Here’s Why Hank Aaron’s Stats Won’t Change with MLB’s Addition of the Negro Leagues To The Record Books

The Braves Home Run King wasn't given official ownership of baseball's home run record after the statistical update MLB made today

Billye Aaron, the widow of Atlanta Braves hall of fame player Hank Aaron, on the field with Georgia governor Brian Kemp and members of the 1974 Braves team as the Braves honor the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th career home run prior to the game against the New York Mets at Truist Park. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves franchise is represented among baseball by one of the all-time greatest players to ever do it, Hank Aaron. 

Long considered baseball’s home run king, “Hammerin’ Hank” passed the longtime career homer record of 714 owned by New York Yankees great Babe Ruth in 1974, finishing his career with 755 career homers. This record stood until being broken by San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds in 2007, when he clubbed 28 homers in his age-42 season to finish his career with 28. 

Owing to controversy surrounding Bonds’ increased late-career performance in the midst of baseball’s steroid era, including implications that Bonds was involved in the BALCO scandal to distribute and supply major leaguers with then-undetectable steroids, Bonds missed out on induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and many across the sport maintain that Aaron, not Bonds, holds the homer record. 

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball officially announced the addition of years of Negro League stats to baseball’s official record books, changing who holds several single-season and career records in the history of the sport. Josh Gibson, a Negro League catcher and outfielder, has been given several prominent offensive records, including single-season and career batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.   

Given that Aaron played for a Negro League team, spending several months with the Indianapolis Clowns in 1952 before beginning his minor league journey, many across the sport have expressed hope that Aaron’s Negro League stats can push him above those of Bonds for career home runs. 

Unfortunately, that’s not going to come to pass. Major League Baseball’s recognition of seven different Negro Leagues as Major Leagues, which was announced in 2020, encompassed specific years of operation that MLB researchers and statisticians determined had comparable quality to the official Major Leagues at the time, a league in which Negro League players were prohibited from joining due to the color of their skin. 

The seven leagues that comprised the Negro Leagues of 1920-1948 were the Negro National League (I) (1920–1931); the Eastern Colored League (1923–1928); the American Negro League (1929); the East-West League (1932); the Negro Southern League (1932); the Negro National League (II) (1933–1948); and the Negro American League (1937–1948).

The reason that the five home runs Hank Aaron reportedly hit for the Indianapolis Clowns don’t increase his official total of 755 is due to when he played for the team - 1952, outside the scope of when those leagues were recognized as official Major Leagues. 

This choice of years dates back to the integration of Major League Baseball. After Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, many of the best players in the Negro Leagues left for MLB and not only did the overall quality level of the Negro Leagues drop, but several shuttered all together. 

You’re still welcome to consider Hank Aaron the true home run king - many still do, including myself - but Major League Baseball wasn’t able to make that official today.