Mike Moustakas has a chance to blow Royals' home run record out of the water
Believe it or not, the Royals' record for home runs in a season is 36
By
Matt Snyder
•
2 min read
Remember Steve Balboni? Many will. Many won't. The stocky first baseman/designated hitter had a quick run as the Royals' primary power hitter in the mid- to late-'80s, averaging 29 home runs per season from 1984-87 in K.C. He won a ring as part of that 1985 Royals team, hitting .320 in the World Series.
In that same season, Balboni hit 36 home runs.
Almost amazingly -- given what we've grown accustomed to seeing since -- that mark still stands as the club record. That's right, no Royals player has ever reached even 37 home runs.
To put in perspective how amazingly low this is, here's a nugget: Seven teams in MLB history have had at least three players hit 36 or more home runs in a single season, including the 2016 Orioles and 2015 Blue Jays. A whopping 89 have had at least two players do so. The Royals have had only one in any season in their entire existence, per Baseball-Reference.
We bring this up not to mock the Royals' franchise -- even Royals fans have to think it's rather hilarious -- but instead to throw our eyes squarely on Mike Moustakas and maybe even Salvador Perez this season.
Perez has 15 home runs on the season. The Royals have played 73 games through Saturday. That puts him on pace for 33 home runs this season. So if he ups his pace, he could get there. Even if he falls short, there have only been 11 individual seasons in Royals history with at least 30 home runs.
Moustakas is the one with the real shot at the record. He's already more than halfway there. With 19 homers in 73 Royals games, Moose is on pace for 42 bombs. So he's got a buffer zone in there. He's even mixing in lefty-lefty homers off Chris Sale:
That screams history's on the way, doesn't it?
Compounding matters here is the recent report that the Royals aren't looking to sell in front of the trade deadline. Moustakas is a free agent after this season, so if the Royals were out of contention, he'd be a prime candidate to be dealt. They're playing good baseball right now, and it appears he's staying put. So the home run record is on the table.
Should Moose get to 40, the Royals would finally join every other team in baseball with a 40-homer season.
Here are the single-season record-holders for the other 29 franchises:
Giants, 73. Barry Bonds, 2001
Cardinals, 70. Mark McGwire, 1998
Cubs, 66. Sammy Sosa, 1998
Yankees, 61. Roger Maris, 1961
Athletics, 58. Jimmie Foxx, 1932
Tigers, 58. Hank Greenberg, 1938
Phillies, 58. Ryan Howard, 2006
Diamondbacks, 57. Luis Gonzalez, 2001
Mariners, 56. Ken Griffey Jr., 1997 and 1998
Pirates, 54. Ralph Kiner, 1949
Blue Jays, 54. Jose Bautista, 2010
Red Sox, 54. David Ortiz, 2006
Orioles, 53. Chris Davis, 2013
Reds, 52. George Foster, 1977
Indians, 52. Jim Thome, 2002
Rangers, 52. Alex Rodriguez, 2001
Braves, 51. Andruw Jones, 2005
Brewers, 50. Prince Fielder, 2007
Padres, 50. Greg Vaughn, 1998
White Sox, 49. Albert Belle, 1998
Twins, 49. Harmon Killebrew, 1969
Dodgers, 49. Shawn Green, 2001
Rockies, 49. Todd Helton, 2001; Larry Walker, 1997
Angels, 47. Troy Glaus, 2000
Astros, 47. Jeff Bagwell, 2000
Nationals, 46. Alfonso Soriano, 2006
Rays, 46. Carlos Pena, 2007
Marlins, 42. Gary Sheffield, 1996
Mets, 41. Carlos Beltran, 2006; Todd Hundley, 1996
Some fun trivia in there, no? Here's hoping Moustakas gets to 40 this season, giving the Royals fans something every other fan base has had in an individual, regular-season player.
