1986–2001 · 1B

Mark McGwire

6' 5", 215 lbs·Lived to 63·Bats R / Throws R

3×Silver SluggerROYGold GloveAll-Star

The Almanac's Take

Big Mac's 583 career home runs tell only part of the story — his rate stats reveal the most dominant power hitter of his generation. That 132 career OPS+ jumps to otherworldly territory when you consider he played through multiple injury-shortened seasons that dragged down his counting stats.

The 1998 campaign stands as one of baseball's great individual performances, with McGwire's 70 home runs breaking a record that had stood for 37 years. His 1.222 OPS that season ranked among the highest single-season marks in modern baseball history. What made McGwire special wasn't just the moonshot distance — it was the consistency of elite production when healthy.

His 583 home runs in just 6,187 at-bats works out to one homer every 10.6 plate appearances, a rate bettered by only a handful of players in baseball history. That combination of peak dominance and sustained excellence defines true greatness.

Career Highs

1.229

Best OPS · 2000

Most HR · 1998

147

Most RBI · 1999

.312

Best AVG · 1996

Career Arc · OPS

16 seasons

Statistical Comps

Aaron Judge

99%

2024 season

ISO .379 · K% 24.3 · BB% 18.9 · HR% 8.3

Juan Soto

99%

2024 season

ISO .281 · K% 16.7 · BB% 18.1 · HR% 5.8

Shohei Ohtani

99%

2025 season

ISO .340 · K% 25.8 · BB% 15.0 · HR% 7.6

Career · Batting

16 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1986	ATH	18	53	3	9	.189	.636	88
1987	ATH	151	557	49	118	.289	.987	132
1988	ATH	155	550	32	99	.260	.830	119
1989	ATH	143	490	33	95	.231	.806	116
1990	ATH	156	523	39	108	.235	.859	121
1991	ATH	154	483	22	75	.201	.714	101
1992	ATH	139	467	42	104	.268	.970	139
1993	ATH	27	84	9	24	.333	1.193	162
1994	ATH	47	135	9	25	.252	.887	116
1995	ATH	104	317	39	90	.274	1.125	149
1996	ATH	130	423	52	113	.312	1.198	156
1997	ATH	156	540	58	123	.274	1.039	137
1998	STL	155	509	70	147	.299	1.222	162
1999	STL	153	521	65	147	.278	1.120	144
2000	STL	89	236	32	73	.305	1.229	157
2001	STL	97	299	29	64	.187	.808	106
Career		1874	6187	583	1414	.263	—	—

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