Two ways to compare home run hitters is to look at the number of seasons where they slugged forty (40) or more home runs and the second is to look at the average number of At Bats it took to hit a home run. This methodology is independent of longevity and is much more of an indication of raw home run hitting talent.

The "40+ Home Run" chart below shows that Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were the most feared home run hitters of all time and that Eddie Murray was the least feared of Major League baseball's 500+ home run hitters.  While Babe has 11 seasons of 40+ home runs, Murray never hit more than 33 in one season. 

The "At Bat/Home Run" chart demonstrates that Mark McGwire is the most feared and that Eddie Murray was the least feared of this elite group of sluggers.  Mark hit a HR every 10.61 at bats, while Eddie averaged a HR every 22.49 at bats.  Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are currently 3rd and 5th place, respectively.

2010

Jim Thome, who should hit his 600th HR next year, is quietly one of the great sluggers of all time. He currently sits fourth in AB/HR ratio by hitting one home run every 13.53 at bats. At the age of 40, he hit 25 HRs in only 276 plate appearance for an unbelievable rate of 1 HR per 11.04 ABs.

Player	70+ HRs	60-69 HRs	50-59 HRs	40-49 HRs	# Seasons with 40+ Home Runs	Total Points*	Highest HR Total
Babe Ruth		1	3	7	11	16	60
Sammy Sosa		3	1	3	7	14	66
Mark McGwire	1	1	2	2	6	13	70
Barry Bonds	1	0	0	7	8	11	73
Alex Rodriguez**		0	3	5	8	11	57
Willie Mays		0	2	4	6	10	52
Ken Griffey, Jr.		0	2	5	7	9	56
Harmon Killebrew		0	0	8	8	8	49
Hank Aaron		0	0	8	8	8	47
Jimmie Foxx		0	2	3	5	7	58
Jim Thome**		0	1	5	6	7	52
Mickey Mantle		0	2	2	4	6	54
Ernie Banks		0	0	5	5	5	47
Rafael Palmeiro		0	0	4	4	4	47
Eddie Matthews		0	0	4	4	4	47
Mike Schmidt		0	0	3	3	3	48
Reggie Jackson		0	0	2	2	2	47
Willie McCovey		0	0	2	2	2	45
Frank Robinson		0	0	1	1	1	49
Ted Williams		0	0	1	1	1	43
Mel Ott		0	0	1	1	1	42
Eddie Murray		0	0	0	0	0	33

* Total Points = 4, 3, 2 or 1 points are awarded for seasons with 70+, 60-69, 50-59, or 40-49 home runs, respectively.  Includes 2012 HR totals.

* These numbers include the 2012 batting statistics.
** Active player