Every MLB Team's Mt. Rushmore of Home Run Hitters

It's time to carve up some granite with Bleacher Report's Mt. Rushmore of home run hitters for every MLB franchise!

The ability to hit the ball over the fence was all that mattered here, so get ready for guys like Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds to be mentioned, while others like George Brett and Tony Gwynn are on the outside looking in, despite being the far superior hitters.

As a way to make sure a player was a good representative for his respective team, 100 home runs as a member of that team was a requirement for eligibility, though we did opt to bend that rule in one specific instance.

Career home run total with a team, peak single-season home run total, at-bats per home run and number of 30-homer seasons were the biggest deciding factors statistically in who made the cut.

Included along with each team's list of four sluggers is a breakdown of the toughest decision when narrowing the list to four guys, as well as a fun fact for each team.

Let the debate begin!

Paul Goldschmidt
Luis Gonzalez
Mark Reynolds
Christian Walker

Biggest Debate: The final spot came down to Christian Walker vs. Steve Finley, and while he did have a pair of 30-homer seasons, Finley was more of a well-rounded center fielder than a true power hitter. Meanwhile, Walker already sits fifth on the franchise leaderboard with 128 home runs, and he is aiming for a third straight 30-homer campaign in 2024.

Fun Fact: A 44-homer, 102-RBI season in 2009 was a big reason why Mark Reynolds claimed a spot, but he also struck out 223 times that year, which still stands as the single-season MLB record even as strikeouts continue to climb across baseball.

Henry Aaron
Chipper Jones
Eddie Mathews
Dale Murphy

Biggest Debate: The toss-up between center fielders Dale Murphy (371 HR, 6x 30 HR) and Andruw Jones (368 HR, 7x 30 HR) for the fourth spot was one of the toughest decisions in this entire exercise. Murphy got the nod for being one of the elite power hitters of the 1980s, with his 308 homers during that decade trailing only Mike Schmidt (313).

Fun fact: Henry Aaron (733 HR), Eddie Mathews (493 HR) and Chipper Jones (468 HR) logged a combined 31 seasons with 30-plus home runs during their time with the Braves organization.

Chris Davis
Eddie Murray
Boog Powell
Frank Robinson

Biggest Debate: Cal Ripken Jr. is the Orioles all-time leader with 431 home runs, but he only had one 30-homer season in his 21-year career. That impressive total is more a result of his legendary longevity than him being an elite-level power hitter, so he didn't make the cut.

Fun fact: For as bad as his final few seasons were, Chris Davis also has two of the five highest single-season home run totals in club history with 53 (first) in 2013 and 47 (fourth) in 2015. His 253 home runs in an Orioles uniform rank sixth on the career leaderboard.

David Ortiz
Manny Ramírez
Mo Vaughn
Ted Williams

Biggest Debate: Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski was more of a durable compiler than a top-tier slugger. His 452 home runs came at a clip of one ever 26.5 at-bats. By comparison, Mo Vaughn homered once every 16.6 at-bats during his time with the Red Sox to claim the fourth spot.

Fun Fact: During their five full seasons as teammates from 2003 to 2007, David Ortiz (208 HR) and Manny Ramirez (180 HR) both ranked in the top 10 in baseball in home runs, and that doesn't count all the damage they did in the postseason during World Series runs in 2004 and 2007.

Ernie Banks
Sammy Sosa
Billy Williams
Hack Wilson

Biggest Debate: A case could be made for Anthony Rizzo, Andre Dawson, Ron Santo, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee, but all of those players fell well short of the four guys listed above in most categories. There was some brief consideration given to Kyle Schwarber, who ranks second in franchise history with one home run every 14.9 at-bats.

Fun Fact: Hall of Famer Hack Wilson only played six seasons with the Cubs, but he hit 190 home runs in that short time, leading the NL in long balls in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1930. His 56 long balls during the 1930 season stood as the franchise record until Sammy Sosa came along, and his 191 RBI that year are still the single-season MLB record.

José Abreu
Paul Konerko
Magglio Ordóñez
Frank Thomas

Biggest Debate: Before developing into a contact-over-power guy later in his career with the Detroit Tigers, Magglio Ordóñez was a legit masher. He launched 131 home runs during the four-year span from 1999 through 2002, eclipsing the 30-homer mark every year. That earned him the fourth spot over Jermaine Dye, Dick Allen and Ron Kittle.

Fun Fact: Despite hitting 521 career home runs and earning a reputation as one of the most feared power hitters of his generation, Frank Thomas never once led the league in home runs during his 19 seasons.

