Etc.

When talking home runs, don't forget White Sox stars

Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox recently passed iconic slugger Mickey Mantle on baseball's all-time list of leading home run hitters, with career round-tripper No. 537. While a notable achievement, that doesn't quite put him among the game's Top 10 (he's 14th). The only active player in that exclusive company is Thome's White Sox teammate Ken Griffey Jr., who ranks fifth behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays with 609 home runs. During the height of his career, in the 1990s, Griffey won the American League home run crown four times, including in 1997 and 1998, when he slugged a career high 56 homers each year with the Seattle Mariners. The leading home run hitters among still-active major leaguers (with their career totals through games of Sept. 14) and the teams they play for:

• 1. Ken Griffey Jr. White Sox 609
• 2. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees 551
• 3. Jim Thome, White Sox 538
• 4. Manny Ramirez, Dodgers 524
• 5. Frank Thomas, A's 521
• 6. Gary Sheffield, Tigers 496
• 7. Carlos Delgado, Mets 466
• 8. Chipper Jones, Braves 407
• 9. Jason Giambi, Yankees 393
• 10. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels 389