by William Menna

Created on: July 28, 2010

The Texas Rangers have long been one of the top home run teams in Major League Baseball. According to Baseball Reference, with more than 7,500 home runs, the Rangers have more long-balls than any other franchise that originated since the mid-20th century. The top five Texas Rangers all-time home run leaders include a pair of great players with the team throughout 1990s who led the organization to its only three playoff appearances - Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez.

Juan Gonzalez: 372 home runs

Outfielder Juan Gonzalez is the Texas Rangers all-time home run leader. Gonzalez was one of the best players in baseball in the 1990s and won a pair of American League MVP Awards, first in 1996 and again 1998. He cracked the Major Leagues in 1989 at just 19 years of age and became a full-time starter and big time power-hitter as a 21-year old in 1991. In 13 seasons with the Texas Rangers, he clubbed 40-plus homers five times, leading the AL in 1992 and 1993 with 43 and 46 jacks respectively.

Rafael Palmeiro: 321 home runs

The second leading home run hitter in Texas Rangers history is retired first baseman and DH Rafael Palmeiro. In a pair of five-year stints with the Rangers, Palmeiro tallied six 30 homer seasons. He twice notched his career high of 47 jacks with the Rangers, doing so in 1999 and 2001. He is a member of both the 3,000 hit and 500 home run clubs, doing most of his damage in each category as a Ranger. During his final ML season with the Orioles, Palmeiro became one of the first players, and at the time the most prominent, to officially test positive for a restricted performance-enhancing drug.

Frank Howard: 246 home runs

A member of the organization when it played as the Washington Senators, outfielder Frank Howard ranks third among the Texas Rangers all-time home run leaders. Howard was an elite power hitter in his prime, leading the American League in home runs twice as a Senator in a string of three straight years of 40-plus round-trippers. His career high of 48 home runs in 1969 is the third highest single-season total in Texas Rangers history, per Baseball Reference.

Ivan Rodriguez: 217 home runs

One of the greatest catchers in baseball both with the bat and behind the plate, Pudge Rodriguez sits fourth on the list of Texas Rangers all-time home run leaders. A member of the Rangers for 12 years from 1991 to 2002, Rodriguez had a string of ten straight years as both an All-Star and Gold Glove winner. In his prime, he was a great hitter who added plenty of power, stringing together five straight years of 20-plus home runs. With career best of 35 jacks and 113 RBI in 1999, he won the AL MVP; he was the first catcher to do so in 23 years. Now 20 years into his Major League career, Ivan Rodriguez remains a starting catcher, now with the Nationals.

Ruben Sierra: 180 home runs

Switch-hitting outfielder Ruben Sierra spent ten seasons in two stints with Texas to become one of the Rangers all-time home run leaders. Sierra was an above-average power-hitter for much of his career, the first seven years of which were spent in Texas. He had the only 30 homer season of his career as a Ranger in just his second Major League campaign in 1987. According to Baseball Reference, he breached the top ten league leaders in home runs only twice in his career, but he retired with more than 300 knocks in 20 ML seasons.

Learn more about this author, William Menna.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.