Joined: 06/12/2022
MLB home run record 15 current sluggers
is having a season for the ages. We already knew that, . He's now the sixth player in history to hit 60 home runs in a single regular season.One of the many topics on our minds is who else might be able to make a run at this hallowed figure here in the relatively near future? made it close in 2017, falling one shy at 59. We saw Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006. Luis Gonzalez hit 57 in 2001 and Ken Griffey Jr. hit 56 twice (1997 and 1998). We could even mention Jose Bautista's 54 in 2010 or 53 in 2019. This is to say that even if we wanted to pretend players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and A-Rod didn't exist, there's a relatively decent frequency in the wild-card era Le'Veon Bell Jersey of players topping 50 homers and inching toward 60.Getting to 60 is extremely rare, but getting close enough to make us think about it? Not so much. With that in mind, let's take a look at what player might be the next to make a run at 60 -- not nece sarily get to 60, but get close enough or hit at a pace that makes us think it's po sible. More simply: What player will be the next one to make us think about 60?Here are some selected candidates (listed in alphabetical order) with my gue s as to their chances of one day challenging 60.These are listed alphabetically by last name and not ranked. If I ranked them, however, Pete would find himself toward the top of that list, too. He's already hit 53, as noted. He hit 16 in 57 games in 2020 (a 162-game pace of 45 home runs). He has a shot at 40 this season, as he hit his 37th Tuesday night. He's big and strong. He's still got several years of prime left. What's not to like? Chances of challenging 60: Decent to good. He's one of the best bets here.He has a career high in home runs this year, though he's still short of 40. But that sentence comes with some pretty big caveats. Alvarez is still only 25 years old. He homered 27 times as a rookie, but that was in just 87 games. This season, he's only played in 122 games and still has 37 homers. His contact skills have improved and he hits the ball as hard as anyone. To wit, Judge leads the majors in average exit velocity this season (shocker, I know) and Alvarez is a close second.He has every characteristic you'd want.Chances of challenging 60: As good as anyone.Judge him Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey by his spindly frame at your peril, because he packs some serious power in his punch. Buxton has 47 home runs in 153 games in 2021-22. If we loop in his 2020 season, his 162-game home run pace in the last three seasons is 51.Of course, Buxton doesn't stay on the field. Even in the 60-game season in 2020, he played in just 39 games. It was 61 in 2021 and it's at 93 this season. He's 28 years old and has the ability. We just can only say "if he could just stay healthy" so many times before it has lost all meaning.Chances of challenging 60:Low, to the point I almost didn't include him due to injury history.Have you seen his highlights? The Pirates rookie hit the hardest ball ever. It's true, statistically, in Bud Dupree Jersey the Statcast era, at least. He has a handful of the hardest hit balls this season, including the single hardest hit at 122.4 miles per hour. He has 17 home runs in 74 games and that's as a rookie at age 23. There's bound to be growth in his age and with this kind of raw talent, the proverbial sky is the limit. He is also hitting just .220 with 118 strikeouts against 21 walks in 304 plate appearances. Sure, those aren't home run numbers directly, but weak bat-on-ball skills and poor plate discipline make the margin of error for sluggers razor thin.As I said, there's bound to be some growth, but if he doesn't clean up the weakne ses in a major way, the ceiling is probably somewhere in the mid-40s.Chances of challenging 60: Moderate? Lower than that, probably, but it's so tough to tell right now. He has the upside, but the holes hold back his chances. He hits the ball awfully hard. He sits in the top five of average exit velocity this season and that isn't an outlier. He's always been one of the best there. He's still only 25 years old, too. Devers hit 38 home runs last season, though a terrible second half this year has him falling backward.The incredibly short porch to right field in Fenway helps the lefty here and the Green Monster in left field help -- but could also make hard line drives into doubles instead of home runs.I would have liked him more after 2019 (32 homers, 54 doubles at age 22, thinking a lot of William Gay Jersey those doubles would turn into home runs as he aged), but he's still plenty young for at least one great run. Chances of challenging 60: Low-ish. An outside shot.The former first-rounder had 15 bombs in 34 Triple-A games before getting the call to the majors this season. He's hit 14 in his 89 games with the big-league . In and of itself, that isn't head-turning when we're talking about a run up into the mid-50s or more, but Gorman is only 22 years old and just learning to hit MLB pitching.As with Cruz, the low average, low walks and high strikeouts are certainly a concern, but there's plenty of upside.Chances of challenging 60: We'll say low chances for now, but he could prove it wrong quickly. Easy pick here, right? Vlad hit 48 in 2021 as a 22-year-old. He's taken a decent step back this season, but we've already seen the skill set needed to make a run up into the mid-50s and beyond.It's still incredibly hard to push up past 50 and keep going in a single season. Plus, there's always the chance last season was the outlier on Guerrero's career, but what's the fun in thinking like that?Chances of challenging 60: Decent.So he's already done this once. If we wanted to count the season he hit 52, he's at least approached 60 twice. The question now is, could he make another run? Of course he . He's already shown he can.The Darrius Heyward-Bey Jersey smartest bet is on Judge never having a season like this again. He's had so much go right for him this season and, to be clear, he's created the majority of those breaks for himself. There are adjustments and improvements evident all over the place. It truly is a season for the ages.Something to keep in mind: Judge is 30. There probably isn't a ton of prime left. He has had i sues with injuries in the past, too.It is interesting to consider if Judge signs elsewhere. Contrary to the popular narrative, Yankee Stadium isn't overly home run friendly, especially for right-handed hitters. Overall, it rates out around the middle of the pack and that short right-field porch mostly benefits lefties. A home ballpark change might actually benefit him. Chances of challenging 60, again: Pretty decent, but I feel like we're seeing his career year. I'll say he doesn't hit 50 again. If he somehow ends up signing with the , I will change this position.It's an asterisk! On Ohtani?Yes and it is regarding his chances on a