MLB Hitters in the 500 Home Run Club

This might be the most exclusive club in sports.

MLB Hitters in the 500 Home Run Club

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz hits a home run

Only 28 Major League Baseball players have hit 500 home runs. So every time someone joins the club, the entire sports world stands up and takes notice.

The striking thing about the players who have hit 500 home runs is their different career paths. Some won many World Series titles. Some never played in a World Series. Some are loved. Some are hated. Some hit for average. Some just hit home runs. Some are in the Hall of Fame. Some are not.

These are the players in MLB history with at least 500 career home runs.

28. Eddie Murray — 504 Home Runs

Born: Feb. 24, 1956 (Los Angeles, California)

Position: First base/designated hitter

Career: 21 seasons (1977-97)

Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1977-88, 1996), Los Angeles Dodgers (1989-91, 1997), New York Mets (1992-93), Cleveland Indians (1994-96), Anaheim Angels (1997)

Other hitting stats: .287 BA, 3,255 hits, 1,917 RBI, .476 SLG

Bottom line: Eddie Murray was surrounded by greatness at an early age. He was high school teammates with fellow Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith at Locke High in Los Angeles, then paired with Cal Ripken Jr. on the great Baltimore Orioles teams in the early 1980s.

Murray also was one of the more understated superstars in MLB history. He only made eight All-Star teams and never won an MVP, but he was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

27. Miguel Cabrera — 507 Home Runs

Born: April 18, 1983 (Maracay, Venezuela)

Position: First base/designated hitter

Career: 21 seasons (2003-present)

Teams: Florida Marlins (2003-07), Detroit Tigers (2008-present)

Other hitting stats: .311 BA, 2,955 hits, 1,785 RBI, .573 SLG

Bottom line: Miguel Cabrera is an 11-time All-Star, two-time American League MVP and surefire Hall of Famer. Cabrera's first MVP came in 2012, when he became the first Triple Crown winner since 1967 and first non-outfielder to win the Triple Crown since 1934. Cabrera also led the Marlins to a World Series in 2003, his rookie season.

Cabrera became the most recent addition to the 500 home run club when he hit a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 22, 2021.

26. Gary Sheffield — 509 Home Runs

Born: Nov. 18, 1968 (Tampa, Florida)

Position: Outfield/third base

Career: 22 seasons (1988-2009)

Teams: Milwaukee Brewers (1988-91), San Diego Padres (1992-93), Florida Marlins (1993-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002-03), New York Yankees (2004-06), Detroit Tigers (2007-08), New York Mets (2009)

Other hitting stats: .292 BA, 2,689 hits, 1,676 RBI, .514 SLG

Bottom line: Because Gary Sheffield wasn't always the greatest teammate, he probably doesn't get his due as one of the greatest hitters of all time. But he is.

And one career stat stands out the most for Sheffield. In 22 seasons, he struck out more than 80 times in a single season only twice. Add in the fact that he hit over 500 home runs, and this is a player who should get more consideration for the Hall of Fame.

25. Mel Ott — 511 Home Runs

Born: March 2, 1909 (Gretna, Louisiana)

Died: Nov. 21, 1958 (age 49, New Orleans, Louisiana)

Position: Right field

Career: 22 seasons (1926-47)

Teams: New York Giants

Other hitting stats: .304 BA, 2,876 hits, 1,860 RBI, .533 SLG

Bottom line: Just on its own, Mel Ott's resume as a power hitter was almost unrivaled. He led the National League in home runs six times.

Take into consideration that Ott was only 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, and it makes his accomplishments even more remarkable.

Ott also made 11 consecutive All-Star teams and was the first NL player to reach 500 home runs.

23. Eddie Mathews — 512 Home Runs (Tie)

Born: Oct. 13, 1931 (Texarkana, Arkansas)

Died: Feb. 18, 2001 (age 69, La Jolla, California)

Position: Third base

Career: 17 seasons (1952-68)

Teams: Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1952-66), Houston Astros (1967), Detroit Tigers (1967-68)

Other hitting stats: .271 BA, 2,315 hits, 1,453 RBI, .614 SLG

Bottom line: Eddie Mathews played his career in the shadow of Mickey Mantle, although the two players had incredibly similar statistics.

