Single Season Leaders for Home Run Percentage

Have you ever wondered how often Mark McGwire hit a long ball in 1998? How about his numbers compared to Roger Maris in 1961? Babe Ruth in 1927? Here is a chart that breaks down over the course of a single season a hitters percentage of at-bats [(home runs divided by at-bats) times 100] which result in a home run.

Note: Three point one plate (3.1) appearances per scheduled game are needed to make this list, raw averages are presented to further clarify the one-hundred greatest single season home run percentage leaders, and a bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.
"As a ballplayer, I would be delighted to do it again. As an individual, I doubt if I could possibly go through it again." - Roger Maris (#16 Overall Single Season Leader for Home Run Percentage)
Home Run Percentage
Single Season Leaders

'Top 100'
Barry Bonds 15.34 (15.3361) 2001 San Francisco Giants NL 1
Mark McGwire 13.75 (13.7525) 1998 St. Louis Cardinals NL 2
Mark McGwire 12.48 (12.4760) 1999 St. Louis Cardinals NL 3
Mark McGwire 12.29 (12.2931) 1996 Oakland Athletics AL 4
Barry Bonds 12.06 (12.0643) 2004 San Francisco Giants NL 5
Babe Ruth 11.79 (11.7904) 1920 New York Yankees AL 6
Barry Bonds 11.54 (11.5385) 2003 San Francisco Giants NL 7
Barry Bonds 11.41 (11.4144) 2002 San Francisco Giants NL 8
Babe Ruth 11.11 (11.1111) 1927 New York Yankees AL 9
Sammy Sosa 11.09 (11.0919) 2001 Chicago Cubs NL 10
Babe Ruth 10.93 (10.9259) 1921 New York Yankees AL 11
Jim Thome 10.83 (10.8333) 2002 Cleveland Indians AL 12
Mark McGwire 10.74 (10.7407) 1997 Oakland Athletics AL 13
St. Louis Cardinals NL
Mickey Mantle 10.51 (10.5058) 1961 New York Yankees AL 14
Hank Greenberg 10.43 (10.4317) 1938 Detroit Tigers AL 15
Roger Maris 10.34 (10.3390) 1961 New York Yankees AL 16
Sammy Sosa 10.26 (10.2644) 1998 Chicago Cubs NL 17
Barry Bonds 10.21 (10.2083) 2000 San Francisco Giants NL 18
Sammy Sosa 10.08 (10.0800) 1999 Chicago Cubs NL 19
Babe Ruth 10.07 (10.0746) 1928 New York Yankees AL 20
Ryan Howard 9.98 (9.9828) 2006 Philadelphia Phillies NL 21
Jimmie Foxx 9.91 (9.9145) 1932 Philadelphia Athletics AL 22
Ralph Kiner 9.84 (9.8361) 1949 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 23
Mickey Mantle 9.76 (9.7561) 1956 New York Yankees AL 24
Jeff Bagwell 9.75 (9.7500) 1994 Houston Astros NL 25
Kevin Mitchell 9.68 (9.6774) 1994 Cincinnati Reds NL 26
David Ortiz 9.68 (9.6774) 2006 Boston Red Sox AL  
Matt Williams 9.66 (9.6629) 1994 San Francisco Giants NL 28
Hack Wilson 9.57 (9.5727) 1930 Chicago Cubs NL 29
Frank Thomas 9.52 (9.5238) 1994 Chicago White Sox AL 30
Hank Aaron 9.49 (9.4949) 1971 Atlanta Braves NL 31
Babe Ruth 9.49 (9.4949) 1926 New York Yankees AL  
Jim Gentile 9.47 (9.4650) 1961 Baltimore Orioles AL 33
Barry Bonds 9.46 (9.4629) 1994 San Francisco Giants NL 34
Babe Ruth 9.46 (9.4595) 1930 New York Yankees AL 35
Willie Stargell 9.39 (9.3933) 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 36
Carlos Pena 9.39 (9.3878) 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays AL 37
Luis Gonzalez 9.36 (9.3596) 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks NL 38
Willie Mays 9.32 (9.3190) 1965 San Francisco Giants NL 39
Jim Thome 9.32 (9.3156) 2001 Cleveland Indians AL 40
Alex Rodriguez 9.26 (9.2624) 2007 New York Yankees AL 41
Travis Hafner 9.25 (9.2511) 2006 Cleveland Indians AL 42
Ken Griffey, Jr. 9.24 (9.2379) 1994 Seattle Mariners AL 43
Babe Ruth 9.22 (9.2184) 1929 New York Yankees AL 44
Ken Griffey, Jr. 9.21 (9.2105) 1997 Seattle Mariners AL 45
Boog Powell 9.20 (9.1981) 1964 Baltimore Orioles AL 46
Willie McCovey 9.16 (9.1650) 1969 San Francisco Giants NL 47
Albert Pujols 9.16 (9.1589) 2006 St. Louis Cardinals NL 48