Johnny Bench
Adam Dunn
George Foster
Frank Robinson

Biggest Debate: I really wanted to find a spot for Ted Kluszewski and his iconic cut off sleeves, but the four picks here were pretty straightforward. Tony Pérez had a couple big power seasons in 1969 (37 HR) and 1970 (40 HR), but his home run total is more about longevity than peak performance.

Fun Fact: When George Foster slugged 52 home runs in 1977 for the Big Red Machine, he was the first player since Willie Mays in 1965 to reach the 50-homer mark. No one did it again until Cecil Fielder with the Detroit Tigers in 1990.

Albert Belle
Manny Ramírez
Al Rosen
Jim Thome

Biggest Debate: Al Rosen (192 HR, 43 HR in 1953) and Travis Hafner (200 HR, 42 HR in 2006) had remarkably similar careers in Cleveland, with short peaks that put them among the most productive power hitters in the game. Rosen led the league in homers twice during the 1950s, giving him the slightest edge.

Fun Fact: Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez hit sixth and seventh on the legendary 1995 team that sported one of the best offenses in baseball history. Second baseman Carlos Baerga was the No. 3 hitter and veteran Eddie Murray was the No. 5 hitter, sandwiched around Albert Belle.

Nolan Arenado
Vinny Castilla
Todd Helton
Larry Walker

Biggest Debate: It feels wrong to leave Andrés Galarraga off the Rockies mountain, as he was the team's first true superstar while recording back-to-back 40-homer seasons in 1996 and 1997. Vinny Castilla ultimately had the longer run of power-hitting success in Colorado to snag the final spot.

Fun Fact: During his 40-homer season in 1995, Dante Bichette posted a 1.153 OPS with 29 home runs at Coors Field, compared to an .820 OPS with nine home runs on the road. Those drastic splits coupled with his poor defense made him just a 1.2-WAR player, though he still finished runner-up in NL MVP voting.

Miguel Cabrera
Norm Cash
Cecil Fielder
Hank Greenberg

Biggest Debate: Al Kaline has a strong case for being the greatest player in Detroit Tigers history, and he is the organization's all-time leader with 399 home runs, but he never had a 30-homer season during his 22 years in the big leagues. That left him on the outside looking in for a spot.

Fun Fact: Norm Cash hit 278 home runs during the 1960s, good for the seventh-highest total during the decade and just ahead of five straight Hall of Famers in Ernie Banks (269), Mickey Mantle (256), Orlando Cepeda (254), Ron Santo (253) and Billy Williams (249).

Yordan Alvarez
Jeff Bagwell
Lance Berkman
George Springer

Biggest Debate: Is it too soon to put Yordan Alvarez on the list? His one home run every 13.9 at-bats is the best rate in franchise history, and he is already one of only four players in Astros history with at least three 30-homer seasons. With an extension that runs through the 2028 season, he will continue to climb franchise leaderboards in the coming years.

Fun Fact: On top of being the Astros most prolific power hitters, Jeff Bagwell is also the only first baseman in MLB history to have a 30-homer, 30-steal season. He accomplished that feat in 1997 (43 HR, 31 SB) and 1999 (42 HR, 30 SB).

Steve Balboni
Mike Moustakas
Salvador Pérez
Danny Tartabull

Biggest Debate: Honestly, coming up with four deserving players was a far bigger challenge than narrowing down the list for the Royals. Hall of Famer George Brett is the franchise leader with 317 home runs, but he only reached the 30-homer mark once and was never a true home run hitter.

Fun Fact: In 56 seasons, the Royals have only had 15 occasions where a player hit 30 home runs in a season. Danny Tartabull is the only player in franchise history to reach that mark twice.

Troy Glaus
Shohei Ohtani
Tim Salmon
Mike Trout

Biggest Debate: With Mike Trout and Tim Salmon both easy picks for the Angels list, the final two spots came down to Troy Glaus (182 HR, 16.3 AB per HR), Shohei Ohtani (171 HR, 14.5 AB per HR) and Vladimir Guerrero (173 HR, 18.7 AB per HR), and the 2004 AL MVP ended up as the odd-man out.

Fun Fact: Troy Glaus led the AL with 47 home runs in 2000, and he had 257 home runs before his age-30 season before injuries derailed his career. At his peak, he was one of the game's most impactful young stars.

Roy Campanella
Gil Hodges
Mike Piazza
Duke Snider

Biggest Debate: The Dodgers have had a handful of prolific sluggers who enjoyed brief peaks or only spent a few years with the team, including Gary Sheffield, Shawn Green, Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Adrián Beltré and Raúl Mondesi. However, none of them had much of a case over the guys listed above.

Fun Fact: The single-season home runs record for the Dodgers belongs to Shawn Green, who slugged 49 homers in 2001 after coming over from the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal that sent Raúl Mondesi the other way.

