a cup of coffee or a bit more but maintained rookie status. It also explains why Cespedes is listed as leading all debut players this year in HRs with twelve, while on the rookie level he’s actually behind Mike Trout and his 14 HRs. Cespedes is coming on strong. Normally he’d be a likely candidate to win… Read more »

Reply to MikeD

Thanks. Appreciate the clarification.

Paul E

These PI searches kill guys like Tony Oliva who, according to PI, was in his third year when he was awarded Rookie of the Year in 1964. Between PA, days on the roster, etc….

Mike D:
Is Trout still a rookie eligible for RoY after 135 MLB PA’s in 2011?

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birtelcom

Reply to Paul E

The definition of a rookie is a player with fewer than 130 at bats in prior seasons (not 130 plate appearances). So Trout, with only 123 ABs prior to 2012, remains a rookie in 2012.

The Play Index does not currently have a “Rookie” option that would enable us to search rookie seasons. So for PI seraches we are stuck with searching by first season, second season, etc. Or we can search by age. Mike Trout has about two weeks to go before his 21st birthday (August 7). As of now he is 16th all-time in homers before his 21st birthday, one behind Willie Mays and Ted Williams: 1. Mel Ott 61 2. Tony Conigliaro 56 3. Ken Griffey, Jr. 38 4. Mickey Mantle 36 5. Frank Robinson 34 6. Al Kaline 32 T7. A-Rod… Read more »

Richard Chester

Reply to birtelcom

birtelcom: For players born during an in-season month did you individually search each player’s HR log for their HR total prior to age 21? PI provides ages as of June 30 of the year you are searching.

You meant 26 for A-Rod and Jones.

Reply to Richard Chester

Richard: Using the Season Finder will, as you point out, give you answers based on “age as of June 30”. But using the Game Finder gives you the ability to search for individual games and actual ages. So you can search for all games before a players 21st birthday in which the player hit at least one home run. The result can then be re-sorted to give you the list in order of the total number of homers hit in those games. Searches in the Game Finder using Age as a condition can sometimes be slow and balky, but this… Read more »

Thanks, I was able to make the PI run. I also checked for RBI. Ott had the most, 252.

Doug

Pujols will pass A-Rod shortly for the 13 season mark – while still in his 12th season. After that, he’ll have 2 years to hit about 50 HR to pass McGwire for the 14 season mark. Tough call on that one, but more likely than not.