Albert Belle 9.16 (9.1575) 1995 Cleveland Indians AL 49
Alex Rodriguez 9.13 (9.1346) 2002 Texas Rangers AL 50
Ted Williams 9.05 (9.0476) 1957 Boston Red Sox AL 51
Ralph Kiner 9.03 (9.0265) 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 52
Dave Kingman 9.02 (9.0226) 1979 Chicago Cubs NL 53
Mark McGwire 8.99 (8.9936) 1992 Oakland Athletics AL 54
Ken Griffey, Jr. 8.99 (8.9908) 1996 Seattle Mariners AL 55
Babe Ruth 8.97 (8.9716) 1932 New York Yankees AL 56
Cecil Fielder 8.90 (8.9005) 1990 Detroit Tigers AL 57
Ryan Howard 8.88 (8.8847) 2007 Philadelphia Phillies NL 58
Jimmie Foxx 8.85 (8.8496) 1938 Boston Red Sox AL 59
Ken Griffey, Jr. 8.85 (8.8468) 1998 Seattle Mariners AL 60
Harmon Killebrew 8.83 (8.8288) 1969 Minnesota Twins AL 61
Sammy Sosa 8.81 (8.8130) 2002 Chicago Cubs NL 62
Mark McGwire 8.80 (8.7971) 1987 Oakland Athletics AL 63
Willie Mays 8.79 (8.7931) 1955 New York Giants NL 64
Mike Schmidt 8.76 (8.7591) 1980 Philadelphia Phillies NL 65
Mike Schmidt 8.76 (8.7571) 1981 Philadelphia Phillies NL 66
Albert Belle 8.74 (8.7379) 1994 Cleveland Indians AL 67
Harmon Killebrew 8.74 (8.7379) 1963 Minnesota Twins AL  
Prince Fielder 8.73 (8.7260) 2007 Milwaukee Brewers NL 69
Greg Vaughn 8.73 (8.7260) 1998 San Diego Padres NL  
Jim Edmonds 8.72 (8.7248) 2003 St. Louis Cardinals NL 71
Andruw Jones 8.70 (8.7031) 2005 Atlanta Braves NL 72
Johnny Mize 8.70 (8.7031) 1947 New York Giants NL  
Harmon Killebrew 8.70 (8.6957) 1962 Minnesota Twins AL 74
Babe Ruth 8.70 (8.6957) 1924 New York Yankees AL  
Juan Gonzalez 8.69 (8.6876) 1996 Texas Rangers AL 76
Manny Ramirez 8.66 (8.6560) 2000 Cleveland Indians AL 77
Kevin Mitchell 8.66 (8.6556) 1989 San Francisco Giants NL 78
Brady Anderson 8.64 (8.6356) 1996 Baltimore Orioles AL 79
Larry Walker 8.63 (8.6268) 1997 Colorado Rockies NL 80
Babe Ruth 8.62 (8.6207) 1922 New York Yankees AL 81
Babe Ruth 8.61 (8.6142) 1931 New York Yankees AL 82
Ralph Kiner 8.59 (8.5923) 1950 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 83
Gary Sheffield 8.58 (8.5828) 2000 Los Angeles Dodgers NL 84
Juan Gonzalez 8.58 (8.5821) 1993 Texas Rangers AL 85
Jim Thome 8.57 (8.5714) 2006 Chicago White Sox AL 86
Reggie Jackson 8.56 (8.5610) 1969 Oakland Athletics AL 87
Ted Kluszewski 8.55 (8.5515) 1954 Cincinnati Redlegs NL 88
Barry Bonds 8.53 (8.5343) 1993 San Francisco Giants NL 89
Jay Buhner 8.51 (8.5106) 1995 Seattle Mariners AL 90
Frank Robinson 8.51 (8.5069) 1966 Baltimore Orioles AL 91
Harmon Killebrew 8.50 (8.5028) 1961 Minnesota Twins AL 92
Harmon Killebrew 8.49 (8.4922) 1964 Minnesota Twins AL 93
Lou Gehrig 8.46 (8.4629) 1934 New York Yankees AL 94
Lou Gehrig 8.46 (8.4629) 1936 New York Yankees AL  
George Foster 8.46 (8.4553) 1977 Cincinnati Reds NL 96
Larry Walker 8.45 (8.4475) 1999 Colorado Rockies NL 97
Jim Edmonds 8.43 (8.4337) 2004 St. Louis Cardinals NL 98
Jason Giambi 8.43 (8.4314) 2000 Oakland Athletics AL 99
Manny Ramirez 8.43 (8.4291) 1999 Cleveland Indians AL 100
Current Through 2009 Season


The top ten (10) spots are shared by only four (4) players: Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and joining the group in 2002 was Jim Thome; however, yet another spectacular season by Bonds in 2003 knocked Thome out of the top down to eleventh overall in single season history.

Some call the strike season of 1994 the year of the home run — who knows what might have happened that particular season and we invite you to share your opinion of that infamous season on Baseball Fever.

Are these truly the one-hundred greatest slugging seasons in Major League history? Compare this chart with the top one-hundred slugging average seasons and put together a list of your own with statistics to back up your opinion with hard stats.
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