The v30 Club is an impossible mission if you play for one team your entire career
The Latest
August 31, 2024 – Pete Alonso hits a home run on Chicago’s south side to become the third player to max his ledgers with one team.
August 29, 2024
Jose Altuve did not hit a home run against the Phillies over a three game series that concluded yesterday. He’ll look to max out next year when the Astros host the Phillies June 24-26, 2025.
Yordan Alvarez homered against the Phillies last night for ledger #25 which moves him into the Waiting in the Wings class.
Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso both look to hit their 29th in series against the Cardinals and White Sox starting tomorrow.
August 25, 2024 – Rafael Devers hits his 200th career home run against the Diamondbacks which is also his 29th ledger. He debuted with Red Sox in 2017.
Introduction and Methodology
A maxed out player is the little cousin of a v30 Club member. Maxed out means that a player has hit a home run against every possible opponent that their team’s schedule allowed in a given season.
Maxing out has taken on different looks over the years, but for our purposes in this article we are tracking a very specific kind of max-out situation. There are very few players who have either achieved or come close to maxing out with only a single franchise. Until 2003, this task was impossible. Between 2003 and 2023 it was improbable. After 2023 it has become more likely, but it’s still is not an easy club to join.
The Maxed Out Members
There are two single-franchise players who have maxed out. I’ve included their basic contract details to give a very rough idea of when they might have a chance to join the “big” v30 Club (by virtue of them being transacted to another team).
Austin Riley, Braves
Maxed on: April 1, 2024
Maxed against: White Sox
Debut year: 2019
Signed with Atlanta through 2033
Rafael Devers, Red Sox
Maxed on: August 25, 2024
Maxed against: Diamondbacks
Debut year: 2017
Signed with Boston through 2033
Pete Alonso, Mets
Maxed on: August 31, 2024
Maxed against: White Sox
Debut year: 2019
Becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season
The 2024 On-Deck Possibilities
These are the players that either started the 2024 season needing a single team to max out or have ledgered their way to being one away.
Jose Altuve, Astros
2024 ledgers: None
Needs: Phillies
Status: Did not homer when the Astros and Phillies met for three games starting August 26
Aaron Judge, Yankees
2024 ledgers: None
Needs: Cardinals
Status: The Yankees and Cardinals meet for three games starting August 30
Salvador Perez, Royals
2024 ledgers: Marlins, Mets, and Phillies
Needs: Braves
Status: The Royals and Braves meet for three games starting September 27
Mike Trout
2024 ledgers: None
Needs: Pirates
Status: Did not play against the Pirates in May due to injury.
The 2024 Pre-Maxers
Two players began the 2024 season in a maxed-out state.
Francisco Lindor, Mets
Anthony Rizzo, Yankees
Waiting in the Wings
These are the players who have amassed between 25 and 28 ledgers with their only team. Their hits, misses, and remaining opportunities in 2024 are listed.
Charlie Blackmon, Rockies: Missed Rays and Blue Jays
Alex Bregman, Astros: Missed Braves; Padres on schedule
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: Ledgered against Reds; missed Brewers and Pirates
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: Ledgered against Astros; missed Orioles, Guardians, and Mariners
José Ramírez, Guardians: Ledgered against Pirates; Missed Braves and Phillies
Kyle Tucker, Astros: Ledgered against Brewers; missed Cubs and Giants; Reds on schedule
Gunnar Henderson, Orioles: Ledgered against Diamondbacks, White Sox, Astros, Twins, Phillies, and Mariners; missed Braves, Cubs, Reds, and Padres
Jonathan India, Reds: Ledgered against Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, and Blue Jays; missed Angels, Mariners, and Athletics; Guardians on schedule
Max Kepler, Twins: Ledgered against Nationals; missed Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, and Cardinals
Ryan McMahon, Rockies: Ledgered against Red Sox, Twins, Athletics, and Rays; missed Guardians, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles
Bryan Reynolds, Pirates: Ledgered against Rays and Blue Jays; missed Orioles, Astros, Twins, and Athletics
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: Missed Dodgers, Marlins, and Padres; Braves on schedule
Yordan Alvarez, Astros: Ledgered against Phillies and Giants; missed Cubs, Marlins, and Pirates; Reds on schedule
From the Past
There are only two inactive players who had an opportunity to max out with a single franchise, further underscoring how uncommon the feat has been.
Frank Thomas, White Sox: Pittsburgh became the last team Thomas needed on June 8, 2005, but he did not square off against the Pirates during the remainder of his White Sox career which ended at the end of 2005.
Todd Helton, Rockies: The White Sox became the last team Helton needed on May 18, 2008. He would face them six more times this during the remainder of his career which was spent entirely with the Rockies.
Finally, here are career single-franchise players with 150 or more career home runs who played into 2003 or later along with the number of ledgers they collected.
Jeff Bagwell (23)
Craig Biggio (24)
Ryan Braun (24)
Andre Ethier (20)
Alex Gordon (25)
Bobby Higginson (20)
Ryan Howard (27)
Derek Jeter (22)
Chipper Jones (25)
Barry Larkin (18)
Edgar Martínez (18)
Yadier Molina (24)
Jorge Posada (26)
Buster Posey (22)
Tim Salmon (18)
Kyle Seager (25)
Jason Varitek (24)
Joey Votto (27)
Bernie Williams (21)
David Wright (22)
Ryan Zimmerman (26)
