Precisely six years ago today, I wrote this entry about Alex Rodriquez.
Barry Bonds hasn't even caught Hank Aaron yet but baseball fans are already wondering if Alex Rodriquez will be the next home run king. A-Rod just hit his 500th earlier today and he just turned 32. That means he needs 255 to reach Aaron's mark and who knows how many to reach Bonds, assuming Bonds eventually sets a new mark.
Thanks to the bestest baseball stat blog on the planet I can tell you that only seven guys have ever hit 255 or more homers from age 32 onward. Even though A-Rod has come this far in record time, he still needs to accomplish a feat only accomplished 7 times in order to become the new career leader in dingers. Here are the 7 who have hit 255 or more homers after the age of 32.
- Barry Bonds - 420
- Babe Ruth - 358
- Hank Aaron - 357
- Rafael Palmeiro - 336
- Mark McGwire - 306
- Willie Mays - 292
- Andres Galarraga - 283
A-Rod is still pretty young, and in his prime. If he stays healthy, Bonds' reign will be very, very short.
My how the mighty have fallen. Tomorrow, A-Rod is expected to be one of 13 major leaguers suspended for performance-enhancing drugs with Rodriquez's suspension likely through the end of the 2014 season.
So no, A-Rod won't catch Bonds, whose own career HR record is heavily tainted. It's time we restore Hank Aaron's integrity-drenched 755.
