Tulowitzki joins rare 200-homer club for shortstops
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki isn't letting a slump get in the way of his legacy.
On Friday, the five-time All-Star became just the 10th shortstop in major-league history to hit 200 home runs when he roped a line drive over the left-center wall at Arlington Park off Texas Rangers right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen. The two-run blast - Tulowitzki's seventh of the season - continued his ascension up the all-time leaderboard among shortstops who played at least half their careers at the position.
| Rk | Player | HR | G | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal Ripken | 431 | 3001 | 12883 |
| 2 | Miguel Tejada | 307 | 2171 | 9205 |
| 3 | Derek Jeter | 260 | 2747 | 12602 |
| 4 | Robin Yount | 251 | 2856 | 12249 |
| 5 | Jose Valentin | 249 | 1678 | 6317 |
| 6 | Vern Stephens | 247 | 1720 | 7241 |
| 7 | Jimmy Rollins | 231 | 2259 | 10187 |
| 8 | Nomar Garciaparra | 229 | 1434 | 6116 |
| 9 | Hanley Ramirez | 214 | 1362 | 5850 |
| 10 | Troy Tulowitzki | 200 | 1124 | 4744 |
(Courtesy: Baseball-Reference)
In terms of age, Tulowitzki's home run pace has been quicker than several of the names ahead of him on the list. Through his age-31 season, only six shortstops hit more homers than the California native, whose pace has slowed considerably in recent years due to health problems.
Tulowitzki hasn't hit more than 25 homers since 2011, and has averaged just 18 in the four seasons since.
Still, despite the injuries and early-season slump, Tulowitzki's body of work is impressive. Including this season, the slick-fielding defender is under contract for five more years - plus an option for 2021 - and at a modest pace of 15 homers annually, Tulowitzki would rank third all time in shortstop home runs behind Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada by the end of the 2020 campaign.
Entering play Saturday, Tulowitzki was slashing a career-low .175/.274/.357 over 146 plate appearances.