In the making for 20 years, 2,402 games and 8,912 at bats, Ken Griffey Jr. now sits 3 home runs shy of 600 home runs. Upon reaching 600, Griffey will join a class more elite then the mile high club. Only 5 other players have ever reached the exclusive 600 home run mark and 2 of them (Bonds and Sosa) cheated to get there.
As Griffey storms towards the historic mark of 600 home runs, we take a look at some of the game’s young studs and predict who’s next to make a serious run at 600+.
After all, 600 is the new 500 or is it?
Alex Rodriguez
Whether you love or hate the highest paid player in baseball, A-Rod’s got the mojo to not only hit 600, but smash Barry Bonds’ all-time record of 762. He’s got 6 years on the Griff and has already amassed a tall order of 522 home runs! Even if A-Rod popped it into Knight Rider cruise control and only hit 7.8 home runs each year for the next 10, he’d still get there. Bonds’ record? 24 home runs each year over the next 10. Wham bam, thank you mam.
Albert Pujols
Since joing the birds in 2001, Pujols has hit 30 or more home runs in each of his 7 full seasons and 40+ in 4 of those. Food for thought – with the exception of Babe Ruth, out of the top 25 leaders in career home runs, Pujols holds the highest batting average of .332. With his natural power and ability his gifted eye, it’s not a matter of if, only a matter of when.
Justin Upton
When you’re first scouted by major league clubs at age 13 and find yourself in the bigs at 19 before you can even legally throw down Jager shots like Jake Peavy, you know you’re good. Just how good is Upton and how in the hell is a kid with 25 career home runs on this list? Upton posses a rare combination of skills in his pure speed and sheer natural power. At age 20, Upton could very well join Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players in the past 30 years to hit 20 homers at age 20 – and you know where those 2 are headed. Young age and god-like talent makes him a near lock.
Prince Fielder
Like father, like son? Fielder enters this season at the age of 23. He’s got less then 100 home runs on his career mark, but finished last year with silly totals of 50/119/.288. Fielder needs to hit for better average and stay healthy to hit do it, but it’s certainly possible.
Why these players won’t:
Adam Dunn
Give me 1 season of a .270 average or better and then come knocking on my door…bittch.
Justin Morneau
He’s a great player, but more streaky then Lindsay Lohans rehab stints.
David Ortiz
I put him here, because I know how Red Sox nation can get with their damn pride. Great player, but already 33 and a health risk.
Honorable mentions:
Ryan “Homerin” Howard, Ryan “Rambunctious” Braun, Lou “I wish you never got sick and had a disease named after you” Gehrig.
Hate this list? Think you should be on it? Drop a comment.
* Editor note: We requested an interview from Griffey Jr. to comment on his chase for 600 and the players included on the list but were denied by the Cincinnati Reds’ Director of Media Relations – would have been nice but we still like you Ken.
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where are Thome and Carlos Pena on that list?
What about Manny? He just broke 500 and has 3 or 4 good years left in him.
first off Manny DID NOT break 500 yet. He has only 496 home runs and last I checked Cooperstown does not round up, especially for egotistical douche bags. Lou Gehrig (493) on the other hand should be an honorary inductee into the 500 club. Second, this is a contract year for manny so hes goign to put up good numbers but as soon as the sox exercise the options of 009 and 10 he will go right back to being manny of old – par, high .200’s with 25 home runs, wont keep it up long enough.
maybe this should be entitled “Top 7 Young Baseball Players that are Already on Steroids”
Ever heard of Miguel Cabrera?
Manny as a high .200s with 25 HRs? Ory? He hasn’t hit under .290 in 12 seasons, and has only been under .300 twice in that same span. And, the 20 HRs he hit last year in an injury shortened season was his lowest total since…1994. In fact, he’s been under 30 HRs only 3 times in his career (excluding his 1993 debut season, where he played in all of 22 games).
I usually don’t go out of my way to defend Manny (who can be infuriating to watch), but your comment reeked.
That being said, if there’s any reason he’s not on the list, it’s because he’s 36 — not exactly young.
Manny Ramirez has averaged about 33 HRs per season and has hit under 30 in only 3 seasons, 1994, 1997 and 2007. He’s 35 now, has hit 496 as of 4/29/08. He’ll certainly play at least 3 seasons beyond this one. If he hits 30 this season he’ll be at 520. As for his average? High 200’s? His career average is .313 and his career OPS is 1.002. He’s a first ballot HOF regardless of whether or not he is a “douche.” Barring serious injury, Manny Ramirez will certainly hit 600HR and has an outside shot at 700+ should he continue to average 33HR/season and play to the age of 42, he’ll be at 720 HR.
This is the worst list ever. There were some real stretches like Adam Dunn and some obvious ones any real baseball fan would have gotten like ManRam.
Pena? Are you f’ing serious?
David Wright???? He’s 25 and has 100 already.
no ryan howard? wtf
What about Chris Young of Diamondbacks or Evan Longoria of the Devil Rays?
What about Andruw Jones?? currently sitting at 369 HRs and is 31 years old. he could very well make it.
Dude are you kidding? Miguel Cabrerra should be ahead of a lot of those guys (upton, fielder)…i mean COME ON…He’s only 25 and on his way…
hahahahaha, andruw jones hitting 500 or 600
HAHAHAHAHA
omg
HAHHAHAHAHAHA
whats he batting this year? like .150?
David Wright and Ryan Howard need to be on this list.
What does Adam Dunn’s batting average have to do with how many HRs he hits?
GRIFFEY TURNED DOWN AN INTERVIEW?!?!??!?! no surprise there, the guy is a cocky douche.
carlos penaand jim thome are too old evan longoria hasn’t done anything so far…upton has…and have you seen the kid if he’s on steroids *maybe this should be* theyre cetainly not bulking him up. the reason hes up there is because he has the highest cieling like griffy and arod in their day…cabrera, howard, and wright should have probably been on there…but since im no sportswrtier and this guy is maybe i should get a job as one then i can put whatever lists made up however i want them up and let everyone else complain
wow since when has griffey been a cocky douche? hes been one of the most down to earth players and hardly ever turns down interviews and has always been a jokester theres no doubt in my mind if he didnt get injured he would be at 800+ home runs for his career….