Mark McGwire: Big Mac
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.
Mark McGwire will be the next legendary MLB slugger examined in this study. For a brief biography of McGwire, please click here.
Before analyzing McGwire's career numbers, it's essential to recognize his accomplishments as a hitter. Let's examine his rankings in key hitting statistics throughout his career. Mark McGwire appeared on the MLB leaderboards in the following categories:
1995: #8 (.441)
1996: #1 (.467)
1998: #1 (.470)
1987: #1 (.618)
1992: #2 (.585)
1995: #2 (.685)
1996: #1 (.730)
1997: #3 (.646)
1998: #1 (.752)
1999: #2 (.697)
1987: #1 (.987)
1992: #3 (.970)
1995: #4 (1.125)
1996: #1 (1.198)
1997: #4 (1.039)
1998: #1 (1.222)
1999: #2 (1.120)
1998: #2 (130)
1987: #3 (344)
1997: #6 (349)
1998: #5 (383)
1999: #3 (363)
1987: #1 (49)
1988: #4 (32)
1989: #7 (33)
1990: #3 (39)
1992: #2 (42)
1995: #5 (39)
1996: #1 (52)
1997: #1 (58)
1998: #1 (70)
1999: #1 (65)
1987: #2 (81)
1997: #3 (85)
1998: #4 (91)
1999: #2 (87)
1990: #1 (110)
1991: #10 (93)
1995: #10 (88)
1996: #8 (116)
1997: #9 (101)
1998: #1 (162)
1999: #2 (133)
1987: #8 (131)
1996: #10 (149)
1997: #8 (144)
1998: #1 (193)
1999: #3 (160)
1998: #1 (320)
1987: #1 (11.37)
1988: #5 (17.19)
1989: #3 (14.85)
1990: #3 (13.41)
1992: #1 (11.12)
1995: #1 (8.13)
1996: #1 (8.13)
1997: #1 (9.31)
1998: #1 (7.27)
1999: #1 (8.02)
Mark McGwire’s 1998 season was his best at the plate. He led the league in home runs (70), on-base percentage (.470), slugging percentage (.752), OPS (1.222), walks (162), runs created (193), and times on base (320), while ranking #2 in runs scored (130) and #5 in total bases (383). His 70 home runs broke the single-season record, and his 7.27 AB/HR ratio was unmatched. This season’s dominance across power, discipline, and overall offensive impact makes it his clear peak.
Now that we have a clear understanding of McGwire's accomplishments, we can proceed with the career analysis. According to Baseball Reference, McGwire’s official statistics reveal a total of 583 home runs over 6,187 at-bats resulting in an average of at-bats per home run 10.61 (AB/HR).
Mark McGwire played in the American League (AL) from 1986 to 1997, he also competed in the National League (NL) from 1997 to 2001.
McGwire played in both the AL and NL in 1997. Since the designated hitter (DH) rule applied exclusively to the AL at the time, hitters are compared within their respective leagues. To calculate the overall 1997 league average for McGwire, we combined the league averages from both leagues.
When aggregating the statistics from each of the seasons McGwire competed in, the league totals include 1,254,343 at-bats and 36,557 home runs, resulting in an average of 34.31 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
With this data, we can evaluate how McGwire’s performance compared to the average AL/NL hitter of his era.
Raw Difference: 23.70
Formula: League Average – Player Career AverageImprovement Factor: 3.23x
Formula: League Average / Player Career AveragePercentage Difference: 69.08%
Formula: (League Average – Player Career Average) / League Average × 100%
AB/HR
McGwire averaged one home run every 10.61 at-bats, an exceptional rate for a power hitter. This metric highlights his elite home run efficiency over his career. The combined AL/NL average during McGwire’s era was 34.31 at-bats per home run.
Raw Difference
McGwire required 23.70 fewer at-bats per home run than the league average, underscoring his superior power-hitting ability.
Improvement Factor
McGwire was 3.23 times more efficient at hitting home runs than the average hitter, a remarkable multiplier.
Percentage Difference
McGwire’s AB/HR was 69.08% better than the league average, illustrating his dominance relative to his peers.
McGwire’s 10.61 AB/HR is extraordinary, placing him among the greatest home run hitters in baseball history. His ability to hit a home run roughly every 10–11 at-bats is a testament to his raw power and consistency. An improvement factor of 3.23x and a 69.08% better AB/HR than the league average highlight McGwire’s dominance. Even in an era with inflated offensive stats, he stood out as a premier slugger.
In our initial case study, we analyzed the careers of prominent Japanese and Negro League sluggers, alongside MLB greats Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, and Joe DiMaggio for comparison.
Now, let's compare McGwire’s career statistics against these baseball legends to gain a clearer perspective on how he stacks up.
Mark McGwire’s statistics closely mirror those of Sadaharu Oh (25.66/3.41x/70.65%) and Buck Leonard (54.52/3.44x/70.97%).
According to Baseball Reference, Oh’s official statistics show 868 home runs over 9,250 at-bats, resulting in an average of 10.66 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
Leonard's Baseball Reference page reveal a total of 97 home runs across 2,163 at-bats, yielding an average of 22.30 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
Among the league leaders in home runs during the 1990s, we have analyzed the power-hitting careers of the following players:
Vladimir Guerrero (14.40/1.79x/44.23%)
Vinny Castilla (13.04/1.61x/37.95%)
Tino Martinez (12.08/1.58x/36.54%)
Shawn Green (10.13/1.47x/31.94%)
Sammy Sosa (20.59/2.42x/58.73%)
Ryne Sandberg (13.89/1.47x/31.84%)
Ron Gant (16.41/1.82x/44.95%)
Rob Deer (22.42/2.33x/57.06%)
Rafael Palmeiro (15.95/1.87x/46.43%)
Mo Vaughn (16.09/1.95x/48.82%)
Mike Piazza (17.68/2.09x/52.20%)
Mickey Tettleton (16.65/1.87x/46.47%)
Matt Williams (17.62/1.95x/48.75%)
McGwire’s top ranking in all three metrics—raw difference (23.70), improvement factor (3.23x), and percentage difference (69.08%)—establishes him as the premier home run hitter among 1990s sluggers.
His closest competitors are Rob Deer and Sammy Sosa, but McGwire consistently outperforms them, especially in improvement factor and percentage difference, where his lead is more pronounced.
The gap between McGwire and most other players (e.g., Piazza, Vaughn, Williams) is significant, and he far surpasses players like Shawn Green, Tino Martinez, and Ryne Sandberg.
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Mac as recently as 2015 ( I think) when speaking about his PED use, maintained that he had the strongest mind as a hitter during that period. Sadly we will never know. Outside of his strong discipline at the dish who knows?