Aaron Judge made headlines when he hit his 300th career home run on Wednesday.
While some criticized the Chicago White Sox’s choice to deliberately walk Juan Soto to reach Judge, the most of the reports and comments focused on Judge’s historic achievement. He may have been one of 162 players to accomplish the milestone in baseball’s last 124 years, but he did so in fewer games and at-bats than anyone else.
Now that the New York Yankees slugger has reached 300 home runs, it’s time to consider who might follow suit.
Judge is the third player in 2024 to achieve 300 career home runs, following Andrew McCutchen and Anthony Rizzo. There are now 13 active players that have reached the three century milestone.
Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter, has 274 career home runs, which ranks him 14th among active players. The 31-year-old is on track to complete 2024 with 38 explosives, putting him 16 shy of 300 by 2025.
Marcell Ozuna, 34, the Atlanta Braves designated hitter, is only behind Schwarber with 271 career home runs. If Ozuna maintains his present pace and hits 12 more home runs this season, he will have 283 by October.
Given the distance between Schwarber and Ozuna, it is quite doubtful that anyone else will hit their 300th career home run this year. Still, it won’t be difficult for the pair to join the club in 2025, and they may have company.
Salvador Perez, the Kansas City Royals’ catcher, is on track to hit 275 home runs by the end of 2024. Eugenio Suárez, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ third baseman who now ranks 17th on the active home run record, is on target to hit his 270th career home run later this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers All-Stars Mookie Betts and José Abreu, former Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros sluggers, are tied for 18th among active players with 263 home runs. Abreu’s disappearance this season suggests that 300 may be out of reach for the 37-year-old, while Betts’ recent return from the injured list indicates that he may also hit 270 before the season ends.
To reach 300 home runs in 2025, players such as Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José RamÃrez would need to hit 40+ home runs, making them unlikely at the moment.
So, barring injury, Schwarber and Ozuna are nearly certain to surpass 300 career home runs by 2025. Perez, Suárez, Betts, and Olson have the potential to make it there next season, while Springer and RamÃrez are expected to accomplish so by 2026.
Pete Alonso and Shohei Ohtani, two of MLB’s top-five home run hitters in the last six years, surpassed 200 earlier this season and are on course to reach 300 by late 2026.
