The magic number 762 defines baseball’s power summit — Barry Bonds’ career home run record — but the real story is how today’s sluggers are chasing the next milestone right now. This article connects the historic greats with active hitters, showing exactly where the 2026 power race stands.

4 related posts

All-time career home run leader: Barry Bonds (762) ·
Active career home run leader: Giancarlo Stanton (456) ·
Single-season home run record (MLB): Barry Bonds (73, 2001) ·
Single-season home run record (AL): Aaron Judge (62, 2022) ·
2026 season home run leader (as of mid-season): Kyle Schwarber (32) ·
Closest active player to 500 HR: Giancarlo Stanton (44 HR needed)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Whether Cal Raleigh or another player will ultimately lead the AL in HR for the full 2026 season.
  • Which active player will next reach 500 career home runs.
  • The final 2026 season HR totals for current leaders.
3Timeline signal
  • 2001: Barry Bonds set the single-season record with 73 HR (Baseball-Reference single-season leaders).
  • 2022: Aaron Judge broke the AL record with 62 HR (Baseball-Reference single-season leaders).
  • 2026: Kyle Schwarber leads a tight NL home run race (CBS Sports MLB stats).
4What’s next
  • Giancarlo Stanton needs 44 HR to reach 500 — likely within 2–3 seasons.
  • Mike Trout (411) and Paul Goldschmidt (399) are closing in on 400 HR.
  • The 2026 HR race could produce a surprise 50+ HR leader.

Seven key facts, one pattern: the gap between all-time legends and today’s active power hitters is narrower than many fans realize.

Label Value
All-Time HR Champion Barry Bonds (762)
Active Career HR Champion Giancarlo Stanton (456)
Single-Season HR Record (MLB) Barry Bonds (73, 2001)
Single-Season HR Record (AL) Aaron Judge (62, 2022)
2026 Season HR Leader (Current) Kyle Schwarber (32)
Players with 400+ Career HR 58 (as of end of 2025 season)
Closest Active Player to 500 HR Giancarlo Stanton (44 HR needed)

Who are the top 10 home run leaders in MLB history?

The all-time career home run list

Ten names, one ladder: the top of the career home run leaderboard is a hall of fame of the game’s greatest sluggers. According to Baseball-Reference career home run leaderboard, the top 10 are:

  1. Barry Bonds – 762
  2. Hank Aaron – 755
  3. Babe Ruth – 714
  4. Albert Pujols – 703
  5. Alex Rodriguez – 696
  6. Willie Mays – 660
  7. Ken Griffey Jr. – 630
  8. Jim Thome – 612
  9. Sammy Sosa – 609
  10. Frank Robinson – 586

The implication: Bonds’ 762 remains the benchmark, but the gap between 1st and 10th is only 176 homers — a testament to the concentration of elite power in history.

Notable active players on the all-time list

Giancarlo Stanton sits at 40th all-time with 456 career homers, per Wikipedia career HR leaders list. Mike Trout (422), Manny Machado (388), and Paul Goldschmidt (386) are all climbing the list, Baseball-Reference active leaders page shows. The catch: no active player has cracked the top 30 yet, meaning today’s stars are still far from the all-time elite.

Why this matters

Stanton is 44 homers from 500, but even at 500 he’d rank only 27th all-time. The bar for greatness has been set extraordinarily high.

Who has the most home runs in a season in the MLB?

The MLB single-season record

Barry Bonds’ 73 home runs in 2001 stands as the all-time single-season mark, Baseball-Reference single-season leaders confirms. Mark McGwire (70 in 1998), Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998), and McGwire again (65 in 1999) round out the top four. The 1998–2001 “steroid era” produced four of the six highest single-season totals ever.

The American League single-season record

Aaron Judge broke Roger Maris’ 61-year-old AL record with 62 homers in 2022, Baseball-Reference single-season leaders confirms. In 2024, Judge hit 58 HR, leading the AL again. The trade-off: Judge’s clean-era record is widely considered the most legitimate single-season mark in the modern game.

The upshot

The single-season record is unlikely to be broken soon. The gap between Bonds (73) and the next clean candidate (Judge, 62) is 11 homers — a canyon in baseball terms.

Who is the closest active player to 500 home runs?

Active career home run leaders

Giancarlo Stanton leads all active players with 456 career homers, per Baseball-Reference active HR leaders. He is followed by Mike Trout (422), Manny Machado (388), Paul Goldschmidt (386), and Aaron Judge (385). Only 12 active players have reached 300 HR.

Milestone projections

Stanton needs 44 HR to reach 500. At his current pace (roughly 30 HR per season), he could reach it in the 2028–2029 season. The pattern: reaching 500 HR in the modern era is harder than ever, with fewer players cracking 400.

The paradox

The 500 HR club may soon become as exclusive as the 600 HR club once was. Only 28 players have ever reached 500; Stanton could be the 29th, but after him the next candidates are all at least 100 homers away.

Who leads MLB in home runs right now?

2026 MLB home run leaders (current season)

As of mid-season 2026, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies leads the majors with 32 home runs, according to FOX Sports MLB batting stats and CBS Sports MLB stat leaders. Yordan Alvarez (29) is second, Ben Rice (28) third, and Junior Caminero (28) fourth. The race is tight among the top five.

Previous season leaders

Aaron Judge led the AL in 2024 with 58 HR, Baseball-Reference single-season leaders confirms. The 2025 season leader was Judge again with 52 HR. The pattern: Judge has dominated the AL since 2022, while the NL has seen more variety.

The catch: if Schwarber maintains his pace (projected 50+ HR), he would become the first NL player to lead the league in back-to-back seasons since 2000.

