30 Homers Before the Break – Here’s the “Club of Clubbers”

Chris Davis in the “Club of Clubbers” 30 or more homers at the break.

In 2012, the Orioles’ Chris Davis, at age 26, had a career year – finishing with a .270 average and a career-high 33 home runs and 85 RBI.  In 2013, the 6’ 3”, 230-pound first baseman is hitting .324 and has already matched his 33 round trippers and 85 RBI of the 2012 season – with a week of games to go before the All Star break.  Here’s some background on the “30-HR before the break” club and Davis’ targets for the coming week.

First, only six players have hit more than 33 homers before the break – led by Barry Bonds 39 in 2007, when he finished with all-time MLB high of 73 dingers for the Giants.

Reggie Jackson and Mark McGwire are next with 37 pre-All Star Game homers.  Jackson for the A’s in 1969 (he finished with 47) and McGwire for the Cardinals in 1998 (finishing with 70).  Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Mariners had 35 at the break in 1998 (finishing with 56), as did Louis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks in 2001 (ending the season with 57 homers).  Frank Howard of Senators reached 34 homers by the 1969 All Star break (finishing with 48).  We can expect Davis to move up this list over the coming week, although Bonds’ 39 seems out of reach.

Overall, 30 or more home runs before the All Star break has been achieved 34 times, by 26 different players, in MLB history (including Davis this year.)  Mark McGwire has done it most often – in 1987, 1997, 1998, and 2000.  The only others to reach the thirty mark at break time more than once are Ken Griffey, Jr. (three times); and Willie Stargell, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds (twice each).   Perhaps, the most surprising member of this “club of clubbers” is the Orioles’ Brady Anderson – who had 30 HRs at the break in 1996, on his way to a 50-homer season.  In his 15-year career, Anderson totaled 210 homers and his second-highest season total was 24.

McGwire is the only player to reach the 30 homer-mark before the break in both leagues (as well as for more than one team).  He achieved the feat with the A’s in in 1987 and 1997 and the Cardinals in 1998 and 2000.  McGwire holds some other distinctions among members of this club. He is the only player to be traded during a season in which he reached the 30-homer level by the break.  In 1997, McGwire had 33 homers at the All Star break and hit one more for the A’s before they traded him (July 31) to the Cardinals (where he went on to hit 24 more home runs).  McGwire is also the only rookie to reach 30 homers by the All Star break, with 33 in 1987, when the 23-year-old A’s rookie hit 49 and captured Rookie of the Year honors.

By decade, the 1950’s saw 30 homers reached before the break once; the 1960’s – five times; the 1970’s – four times; the 1980’s – three times; the 1990’s – 12 times; 2000-2009 – seven times; 2010-13 – twice.  1998 was the single most prolific year for “thirty-before-the break,” with the Cardinals’ McGwire going into the break with 37 HRs, the Mariners’ Griffey, Jr. at 35; the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa at 30; and the Padres Greg Vaughn at 30.

Here’s the full list of players with 30 or more homers at the break, with season-ending total in parenthesis.

39 HRs … Barry Bonds, Giants, 2001 (73)

37 … Reggie Jackson, A’s, 1969 (47)

37 … Mark McGwire, Cardinals, 1998 (70)

35 … Luis Gonzalez, Diamond backs, 2001 (57)

35 … Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners, 1998 (56)

34 … Frank Howard,   Senators, 1969 (48)

33 and counting, Chris Davis, Orioles, 2013

33 … Roger Maris, Yankees, 1961 (61)

33 … Sammy Sosa, Cubs, 1998 (66)

33 … Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners, 1994 (40)

33 … Matt Williams, Giants, 1994 (43)

33 … Mark McGwire, A’s, 1987 (49)

32 … Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 2009 (47)

32 … Sammy Sosa, Cubs, 1999 (63)

32 … Frank Thomas, White Sox, 1994 (38)

31 … Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, 2011 (43)

31 … David Ortiz, Red Sox, 2006 (54)

31… Jose Canseco, Devil Rays, 1999 (34)

31 … Mark McGwire, A’s & Cardinals, 1997 (58)

31 … Kevin Mitchell, Giants, 1989 (47)

31 … Mike Schmidt, Phillies, 1979 (45)

31 … Willie Mays, Giants, 1954 (41)

30 … Alex Rodriguez   , Yankees, 2007 (54)

30 … Jim Thome, White Sox, 2006 (42)

30 … Barry Bonds, Giants, 2003 (45)

30 … Mark McGwire, Cardinals, 2000 (32)

30 … Greg Vaughn, Padres, 1998 (50)

30 … Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners, 1997 (56)

30 … Brady Anderson, Orioles, 1996 (50)

30 … Dave Kingman, Mets, 1976 (37)

30 … Willie Stargell, Pirates     30, 1973 (44)

30 … Willie Stargell, Pirates, 1971 (48)

30 … Willie McCovey, Giants, 1969 (45)

30 … Harmon Killebrew, Twins, 1964 (49)