Mathews is credited with having one of the more unique, graceful swings in baseball history — almost all in his wrists. In baseball circles, his name still carries weight, even if history has largely forgotten his accomplishments.

In an odd quirk, Mathews played for the Braves in three different cities; Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta.

23. Ernie Banks — 512 Home Runs (Tie)

Born: Jan. 31, 1931 (Dallas, Texas)

Died: Jan. 23, 2015 (age 83, Chicago, Illinois)

Position: Shortstop/first base

Career: 19 seasons (1953-71)

Teams: Chicago Cubs

Other hitting stats: .274 BA, 2,583 hits, 1,636 RBI, .614 SLG

Bottom line: Even though he never won a World Series, Ernie Banks became one of the most beloved players in MLB history — no doubt thanks to the shortstop's unique ability to hit for power and for playing his entire career for the Chicago Cubs.

Banks was known as "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine" for his gregarious nature, and his most famous quote was "Let's Play Two."

Most teams didn't want to actually have to face Banks in a doubleheader, though, because the man had a .614 slugging percentage.

20. Ted Williams — 521 Home Runs (Tie)

Born: Aug. 30, 1918 (San Diego, California)

Died: July 5, 2002 (age 83, Inverness, Florida)

Position: Left field

Career: 19 seasons (1939-42, 1946-60)

Teams: Boston Red Sox

Other hitting stats: .344 BA, 2,654 hits, 1,839 RBI, .634 SLG

Bottom line: "The Splendid Splinter" was simply the greatest hitter that baseball has ever seen — only Pete Rose could see pitches like Ted Williams could.

Williams was the last player to hit over .400 in 1941 and won the American League Triple Crown in 1942 before taking three years off to fight for the U.S. in World War II. Then he won the Triple Crown again in 1947.

Richard Ben Cramer's 1986 Esquire article, "What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?" is perhaps the greatest piece of sports journalism ever written. And finally, ask yourself what Williams' numbers might have been had he not lost three years in his prime. It seems as if he would've cruised past both 600 home runs and 3,000 hits.

20. Frank Thomas — 521 Home Runs (Tie)

Born: May 27, 1968 (Columbus, Georgia)

Position: First base/designated hitter

Career: 19 seasons (1990-2008)

Teams: Chicago White Sox (1990-2005), Oakland Athletics (2006, 2008), Toronto Blue Jays (2007-08)

Other hitting stats: .301 BA, 2,468 hits, 1,704 RBI, .555 SLG

Bottom line: Like Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas did not take performance-enhancing drugs, but many of his greatest years were somewhat overshadowed by baseball's steroid era. Same as The Kid.

Thomas was the only player to willingly participate in the Mitchell Report, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Unlike many power hitters, Thomas hit for average really well and won an American League batting title in 1997. He was also a two-time American League MVP.

20. Willie McCovey — 521 Home Runs (Tie)

Born: Jan. 10, 1938 (Mobile, Alabama)

Died: Oct. 31, 2018 (age 80, Stanford, California)

Position: Left field/first base

Career: 18 seasons (1959-76)

Teams: San Francisco Giants (1959-73, 1977-80), San Diego Padres (1974-76), Oakland Athletics (1976)

Other hitting stats: .270 BA, 2,211 hits, 1,555 RBI, .515 SLG

Bottom line: One of the greatest left-handed power hitters of all time, Willie McCovey led the National League in home runs three times and is one of the greatest players to never win a World Series.

Want to know how intimidating a hitter McCovey was? Bob Gibson, possibly the most intimidating pitcher who ever lived, admitted that McCovey, the 1959 National League Rookie of the Year and 1969 NL MVP, was one of only two hitters he ever faced who he feared.

Reggie Jackson was the other.

