Red Sox Career Home Run Leaders: Ted Williams, David Ortiz Lead the Way

The Boston Red Sox have had more than their share of elite players smash baseballs over the Green Monster.

The list of Red Sox career home run leaders is loaded with players who spent all (or the overwhelming majority) of their careers in a Boston uniform; here's a look at the top 10 (as of Jan. 9, 2025):

Red Sox career home run leaders

Red Sox career home run list

1. Ted Williams (521 home runs)

Years with team: 1939-60
Games with team: 2,292
Acquired: Trade with San Diego (PCL) (Dec. 7, 1937)

Teddy Ballgame is the unchallenged home run leader in Red Sox history – but there were anxious moments provided by the guy right behind him. That said, Williams' lead would be a whole lot bigger had he not stepped away from the game to join the military during World War II. One of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Williams is a worthy No. 1 on this list.

2. David Ortiz (483 home runs)

Years with team: 2003-16
Games with team: 1,953
Acquired: Free agency (Jan. 22, 2003)

Released by the Minnesota Twins in December 2002, Ortiz signed on with the Red Sox just over a month later – and the rest, as they say, his home run history. Ortiz morphed into a larger-than-life superstar for one of the most storied franchises in baseball, hitting 40+ homers three straight years while helping Boston end an 86-year World Series drought in 2004.

3. Carl Yastrzemski (452 home runs)

Years with team: 1961-83
Games with team: 3,308
Acquired: Free agency (Nov. 29, 1958)

They called him "Yaz", and it's easy to see why. Understanding why his aura remains as strong as ever is just as simple to comprehend. Yastrzemski was an absolute force in his prime, leading the league in OPS four times, posting the AL's highest OBP on five occasions and racking up more than 3,400 career hits – including 452 home runs, good for third on this list.

4. Jim Rice (382 home runs)

Years with team: 1974-89
Games with team: 2,089
Acquired: Draft (15th overall, 1971)

Notice a theme? Rice is the third player on this list to have spent his entire career in Boston – and like the three guys ahead of him, Rice was a truly feared slugger in his prime. He led the AL in home runs three times, including a 46-homer outburst in 1978 that led to him earning AL MVP honors. He finished top-five in voting five other times, including his 1975 rookie season.

5. Dwight Evans (379 home runs)

Years with team: 1972-90
Games with team: 2,505
Acquired: Draft (Fifth round, 1969)

Another Boston lifer, Evans played all but 101 of his 2,606 career games for the Red Sox. And while he didn't have the same league-leading power of contemporaries Williams and Yastrzemski, Evans was as steady a power presence as you could find in the 1970s and 1980s, hitting 20 or more home runs on 11 occasions (including nine straight seasons from 1981-89).

6. Manny Ramirez (274 home runs)

Years with team: 2001-08
Games with team: 1,083
Acquired: Free agency (Dec. 19, 2000)

Compared to the five players ahead of him, Ramirez was a veritable hired gun, spending "only" parts of eight seasons in Beantown. But they were memorable, that's for sure: Ramirez finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in each of his first five seasons with the Red Sox, and averaged an incredible 34.3 home runs per season with Boston.

7. Mo Vaughn (230 home runs)

Years with team: 1991-98
Games with team: 1,046
Acquired: Draft (23rd overall, 1989)

Expectations were sky-high for the gregarious Vaughn, who showed prodigious power en route to being a first-round selection in 1989. And he rewarded fans' patience with an incredible run for the Red Sox that included four consecutive 35-home run seasons and an AL MVP award in 1995 when he belted 39 homers and drove in 126 runs.

8. Bobby Doerr (223 home runs)

Years with team: 1937-51
Games with team: 1,865
Acquired: Contract purchase (Nov. 22, 1935)

Doerr was a capable secondary option in the Red Sox offense, nowhere near as prolific as Williams but dependable in his own right. He was named to nine All-Star Rosters and finished as high as third in the MVP voting in 1946, but was known more as a run producer (driving in 100+ RBIs six times) than a power threat (producing just three 20-homer campaigns).

9. Jimmie Foxx (222 home runs)

Years with team: 1936-42
Games with team: 887
Acquired: Trade with Philadelphia (Dec. 10, 1935)

Foxx's major league resume is thoroughly impressive: He was a three-time MVP, won a Triple Crown, captured a pair of batting titles, was named an All-Star nine times and won a pair of World Series championships. And he would be a lot higher on this list if he had spent more than parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox (which produced one of those MVP wins).

10. Rico Petrocelli (210 home runs)

Years with team: 1963-76
Games with team: 1,553
Acquired: Free agency (July 2, 1961)

Another widely revered character in Boston's rich baseball history, Petrocelli flashed immense power potential with a 40-homer campaign in 1969, earning him seventh place in the AL MVP voting. He never did return to those lofty heights, and a litany of injuries prevented him from making major power inroads in his 30s.

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