Fumio Fujimura: Mr. Tigers or Japanese Joe DiMaggio?
The Power Hitter Pantheon: Baseball’s Greatest Home Run Heroes
This project aims to determine the greatest home run hitter of all time by comparing each slugger’s statistics to the average of their era using three formulas. The final adjusted stats will then be used to compare them head-to-head with other all-time greats.
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Fumio Fujimura will be the next legendary Japanese League slugger examined in this study. For a brief biography of Fujimura, please click here.
According to Baseball Reference, Fujimura’s official statistics reveal a total of 224 home runs over 5,611 at-bats resulting in an average of 25.05 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
Fumio Fujimura played in the Japan’s Fall and Spring seasons from 1936 to 1938 (JPBF/JPBS). While his personal statistics are available, league data for the Spring 1936 season was not, making it unfair to include his stats for that period.
He also played in the Japanese Baseball League (JPBL) from 1943 to 1944 and again from 1946 to 1949. From 1950 to 1958, he played in the Japanese Central League (JPCL). When aggregating the statistics from each of the seasons Fujimura competed in, the league totals include 443,923 at-bats and 6,126 home runs, resulting in an average of 72.47 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
With this data, we can evaluate how Fujimura’s performance compared to the average Japanese League hitter of his era.
Raw Difference: 47.42
Formula: League Average – Player Career AverageImprovement Factor: 2.89
Formula: League Average / Player Career AveragePercentage Difference: 65.43%
Formula: (League Average – Player Career Average) / League Average × 100%
Fujimura’s 25.05 AB/HR is impressive when stacked against the league’s 72.47 AB/HR. Let’s unpack what these metrics tell us.
Raw Difference:
Fujimura needed 47.42 fewer at-bats per home run than the average player in his era. This is a substantial gap, highlighting his power-hitting prowess.
Improvement Factor:
Fujimura was nearly three times (2.89) more efficient at hitting home runs than the average player. This suggests he wasn’t just above average—he was elite.
Percentage Difference:
This shows that Fujimura’s AB/HR was 65.43% better (lower) than the league average, reinforcing his dominance as a slugger.
Fumio Fujimura’s career statistic of 25.05 at-bats per home run (AB/HR), derived from 224 home runs over 5,611 at-bats, showcases his remarkable power-hitting ability in the Japanese leagues from 1936 to 1958.
Compared to the aggregated league average of 72.47 AB/HR (based on 443,923 at-bats and 6,126 home runs across his playing years), Fujimura outperformed his peers by a wide margin.
The raw difference of 47.42 fewer at-bats per home run, an improvement factor of 2.89, and a percentage difference of 65.43% collectively demonstrate that Fujimura was nearly three times more efficient at hitting home runs than the average player of his era.
In our initial analysis, we examined the careers of Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, and Joe DiMaggio using our formulas. Following that, we also evaluated the careers of Josh Gibson, Sadaharu Oh, Buck Leonard, Tetsuharu Kawakami, Mule Suttles, Noboru Aota, Oscar Charleston, Katsuya Nomura, Turkey Stearnes, Makoto Kozuru, Willie Wells, Hiromitsu Ochiai, Wilson Redus, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Dewey Creacy, Hiromitsu Kadota, Edgar Wesley, Koji Yamamoto, and Jud Wilson.
Now, let's compare Fujimura’s career statistics against these baseball legends to gain a clearer perspective on how he stacks up.
Fujimura’s stats—Raw Difference of 47.42, Improvement Factor of 2.89, and Percentage Difference of 65.43%—place him among baseball’s elite power hitters. Let’s break this down…
Raw Difference:
Fujimura needed 47.42 fewer at-bats per home run than his league’s average hitter. This is a massive gap, outpacing legends like Koji Yamamoto (16.11), Hiromitsu Kadota (15.22), and even Sadaharu Oh (25.66), Japan’s home run king.
Improvement Factor:
Fujimura was 2.89 times more efficient than his league’s average, a figure that shines brightly. It’s better than Mickey Mantle (2.73), Alex Rodriguez (2.07), and Hiromitsu Ochiai (2.13), and it nearly matches Joe DiMaggio’s 2.93.
Percentage Difference:
This metric, showing how much better Fujimura (65.43%) was relative to his league, is exceptional—beating out Katsuya Nomura (60.93%), Kazuhiro Yamauchi (61.85%), and even Mantle (63.32%). It’s just shy of DiMaggio’s 65.85%.
Fujimura’s Statistical Orbit:
Joe DiMaggio (36.43, 2.93, 65.85%): DiMaggio’s numbers are strikingly similar, with a slightly higher Improvement Factor and Percentage Difference but a lower Raw Difference.
Willie Wells (48.54, 2.73, 63.42%): Wells, a Negro League star, is nearly identical in Raw Difference but trails slightly in efficiency. Fujimura’s higher Improvement Factor gives him a favorable edge.
Mickey Mantle (26.10, 2.73, 63.32%): Fujimura’s 2.89 Improvement Factor tops Mantle’s 2.73, suggesting stronger relative impact.
Fujimura sits comfortably in this orbit, often outperforming these icons in key areas. His 2.89 Improvement Factor is a standout, showing he was a titan in his league, much like DiMaggio was in MLB.
Fujimura’s numbers scream excellence. His 47.42 Raw Difference reflects a rare ability to crush home runs with stunning frequency, outpacing most Japanese legends like Yamamoto and Kadota by a wide margin.
His 2.89 Improvement Factor rivals the best in the game—think DiMaggio or Mantle—while his 65.43% Percentage Difference places him in elite company, ahead of many household names. In an era where home runs were scarce in Japan, Fujimura’s power was a beacon of brilliance.
Fumio Fujimura’s career stats paint him as a colossus among baseball’s greatest sluggers. Compared to icons like Joe DiMaggio (65.85%), Mickey Mantle (63.32%), and Sadaharu Oh (70.65%), Fujimura holds his own, often outshining them in raw power efficiency and relative dominance.
Against a backdrop of legends from Japan, the Negro Leagues, and MLB, Fujimura emerges as a titan whose bat thundered louder than most, cementing his legacy as one of baseball’s all-time greats.
His stance looks similar to Aaron's ( not Judge,lol). From 49-58 he really hit his stride. Fujimura vs Joe D has an intriguing twist to it. For now I'll say even until I take a look at their K totals.