19. Jimmie Foxx — 534 Home Runs

Born: Oct. 22, 1907 (Sudlersville, Maryland)

Died: July 21, 1967 (age 59, Miami, Florida)

Position: First base

Career: 20 seasons (1925-42, 1944-45)

Teams: Philadelphia Athletics (1925-35), Boston Red Sox (1936-42), Chicago Cubs (1942, 1944), Philadelphia Phillies (1945)

Other hitting stats: .325 BA, 2,646 hits, 1,922 RBI, .609 SLG

Bottom line: Jimmie Foxx was playing in the majors by the time he was 17 years old and was the youngest player to reach 500 home runs, at 32 years old.

He won the American League MVP three times and led the Philadelphia Athletics to back-to-back World Series titles in 1929 and 1930. He also led the American League in home runs four times and RBI three times, and won the Triple Crown in 1933.

Foxx died after choking on a piece of food in Miami when he was just 59 years old.

18. Mickey Mantle — 536 Home Runs

Born: Oct. 20, 1931 (Spavinaw, Oklahoma)

Died: Aug. 13, 1995 (age 63, Dallas, Texas)

Position: Center field

Career: 18 seasons (1951-68)

Teams: New York Yankees

Other hitting stats: .298 BA, 2,415 hits, 1,509 RBI, .557 SLG

Bottom line: Mickey Mantle was a frightening combination of speed and power, and was once clocked at a blazing 3.1 seconds from home plate to first base.

Probably the greatest switch hitter who ever played the game, Mantle's ability to hit for average and for power was never more on display than when he won seven World Series championships for the New York Yankees.

The three-time American League MVP still holds World Series records for most home runs (18), extra-base hits (26) and total bases (123).

17. David Ortiz — 541 Home Runs

Born: Nov. 18, 1975 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

Position: Designated hitter/first base

Career: 20 seasons (1997-2016)

Teams: Minnesota Twins (1997-2002), Boston Red Sox (2003-16)

Other hitting stats: .286 BA, 2,742 hits, 1,768 RBI, .551 SLG

Bottom line: David Ortiz was the leader on the legendary Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series in 2004, snapping the franchise's 86-year streak without a title. Ortiz, a 10-time All-Star, led the Red Sox to two more World Series titles, was the ALCS MVP in 2004 and the World Series MVP in 2013.

Ortiz is regarded as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, with 13 career walk-off home runs in the regular season and postseason combined. He's also the career leader for designated hitters for home runs, RBI and hits.

16. Mike Schmidt — 548 Home Runs

Born: Sept. 27, 1949 (Dayton, Ohio)

Position: Third base

Career: 18 seasons (1972-89)

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies

Other hitting stats: .267 BA, 2,234 hits, 1,595 RBI, .527 SLG

Bottom line: One of the greatest third basemen in MLB history, Mike Schmidt was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner who also led the National League in home runs eight times — one of the best combinations of fielding and power we've ever seen.

Schmidt played his entire career with the Philadelphia Phillies and was a three-time National League MVP. But his accomplishments are beginning to become largely lost to history because he played in the 1980s, now becoming known as MLB's "forgotten era."

15. Manny Ramirez — 555 Home Runs

Born: May 30, 1972 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

Position: Left field/right field

Career: 19 seasons (1993-2011)

Teams: Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox (2001-08), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-10), Chicago White Sox (2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011)

Other hitting stats: .312 BA, 2,574 hits, 1,831 RBI, .585 SLG

Bottom line: One of the worst fielding outfielders of all time, Manny Ramirez more than made up for his lack of fielding prowess by hitting at a level few have ever matched.

Ramirez also was one of the game's greatest, most irreverent personalities and one of the stars on Boston's epic run to the 2004 World Series title.

Ramirez was suspended 50 games for PED use in 2009 and was set to be suspended for 100 games for PED use in 2011, but chose to retire instead.

14. Reggie Jackson — 563 Home Runs

Born: May 18, 1946 (Abington Township, Pennsylvania)

Position: Right field

Career: 21 seasons (1967-87)

Teams: Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1967-75, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), New York Yankees (1977-81), California Angels (1982-86)

Other hitting stats: .262 BA, 2,584 hits, 1,702 RBI, .490 SL

Bottom line: One of the more popular, well-known players in baseball history, Reggie Jackson was also one of baseball's greatest power hitters.

