Baseball has always been a sport of numbers. A Yankees broadcast recently set off a wave of curiosity online after a viewer noticed Trent Grisham’s unusual stat line. By late season, he had 33 home runs but only 9 doubles, giving him a ratio of 3.67. That sparked the question on reddit: has anyone ever had a more lopsided home run to double season?
The comparison quickly jumped to Roger Maris in 1961, who finished with 61 home runs against 16 doubles, a ratio of 3.81. From there the conversation widened. Some pointed to Albert Belle’s incredible year with 50 home runs and 50 doubles, a season that showed balance rather than imbalance. Soon, the thread became a treasure hunt through baseball’s oddest hitting records.
The Forgotten Legends of Power
Fans quickly brought up Harmon Killebrew, who in 1964 put together a season with 49 home runs and only 11 doubles. A user chipped in, “He also only had 56 hits. He had 118 strikeouts in only 299 at bats. His average was .187. Despite this he still put together a 105 OPS+ season because of his power and 56 walks.”
Another fan pointed to Mark McGwire’s final season, when he hit 29 home runs with only 4 doubles. Someone replied, “He also only had 56 hits. He had 118 strikeouts in only 299 at bats. His average was .187. Despite this he still put together a 105 OPS+ season because of his power and 56 walks.”
Barry Bonds was impossible to ignore. In 2001, he crushed 73 home runs and still managed 32 doubles, giving him a ratio of 2.28. Dave Kingman also earned a mention with 37 home runs and just 9 doubles in a season.
When the Numbers Flip
Not all the conversation was about home runs. Some fans flipped the script and highlighted players who racked up doubles but barely cleared the fences. George Burns in 1926 hit 64 doubles, the second most ever, but only managed 4 home runs, a staggering 16.0 ratio in the opposite direction. Another fan said, “That’s a remarkable stat.”
The discussion also brought up Eddie Robinson in 1955, who had 16 home runs to just 1 double. Others mentioned players who had seasons with multiple home runs but zero doubles, including John Mayberry and Earl Wilson. This showed that some players had seasons defined by towering home runs while others made their mark by peppering doubles into the gaps.
Grisham, Speed, and the Stadium Factor
The original debate started with Trent Grisham, and fans could not agree on why his ratio was so extreme. One comment read, “Grisham isn’t that fast.” Another fired back, “Fast enough to be a 2x gold glove winning center fielder.”
Some blamed his home park. One fan claimed, “Because he plays in a little league stadium for half his games and pop flies go out for another one on the HR tally.” Giancarlo Stanton’s 2022 season was also used as a comparison. A fan noted, “Last year Stanton hit 31 home runs and had 7 doubles. That comes in at 4.43.” The point was clear: sometimes the profile of a slugger simply leads to these unusual splits, regardless of speed or ballpark. These stats revealed baseball’s endless ability to surprise and for every Maris or Killebrew, there is a George Burns or Eddie Robinson, showing that the game has room for every kind of hitter.
