In baseball statistics, at bats per home run (AB/HR) is a way to measure how frequently a batter hits a home run. It is determined by dividing the number of at bats by the number of home runs hit. Mark McGwire possesses the MLB record for this statistic with a career ratio of 10.61 at bats per home run and Babe Ruth is second, with 11.76 at bats per home run. Aaron Judge has the best career ratio among active players with 11.99 at bats per home run, as of October 5, 2022. [1]
Totals are current as of September 2022 [update] , minimum 3,000 plate appearances. [1]
Single-season statistics are current as of July 2021 [update] . [2]
Babe Ruth was the first batter to average fewer than nine at-bats per home run over a season, hitting his 54 home runs of the 1920 season in 457 at-bats; an average of 8.463. Seventy-eight years later, Mark McGwire became the first batter to average fewer than eight AB/HR, hitting his 70 home runs of the 1998 season in 509 at-bats (an average of 7.2714). In 2001, Barry Bonds became the first batter to average fewer than seven AB/HR, setting the Major League record by hitting his 73 home runs of the 2001 season in 476 at-bats for an average of 6.5205. [3]
Ruth led the American League every year from 1918 until 1931, except for 1925. [4]
Ruth, Josh Gibson, McGwire and Bonds are the only batters in history to average nine or fewer AB/HR over a season, having done so a combined ten times:
Aaron Judge's 62 HR season in 2022 came at a rate of 9.19 AB/HR.
| Batter | Season | HR | AB | AB/HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babe Ruth | 1920 | 54 | 457 | 8.4630 |
| Babe Ruth | 1927 | 60 | 540 | 9.0000 |
| Josh Gibson | 1937 | 20 | 156 | 7.8000 |
| Mark McGwire | 1996 | 52 | 423 | 8.1346 |
| Mark McGwire | 1998 | 70 | 509 | 7.2714 |
| Mark McGwire | 1999 | 65 | 521 | 8.0154 |
| Barry Bonds | 2001 | 73 | 476 | 6.5205 |
| Barry Bonds | 2002 | 46 | 403 | 8.7610 |
| Barry Bonds | 2003 | 45 | 390 | 8.6670 |
| Barry Bonds | 2004 | 45 | 373 | 8.2890 |
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are represented. An OPS of .800 or higher in Major League Baseball puts the player in the upper echelon of hitters. Typically, the league leader in OPS will score near, and sometimes above, the 1.000 mark.
Mark David McGwire, nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two World Series championships, one with Oakland as a player in 1989 and one with St. Louis as a coach in 2011. One of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history, McGwire hit 583 home runs during his career, which ranked 5th-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement and currently ranks 11th. He holds the major-league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season and home runs hit by a rookie.
Samuel Peralta Sosa is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Sosa joined the Cubs in 1992 and became regarded as one of the game's best hitters. Sosa hit his 400th home run in his 1,354th game and his 5,273rd at-bat, reaching this milestone quicker than any player in National League history. He is one of nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs.
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where AB is the number of at-bats for a given player, and 1B, 2B, 3B, and HR are the number of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs, respectively:
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The St. Louis Cardinals 1999 season was the team's 118th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 108th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 75–86 during the season and finished 4th in the National League Central division, 21½ games behind the Houston Astros.
The St. Louis Cardinals 1998 season was the team's 117th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 107th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 83–79 during the season and finished 3rd in the National League Central division, 18 games behind the Houston Astros. First baseman Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record this season by hitting 70 home runs, battling with the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who finished runner-up in the National League with 66.
The St. Louis Cardinals 1997 season was the team's 116th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 106th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 73–89 during the season and finished 4th in the National League Central division, 11 games behind the Houston Astros.
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In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 600 home run club is a group of batters who have hit 600 or more regular-season home runs in their careers. There are nine players who are members of the 600 home run club. Four 600 home run club members—Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez—are also members of the 3,000 hit club.
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