Jackson led the Oakland Athletics to three consecutive World Series titles in the early 1970s, then led the New York Yankees to two more World Series titles in 1977 and 1978.

Jackson had one of the greatest seasons in MLB history in 1973 when he led the Oakland Athletics to the World Series, led the American League in home runs and RBI, and swept American League MVP and World Series MVP honors.

13. Rafael Palmeiro — 569 Home Runs

Born: Sept. 24, 1964 (Havana, Cuba)

Position: First base/left field

Career: 20 seasons (1986-2005)

Teams: Chicago Cubs (1986-88), Texas Rangers (1989-93), Baltimore Orioles (1994-98, 2004-05), Texas Rangers (1999-2003)

Other hitting stats: .288 BA, 3,020 hits, 1,835 RBI, .515 SLG

Bottom line: Rafael Palmeiro is one of the biggest cheats in baseball history, thanks in no small part to his finger-wagging performance testimony at a congressional hearing in 2005 where he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

News flash: Palmeiro did use performance-enhancing drugs and eventually did get dinged for it. In a case of supremely poor timing, he was suspended for anabolic steroid use just days after recording his 3,000th hit.

Palmeiro received just 11 percent of the vote to enter the Hall of Fame in 2011, his first year of eligibility, and was off the ballot after 2014, when he received 4.4 percent.

12. Harmon Killebrew — 573 Home Runs

Born: June 29, 1936 (Payette, Idaho)

Died: May 17, 2011 (age 74, Scottsdale, Arizona)

Position: Outfield/first base/third base

Career: 22 seasons (1954-75)

Teams: Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1954-74), Kansas City Royals (1975)

Other hitting stats: .256 BA, 2.086 hits, 1,584 RBI, .509 SLG

Bottom line: Harmon Killebrew led the American League in home runs six times in 22 seasons, all but one of which he spent with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins. Killebrew was an understated, quiet star who played in the World Series just once, in 1965, when the Twins lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He hit at least 40 home runs in a season eight times and had his greatest season in 1969, when he racked up 49 home runs and 140 RBI on the way to winning American League MVP honors.

Killebrew died in 2011, at 74 years old.

11. Mark McGwire — 583 Home Runs

Born: Oct. 1, 1963 (Pomona, California)

Position: First base

Career: 16 seasons (1986-2001)

Teams: Oakland Athletics (1986-97), St. Louis Cardinals (1997-2001)

Other hitting stats: .263 BA, 1,626 hits, 1,414 RBI, .588 SLG

Bottom line: Mark McGwire admitted he used steroids for almost the entirety of his career before he was hired as the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. That puts him in the rare company of MLB players who actually admitted it.

He could have been a great slugger without the juice. His volume of home runs (583) against his total hits (1,626) is really mind-blowing, as is his career ISO power average of .325. McGwire also was the quickest player in MLB history to reach 500 home runs in 1999, in his 1,639th game.

Those numbers led directly to two of McGwire's MLB records — least number of at-bats to reach 500 home runs (5,487) and fewest career at-bats per home run (10.6). He won just one World Series title, alongside Jose Canseco on the Oakland A's in 1989.

10. Frank Robinson — 586 Home Runs

Born: Aug. 31, 1935 (Beaumont, Texas)

Died: Feb. 7, 2019 (age 83, Los Angeles, California)

Position: Outfield

Career: 21 seasons (1956-76)

Teams: Cincinnati Reds (1956-65), Baltimore Orioles (1966-71), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972), California Angels (1973-74), Cleveland Indians (1974-76)

Other hitting stats: .294 BA, 2,943 hits, 1,812 RBI, .537 SLG

Bottom line: Frank Robinson was a 14-time All-Star, hit over .300 nine times in his career and is considered one of the best all-around players in baseball history.

He's also one of the few players to win MVP honors in both the National League and the American League. His greatest season was 1966, when he won the Triple Crown, American League MVP and World Series.

Robinson was a manager after his career was over, for the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.

