Best Home Run Hitters in Baseball in 2010

These are the 14 players in the Major Leagues who hit a HR at a 6% or better rate per official at-bat in 2010. These are not necessarily the players in baseball who hit the most home runs in 2010 but the the players who had a HR average (derived by dividing HR's by at-bats) of 6% or better. The best home run hitters in baseball in 2010.

Overall in baseball in 2010 in the major leagues players hit 4,613 home runs in 165,333 at-bats for a HR average of 2.8%. That means on average a home run was hit once every 2.8% of the time a player batted.

So the 14 players listed here hit a home run at least double the rate of the average major league player and the best home run hitter in 2010 hit a HR at more than triple the average. But his home run numbers are very fishy and it's likely he cheated to achieve that.

1) Jose Batista (Toronto Blue Jays) - 9.5%

Jose Batista hit 54 HR's in 569 at bats for a HR average of 9.5%. That is double the rate Batista had ever accomplished before for home runs in his entire 10 year professional baseball career.

2) Jim Thome (Minnesota Twins) - 9.1%

Thome really produced for the Twins hitting 25 HR's in just 276 at-bats as he filled in for the injured Justin Morneau.

3) Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals) - 7.2%

Pujols lead the National League in home runs with 42 and he hit them in 587 at-bats for a HR average of 7.2% which is just slightly ahead of his career HR average of 7.1%.

4) Paul Konerko (Chicago White Sox) - 7.1%

Konerko is a great HR hitter and hit 39 round trippers in 2010 for the White Sox.

5) Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) - 6.9%

Miguel Cabrera hit 38 HR's in 548 AB's as he racked up yet another solid major league baseball season with the Tigers.

6) Adam Dunn - 6.81%

For the second year in a row Adam Dunn hit 38 home runs playing in a lousy hitters park in Washington for the Nationals. If he moves to a good hitters park he might hit 50 next year.

7) Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds) - 6.8%

Votto had a great year for the Reds playing in a band-box in Cincinnati.

8) Russell Branyan (Cleveland Indians/Seattle Mariners) - 6.7%

Branyan hit 25 HR's in 376 AB's playing for two teams in 2010.

9) Mark Reynolds (Arizona Diamondbacks) - 6.4%

Reynolds is a great home run hitter and had 39 HR's in 499 AB's for the Diamondbacks in 2010.

10) Edwin Encarnacion (Toronto Blue Jays) - 6.3%

Encarnacion only hit 21 HR's in 2010 but that was in just 332 at-bats so hi HR average was 6.3%.

11) Josh Hamilton - (Texas Rangers) - 6.2%

Hamilton can just flat-out hit. Does not hurt he plays in the best hitters park in baseball.

11) David Ortiz - 6.2%

Big Papi tried to make some noise in his walk year hitting 32 HR's in 518 at-bats.

13) Mike Stanton (Florida Marlins) - 6.1%

Impressive rookie Mike Stanton hit 22 HR's in just 359 AB's for the Marlins. This kid can hit and is going to be a good one.

14) Luke Scott (Baltimore Orioles) - 6.0%

Scott hit 27 HR's in 447 AB's for the Orioles.

For more see Jose Bautista's 54 Home Run Season is Fishy and Probably Not Real

Felix Hernandez Does Not Deserve the Cy Young Award

Babe Ruth and the World Series

Source:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/