Question About Homeruns

Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Leron Lee is the all time foreign home run leader with 283. I thought it was Ralph Bryant, who was both a home run and strikeout machine (whiffed 40% of the time), but it is the excellent Mr. Lee, who, between 1977 and 1987, batted .320 while with the Lotte Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines) as its leftfielder and designated hitter.

Lee established himself immediately, winning the PL home run (34) and RBI (109) titles in his first season. He also grabbed a batting title three years later with a .358 mark as he slammed 33 dingers and plated 90 runners.

Second to Lee was former Minnesota Twin Greg "Boomer" Wells, who was with the Hankyu Braves (later the Orix Blue Wave) from 1983-1992 and went yard on 277 occasions during that span. Wells, who was beaten out by a fellow you may have heard of in Minneapolis named Kent Hrbek, compiled a .317 lifetime batting average in Japan. The remarkable thing about Boomer was that for a power guy he rarely struck out, fanning only 333 times in 4451 at bats, or just a little over 8%. He was one of the few players to win a Triple Crown, a feat he accomplished in 1984 by hitting .355 with 37 homers and 130 RBIs, which also got him the league MVP. In addition, he took a batting crown in 1989 with a .322 mark. He had back to back 40 homer seasons in 1986-87, his career high being 42 during the former campaign.

As for the ex-Dodger Bryant, he sent 259 balls over the wall between 1988-95 for Kintetsu. If I'm not mistaken, though, Bryant does hold the all time PL single season record by a foreigner for homers with 49 in 1989. Randy Bass holds the all time Japanese single season record for longballs by a foreigner with 54 while he was with Hanshin in the mid-80's.

If I'm recalling correctly, Leron, whose brother Leon also had a fine career in Japan, is now working in the Cubs' international scouting department while Wells has acted as a player agent and adviser. I have no idea what Bryant is doing these days.

Leron Lee is a businessman working and living in Northern California. He is a principal in a firm, Pro Aim High, which works with professional athletes all over the world in a multitude of sports directing camps, appearances, private signings etc.

Leron is looking to establish his organization throughout the Pacific Rim in 2002.

If I'm not mistaken, though, Bryant does hold the all time PL single season record by a foreigner for homers with 49 in 1989. Randy Bass holds the all time Japanese single season record for longballs by a foreigner with 54 while he was with Hanshin in the mid-80's

Both of these marks were eclipsed by Tuffy Rhodes' 55 homer season for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2001.

Actually, Boomer Wells spent his last year in Japan with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. That year he also led the league in RBIs with 97, but was not invited back the next year. The rumor I heard was that he wanted to return, since he would have easily eclipse Lee HR total (being only 6 behind), but was not given that chance even though he led the league in RBIs. (He did tail off the end of 1992.) He was one of the best pure hitters I have ever seen, usually hitting the ball hard even when he made an out. He held the record for the longest HR in Japan (I believe) until Cabrerra's (Lions) recent blast in the Seibu Dome. I witnessed Boomers 528 foot blast at Nishinomiya, which was one of the most memorable sights I have seen in baseball anywhere. Other rumors have it that he is presently involved in contacts between Japanese teams and American players.