9. Sammy Sosa — 609 Home Runs

Born: Nov. 12, 1968 (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic)

Position: Right field

Career: 18 seasons (1989-2005, 2007)

Teams: Texas Rangers (1989, 2007), Chicago White Sox (1989-91), Chicago Cubs (1992-2004), Baltimore Orioles (2005)

Other hitting stats: .273 BA, 2,408 hits, 1,667 RBI, .534 SLG

Bottom line: Of all the players from the steroid era, few can trace their fame and success directly to PED use as much as Sammy Sosa, who is the only player in MLB history to hit 60 or more home runs in a season three times.

One of just seven players to hit 600 career home runs, Sosa reached 400 home runs quicker than any player in MLB history. But Sosa is unlikely to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He'll go off the ballot in 2023 and needs at least 75 percent of voters to select him in order to be inducted. In 2020, he received 13.9 percent of the vote.

It's a shame we even have to include him on this list.

8. Jim Thome — 612 Home Runs

Born: Aug. 27, 1970 (Peoria, Illinois)

Position: First base/third base/designated hitter

Career: 22 seasons (1991-2012)

Teams: Cleveland Indians (1991-2002, 2011), Philadelphia Phillies (2003-05, 2012), Chicago White Sox (2006-09), Los Angeles Dodgers (2009), Minnesota Twins (2010-11), Baltimore Orioles (2012)

Other hitting stats: .276 BA, 2,328 hits, 1,699 RBI, .554 SLG

Bottom line: Jim Thome based his batting stance off watching Roy Hobbs, the character played by Robert Redford in the 1984 film "The Natural." And Thome was one of the more gregarious personalities to play in the majors over the last 25 years.

Thome, who was influenced by getting turned down for an autograph from Dave Kingman as a youth, went out of his way to be kind to fans and had a flair for the dramatic. His 13 career walk-off home runs are still an MLB record, including home run No. 500 in 2007.

7. Ken Griffey Jr. — 630 Home Runs

Born: Nov. 21, 1969 (Donora, Pennsylvania)

Position: Center field

Career: 22 seasons (1989-2010)

Teams: Seattle Mariners (1989-99, 2009-10), Cincinnati Reds (2000-08), Chicago White Sox (2008)

Other hitting stats: .284 BA, 2,781 hits, 1,836 RBI, .538 SLG

Bottom line: Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the most popular, electric players to ever step on a baseball diamond. He's also a second-generation MLB star following his father, Ken Griffey Sr.

But the second half of Junior's career was overshadowed by baseball's steroids era, although the appreciation of his accomplishments was never more evident than when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016 with a 99.32 percent vote, breaking Tom Seaver's 24-year-old record. Griffey Jr. also had a flair for the dramatic. He hit his 500th home run on Father's Day 2004, with his father in attendance.

One thing Griffey Jr. never did? Play in the World Series.

6. Willie Mays — 660 Home Runs

Born: May 6, 1931 (Westfield, Alabama)

Position: Center field

Career: 22 seasons (1951-52, 1954-73)

Teams: New York Mets/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-72), New York Mets (1972-73)

Other hitting stats: .302 BA, 3,283 hits, 1,903 RBI, .558 SLG

Bottom line: Willie Mays should lead all discussions about who the greatest baseball player of all time is.

Mays came out of abject poverty in rural Alabama and was playing professionally in the Negro Leagues by the time he was 16 years old. He was in the majors by the time he was 19 years old with the New York Giants.

"The Say Hey Kid" still holds the MLB record with 22 extra-inning home runs and is one of just a handful of players to hit over 600 home runs and record 3,000 hits. Even with all that power, he had a career .302 batting average.

5. Alex Rodriguez — 696 Home Runs

Born: July 27, 1975 (Manhattan, New York City)

Position: Third base/shortstop

Career: 22 seasons (1994-2013, 2015-16)

Teams: Seattle Mariners (1994-2000), Texas Rangers (2001-03), New York Yankees (2004-13, 2015-16)

Other hitting stats: .295 BA, 3,115 hits, 2,086 RBI, .556 SLG

Bottom line: It's tough to look at Alex Rodriguez's legacy and separate the baseball player he was from his use of performance-enhancing drugs, for which he served a one-year suspension in 2014, a full seven years after he hit his 500th home run.

