These are the ten best home run hitters per at-bat in the major leagues in 2011. These are not the the ten players with the most home runs, but the ten players with the most home runs per at-bat .
For the second year in a row, the same player, Jose Bautista, led the major leagues in home runs per at-bat. In my opinion, Bautista’s home run stats are mighty fishy. In the last two seasons, he has averaged a home run once every 9.0% of the time he had an at-bat.
From 2004 to 2009, Jose Bautista averaged a home run once every 3.75% of the time he had an at-bat in the major leagues. Suddenly, at the age of 29 in 2010, Buatista started hitting home runs like Babe Ruth. It’s highly unlikely that Jose Bautista just woke up one day and started hitting home runs at tremendous rates without some type of performance enhancing drug help.
Top 10 Best Home Run Hitters per At Bat in the Major Leagues in 2011
1. Jose Bautista – 8.38%
Jose Buatista hit a home runs once every 8.38% of the time he had an official at-bat to lead the major leagues in 2011. Buatista hit 43 home run this season in 513 official at-bats. Buatista’s 43 home runs were alos the most by any player in 2011.
2. Mike Napoli – 8.13%
For a catcher, Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers is an excellent hitter. Napoli hit 30 home runs in 2011 in just 369 at-bats. For his career, he has hit 122 home runs in 1,918 at-bats, for a home run average of 6.36%. That’s a great average for any hitter, but simply superb for a catcher.
3. Curtis Granderson – 7.03%
Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees hit 41 home runs this season in 583 at-bats. Granderson had a career year for the Yankees in 2011. He led the majors with 136 runs scored, his 41 home runs were the second most in the major leagues, and his 119 RBIs were the third most in baseball.
4. Mark Reynolds – 6.93%
Mark Reynolds of the Baltimore Orioles hit 37 home runs in 534 at-bats. Reynolds has always been a good home run hitter. His career home run average is 6.28%.
5. Prince Fielder – 6.68%
Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers hit 38 home runs in 569 at-bats in 2011. Prince’s career home run percentage is 6.52%. His dad, Cecil, hit 319 home runs in 5,157 at-bats for a career home run average of 6.19%. Cecil Fielder hit 51 home runs in 1990 for the Detroit Tigers. Prince hit 50 in 2007 for the Brewers.
6. Mark Teixeira – 6.62%
Mark Teixeira, the second New York Yankees player on this list, hit 39 home runs in 589 at-bats in 2011. Teixeira’s career home run average stands at 6.02%.
7. Mike Stanton – 6.59%
Mike Stanton of the Florida Marlins is just a tremendous home run hitter. Stanton hit 34 home runs in 2011 in 516 at-bats. Just 21 years old, Stanton has already hit 56 major league home runs. His career home run average in the minor leagues is 7.45%. Unless Mike Stanton gets hurt, he has a realistic chance of hitting 800 home runs in his career.
8. Adrian Beltre – 6.57%
Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers hit 32 home runs in 487 at-bats in 2011. Beltre’s career home run average is 4.21%. He exceeded that by a wide margin in 2011, but he spent a lot of his career playing in tough home run parks like Dodger Stadium and Safeco Field in Seattle.
9. Matt Kemp – 6.48%
Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit 39 home runs in 602 at-bats. The 2011 season was Kemps’ sixth year in the majors. He has progressively hit more home runs in each of the six years, seven in 2006, 12 in 2007, 18 in 2008, 26 in 2009, 28 in 2010, and 39 in 2011.
10. Evan Longoria – 6.42%
Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays hit 31 home runs in 483 at-bats in 2011. At age 25, Longoria now has 113 home runs in 2,089 at-bats in his major league baseball career. His best home run hitting days are probably still to come.
For more see 10 Best Home Run Hitters in Baseball in 2010
Jose Buatista’s 54 Home Run Season is Fishy and Probably Not Real
25 Reasons Why Babe Ruth is the Greatest Baseball Player of All Time
Mike Stanton Can Hit 800 Home Runs in His Major League Baseball Career