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Boston Red Sox top five home run hitters in franchise history

By Sean Penney

Boston Red Sox David Ortiz (R) is congratulated his solo homer by teammate Manny Ramirez in the top of the first innings against Japan's Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition game in the Tokyo Dome on March 22, 2008.The Boston Red Sox managed a narrow 6-5 victory against Tigers in an exhibition game here, days ahead of the official season opening games against the Oakland Athletics. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox David Ortiz (R) is congratulated his solo homer by teammate Manny Ramirez in the top of the first innings against Japan's Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition game in the Tokyo Dome on March 22, 2008.The Boston Red Sox managed a narrow 6-5 victory against Tigers in an exhibition game here, days ahead of the official season opening games against the Oakland Athletics. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Ranking the best home run hitters in Boston Red Sox history based on a variety of factors extending beyond the total compiled with the franchise.

Moonshots, dingers, the long ball. The home run is the most captivating moment in baseball. The anticipation of a towering fly ball clearing the fence. The thrill of a game-changing scoring play. The display of raw power. Fans love watching home runs and the Boston Red Sox have been fortunate enough to have had their fair share of sluggers throughout their storied history.

Which of the power hitters to have worn a Red Sox uniform was the best at bashing home runs? That’s open to some debate. It would be easy to scan the franchise’s all-time list of home run leaders and rattle off the top five names. That’s not the goal here since longevity plays a significant role in compiling that list.

Dwight Evans was a great hitter but does anyone really believe he’s among the five best home run hitters in franchise history? Dewey only cracked 30+ homers a few times and his career-high is 34. That’s not going to cut it for this list despite that he racked up 379 home runs over nearly two decades in Boston.

On the other end of the spectrum we have Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest home run hitter in MLB history. Except he was mainly a pitcher during his years with the Red Sox. Only 49 of his 714 career home runs were hit during his tenure in Boston and the most he hit in a single season during that span was his final year with the club when he led the league with 29 home runs in 1919.

We need to find a middle ground. Longevity with this organization matters but a player can be viewed as a superior home run hitter without spending their entire career here. Likewise, a slugger with a massive ceiling might fall out of consideration if they didn’t spend much time in Boston.

There’s enough gray area to make this list subjective but here’s how I would rank the best home run hitters in Red Sox history.

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