Miguel Cabrera
Gary Sheffield
Giancarlo Stanton
Dan Uggla

Biggest Debate: Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton and Dan Uggla are the only Marlins players to record multiple 30-homer seasons, while Gary Sheffield was the team's first legitimate star and a 42-homer slugger in 1996. With all due respect to Mike Lowell, Hanley Ramirez, Jeff Conine and Derrek Lee there was not much debate here.

Fun Fact: Giancarlo Stanton had 113 more home runs than any other player in Marlins history, with his 267 long balls checking in ahead of the former double-play tandem of Dan Uggla (154 HR) and Hanley Ramírez (148 HR).

Ryan Braun
Jeromy Burnitz
Prince Fielder
Gorman Thomas

Biggest Debate: Sluggers Jeromy Burnitz, Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson were the star players for the Brewers during some lean years, and it came down to a debate between those three for the final spot. With four 30-homer performances in five full seasons in Milwaukee, Burnitz ended up getting the nod.

Fun Fact: The Brewers have had six different players lead the league in home runs. George Scott (1975), Gorman Thomas (1979, 1982), Ben Oglivie (1980), Prince Fielder (2007), Ryan Braun (2012) and Chris Carter (2016) make up that impressive club.

Bob Allison
Kent Hrbek
Harmon Killebrew
Justin Morneau

Biggest Debate: First baseman Kent Hrbek was never a top-tier power, reaching 30 homers just once in his career, but he was consistent. He slugged at least 20 home runs in 10 of the 12 seasons where he played at least 100 games. With a thin field of options, that was enough to earn him a spot.

Fun Fact: There have been 11 40-homer seasons in Twins history, and eight of them belong to Harmon Killebrew. That ties him with Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez for the second-most 40-homer seasons all-time, behind only Babe Ruth who reached that mark 11 times.

Pete Alonso
Howard Johnson
Mike Piazza
Darryl Strawberry

Biggest Debate: Fan favorite David Wright ranks second in Mets history with 242 home runs, but with only two 30-homer seasons his peak power production did not quite stack up to the four players who made the cut. Howard Johnson claimed the final spot with three 30-homer seasons, including an NL-leading 38 long balls in 1991.

Fun Fact: With free agency looming this offseason, Pete Alonso will need to sign an extension with the Mets if he wants to become the franchise leader in home runs. He has 202 long balls in his career, which is still 50 short of Darryl Strawberry's mark.

Lou Gehrig
Aaron Judge
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth

Biggest Debate: With Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle all no-brainers for the Yankees list, that left one remaining spot for a long list of franchise icons. Aaron Judge sits just ninth in team history with 268 home runs, but his 11.8 at-bats per home run is second only to Babe Ruth (11.0). That coupled with his 62-homer campaign earned him the final spot.

Fun Fact: The Yankees have had 21 different players reach the 30-homer mark multiple times during their run in pinstripes. Derek Jeter is not part of that list, but he does rank 10th on the franchise all-time list with 260 home runs.

Jose Canseco
Jimmie Foxx
Reggie Jackson
Mark McGwire

Biggest Debate: Reggie Jackson is best known for his time with the Yankees, but he already had 269 home runs as a member of the A's and another 27 with the Orioles before he became one of the first high-profile free agents in the sport. He was the AL leader in home runs in 1973 (32) and 1975 (36), and that was enough to narrowly edge out Jason Giambi and Al Simmons for the final spot.

Fun Fact: Legendary slugger Jimmie Foxx was 17 years old when he made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925. He won AL Triple Crown honors in 1933 when he hit .356 with 48 home runs and 163 RBI.

Bryce Harper
Ryan Howard
Chuck Klein
Mike Schmidt

Biggest Debate: Believe it or not, Pat Burrell had a compelling case for the fourth spot on this list over Bryce Harper. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Burrell had four 30-homer seasons and his 251 home runs rank fourth in franchise history, but his peak performance did not quite stack up to Harper's MVP campaign.

Fun Fact: Ryan Howard only tallied 349 plate appearances when he won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2005. Only Willie McCovey logged fewer while taking home that piece of hardware, needing just 219 plate appearances to win it in 1959.

Barry Bonds
Brian Giles
Ralph Kiner
Willie Stargell

Biggest Debate: Does Barry Bonds really belong on the Pirates list? He had 176 home runs and a pair of 30/30 seasons during his time in Pittsburgh, and that was enough for him to edge out Jason Bay, Pedro Alvarez and Dave Parker for the fourth spot.

Fun Fact: Brian Giles hit .309/.426/.604 for a 160 OPS+ while averaging 36 doubles, 37 home runs and 109 RBI in his four full seasons with the Pirates. That four-year stretch is one of the most underrated peak performances of the last 25 years.