Rodriguez banked a whopping $440 million in career earnings over 22 seasons and also won three American League MVP awards, but how much of that can be attributed to being lit up on steroids is another question altogether.

For all of his accomplishments, Rodriguez won just one World Series, in 2009 with the New York Yankees.

4. Albert Pujols — 703 Home Runs

Born: Jan. 16, 1980 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

Position: First base/designated hitter

Career: 22 seasons (2001-22)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (2001-11), Los Angeles Angels (2012-21), Los Angeles Dodgers (2021-present)

Stats: .297 BA, 3,295 hits, 2,145 RBI, .526 SLG

Bottom line: The second half of Albert Pujols' career looks a lot different than the first half, but he's still almost assuredly a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Pujols won two World Series championships and three National League MVP awards in the first decade and is just one of four players with 3,000 hits and 600 home runs alongside Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez.

Pujols signed a 10-year, $254 million contract with the Angels in 2011 and has played in the postseason just once since — a sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 ALDS, which was the same year he hit his 500th. On that note, Pujols is the only player in MLB history to hit home run No. 499 and No. 500 in the same game.

3. Babe Ruth — 714 Home Runs

Born: Feb. 6, 1895 (Baltimore, Maryland)

Died: Aug. 16, 1948 (age 53, New York, New York)

Position: Outfield/pitcher

Career: 22 seasons (1914-35)

Teams: Boston Red Sox (1914-19), New York Yankees (1920-34), Boston Braves (1935)

Other hitting stats: .342 BA, 2,873 hits, 2,213 RBI, .690 SLG

Bottom line: Babe Ruth's dominance on the diamond came first as a pitcher, then as a hard-hitting outfielder who won three World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and four more with the Yankees. He hit his 500th home run in 1929 — 15 years into his 22-year career.

Ruth and Barry Bonds are the only two players in the top 10 for home runs, slugging percentage and ISO power. And the idea that Ruth only hit home runs doesn't hold weight when you look closer at his stats — he also had 136 triples and 506 doubles.

Ruth died in 1948, at just 53 years old of cancer. But he actually was never told he had cancer. His family feared him getting such bad news that they forbid doctors to discuss it with him, although Ruth eventually came to the conclusion on his own.

2. Henry Aaron — 755 Home Runs

Born: Feb. 5, 1934 (Mobile, Alabama)

Died: Jan. 22, 2021 (age 86, Atlanta, Georgia)

Position: Right field

Career: 23 seasons (1954-76)

Teams: Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1954-74), Milwaukee Brewers (1975-76)

Other hitting stats: .305 BA, 3,771 hits, 2,297 RBI, .555 SLG

Bottom line: Hank Aaron is still the MLB career leader in RBI and extra-base hits almost 50 years since his career ended.

Aaron broke one of the most hallowed records in sports when he became the MLB career leader for home runs in 1974 — six years after he hit his 500th home run. His 755 career home runs stood as the record until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007. Aaron's forte was consistency. He averaged 32 home runs and 99 RBI for 23 seasons.

Aaron died in January 2021, at 86 years old.

1. Barry Bonds — 762 Home Runs

Born: July 22, 1964 (Riverside, California)

Position: Left field

Career: 22 seasons (1986-2007)

Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants (1993-2007)

Other hitting stats: .298 BA, 2,935 hits, 1,996 RBI, .607 SLG

Bottom line: Barry Bonds didn't need to use performance-enhancing drugs to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but he did it anyway.

Bonds was the central figure in baseball's steroids scandal, becoming the game's career home runs leader along the way and set the MLB single-season record with 73 juiced-up home runs in 2001 — the same year he hit his 500th career home run.

What's also impossible to ignore is that Bonds was very, very good before it's believed he started using PEDs. He won three of his seven National League MVP awards by 1993, and he also led the league in slugging percentage a staggering seven times.

WIll he ever make the Hall of Fame? It's one of the more interesting debates in sports.