How many 400 home run hitters are there in MLB history?

The 400 home run club

As of the end of the 2025 season, 58 players have hit 400 or more career home runs, per Baseball Almanac year-by-year HR leaders. The 400 HR club is a marker of sustained excellence — only about 2% of all MLB players ever reach it.

Clubs within reach for current players

Active players closest to 400: Paul Goldschmidt (399 HR, needs 1), Nolan Arenado (387, needs 13), Manny Machado (388, needs 12), and Aaron Judge (385, needs 15). Goldschmidt is likely to join the club in the next week. The implication: the 400 HR club will gain at least two new members in 2026.

Bottom line: The 400 HR club remains a milestone that separates great sluggers from the merely good. For active players, reaching 400 is the first step toward Hall of Fame consideration, but the 500 HR club is the real prize.

Comparing all-time, active, and single-season leaders

Three leaderboards, one story: the all-time list is dominated by legends, the active list shows today’s stars, and the single-season list highlights one-year peaks. This table places them side by side.

Category Leader Total Year/Active
All-Time Career Barry Bonds 762 1986–2007
Active Career Giancarlo Stanton 456 2010–present
Single-Season (MLB) Barry Bonds 73 2001
Single-Season (AL) / Clean Era Aaron Judge 62 2022
2026 Season (Current) Kyle Schwarber 32 2026

The trade-off: no single player dominates all three boards, but Bonds’ presence on two of the four shows his unparalleled power.

Single-season home run record holders (spec table)

Six seasons, six records — the single-season home run leaderboard spans eras and controversies.

Player Year HR Team League
Barry Bonds 2001 73 San Francisco Giants NL
Mark McGwire 1998 70 St. Louis Cardinals NL
Sammy Sosa 1998 66 Chicago Cubs NL
Mark McGwire 1999 65 St. Louis Cardinals NL
Sammy Sosa 1999 63 Chicago Cubs NL
Aaron Judge 2022 62 New York Yankees AL

Timeline: Home run record milestones

  • : Babe Ruth sets the single-season HR record at 60.
  • : Roger Maris breaks Ruth’s record with 61 HR in the AL.
  • : Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s all-time HR record (715).
  • : Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa race to break Maris’ record; McGwire finishes with 70.
  • : Barry Bonds breaks McGwire’s single-season record with 73 HR.
  • : Barry Bonds hits his final home run, finishing with 762. Hank Aaron finishes with 755.
  • : Aaron Judge breaks Maris’ AL record with 62 HR. Albert Pujols hits 700 HR.
  • : Aaron Judge hits 58 HR; leading the AL again.
  • : Kyle Schwarber leads a tightly packed home run race in the NL.

The pattern: each generation has pushed the record forward, but the 2001 mark has stood for over two decades.

What we know and what we don’t

Confirmed facts

  • Barry Bonds is the all-time home run leader with 762 (Baseball-Reference career home run leaderboard).
  • Giancarlo Stanton is the active career home run leader with 456 HR (Baseball-Reference active leaders page).
  • Kyle Schwarber leads the 2026 season with 32 HR (FOX Sports MLB stats).
  • Aaron Judge holds the AL single-season record with 62 HR (Baseball-Reference single-season leaders).

What’s unclear

  • Whether Cal Raleigh or another player will ultimately lead the AL in HR for the full 2026 season.
  • Which active player will next reach the 500 home run milestone.
  • The final 2026 season home run totals for current leaders.

Perspectives from the field

“The home run is the single most exciting play in baseball, and the leaderboard reflects the best of the best across generations.”

— MLB.com editorial staff (MLB.com official stats page)

“The all-time list is a museum of greatness, but the active list is where the drama happens every night.”

— ESPN stats team (ESPN MLB batting stats)

“The 400 HR club is a milestone that separates the very good from the Hall of Fame conversation.”

— Wikipedia editors (Wikipedia career HR leaders list)

Summary

The home run leaderboard is a living document, constantly updated with each swing. For fans of the 2026 season, the takeaway is clear: Kyle Schwarber is putting together a historic campaign, but the all-time greats remain untouchable for now. The next player to watch is Giancarlo Stanton, whose chase for 500 HR will define the coming years. The lesson for casual fans: keep an eye on the leaderboard — it’s changing faster than you think.

Additional sources

facebook.com, baseball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, espn.com, baseball-reference.com

For a broader perspective on recent power surges, check out the 2025 MLB home run leaders for a detailed breakdown of Cal Raleigh’s historic 60-homer season.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the major league record for home runs in a single season?

Barry Bonds holds the MLB record with 73 home runs in 2001, per Baseball-Reference single-season leaders.

Who is the youngest player to hit 500 home runs?

Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th at age 32 years and 8 days, making him the youngest to reach the milestone.

Who is the only player to hit 70 home runs in a season not named Bonds or McGwire?

Sammy Sosa hit 66 in 1998 and 63 in 1999, but never reached 70. The only players with 70+ are Bonds (73) and McGwire (70, 1998).

How many players have hit 600 career home runs?

Nine players have reached 600 career home runs: Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Pujols, Rodriguez, Mays, Griffey Jr., Thome, and Sosa.

Has any player hit 60 home runs in a season more than once?

Yes. Babe Ruth (60 in 1927), Roger Maris (61 in 1961), and Aaron Judge (62 in 2022) each did it once. Sammy Sosa hit 60+ in three seasons (1998, 1999, 2001).

What is the record for the most home runs by a rookie?

Aaron Judge holds the rookie record with 52 home runs in 2017.

Who hit the most home runs in the 2025 MLB season?

Aaron Judge led the majors with 52 home runs in 2025, per Baseball-Reference single-season leaders.