Nate Colbert
Adrián González
Manny Machado
Phil Nevin

Biggest Debate: It was tempting to include Greg Vaughn on the strength of his 50-homer season in 1998 when he finished third behind Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the NL race. However, he spent just three seasons in San Diego and hit only 78 home runs total for the Padres.

Fun Fact: With 163 home runs, Nate Colbert has the lowest career total of any franchise leader from the 30 MLB teams. It won't be long before Manny Machado passes him, as he sits just 20 back on the leaderboard.

Barry Bonds
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey
Mel Ott

Biggest Debate: Considering there are 142 years worth of Giants history to pull from, it's surprising how straightforward the four picks were for their Mt. Rushmore. With all due respect to the likes of Jeff Kent, Orlando Cepeda, Matt Williams, Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell, the only right answer is the four guys listed above.

Fun Fact: Mel Ott was just a few months removed from his 17th birthday when he made his MLB debut in 1926. In his age-20 season in 1929, he hit .328/.449/.635 with 42 home runs and 151 RBI, and all 511 of his career home runs came in a Giants uniform.

Jay Buhner
Nelson Cruz
Ken Griffey Jr.
Alex Rodriguez

Biggest Debate: One of the best pure hitters in MLB history, Edgar Martínez slugged 309 home runs in his 18 seasons with the Mariners. However, he only topped the 30-homer mark once and with 514 doubles his game was built more on gap power and on-base ability than slugging, leaving him just short of making the cut.

Fun Fact: The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz to a four-year, $57 million deal prior to the 2015 season, and over the life of that contract he launched 44, 43, 39 and 37 home runs as one of baseball's most consistent power hitters.

Jim Edmonds
Mark McGwire
Stan Musial
Albert Pujols

Biggest Debate: With a few more prime seasons, Paul Goldschmidt (135 HR, 20.0 AB per HR) might have a case for the fourth spot over Jim Edmonds (241 HR, 15.1 AB per HR). However, he is in the final season of his contract and coming off a down year in 2023, so chances are he will fall short.

Fun Fact: Mark McGwire hit one home run every 7.9 at-bats during his five seasons with the Cardinals. Go ahead and read that again. Absurd.

Evan Longoria
Brandon Lowe
Fred McGriff
Carlos Peña

Biggest Debate: We are bending the 100-homer rule ever so slightly for the Rays, otherwise the only eligible candidates to join Evan Longoria, Carlos Peña and Brandon Lowe would have been Aubrey Huff, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist and Carl Crawford. First baseman Fred McGriff finished one short with 99 homers for the Rays, but he is a far more fitting choice than anyone from that list of alternatives.

Fun Fact: Carlos Peña had just 86 career home runs when he joined the Rays for his age-29 season in 2007. He then promptly exploded for a 46-homer, 121-RBI season, making the one-year, $800,000 minor league deal he signed arguably the best bargain in Rays history.

Juan González
Josh Hamilton
Frank Howard
Rafael Palmeiro

Biggest Debate: Does Alex Rodriguez belong on this list? He led the AL in home runs in each of his three seasons with the Rangers, slugging 52, 57 and 47 long balls to kick off a record-shattering $252 million contract. However, his lack of time spent with the team ended up pushing him out of the conversation.

Fun Fact: Frank Howard was my grandfather's favorite player, and growing up he often talked about the hulking 6'7", 255-pound slugger when we would watch baseball together. So a quick shoutout to Wayne Darst, thanks for sharing those stories with little Joel.

José Bautista
Joe Carter
Carlos Delgado
Edwin Encarnación

Biggest Debate: It's a shame there was no way to get one of the 1980s sluggers—George Bell, Jesse Barfield and Fred McGriff at the tail end of the decade—onto the Blue Jays list, but it's tough to make a compelling case for any of them over the guys listed above.

Fun Fact: José Bautista and Edwin Encarnación were both 29 years old when they topped 30 home runs for the first time in their careers, yet they still managed to rank second (Bautista, 288) and third (Encarnación, 239) in team history in that category.

Andre Dawson
Vladimir Guerrero
Bryce Harper
Ryan Zimmerman

Biggest Debate: The toughest decision here was whether to include Montreal Expos players, so I settled on an even split of two Expos and two Nationals to honor the full history of the franchise. Andre Dawson had two of his three 30-homer seasons as a member of the Cubs, but he was still the second-best option for the Expos after Vladimir Guerrero.

Fun Fact: It's not really a fun fact, but remember when Alfonso Soriano had a 40/40 season in his only year with the Nationals before joining the Cubs in free agency? Might be a top-10 contract year performance in baseball history.