All the talk on this post about Jim Rice's peak years, and the general value of having a high peak to a player's HOF chances, got me curious about who has led baseball in HR over each 5-year period.I did this using a summed Batting Season Finder, setting it to each 5-year period and then ranking by HR.

2003-2007: Alex Rodriguez, 220
2002-2006: Alex Rodriguez, 223
2001-2005: Alex Rodriguez, 240
2000-2004: Barry Bonds, 258
1999-2003: Sammy Sosa, 266
1998-2002: Sammy Sosa, 292
1997-2001: Sammy Sosa, 279
1996-2000: Mark McGwire, 277
1995-1999: Mark McGwire, 284
1994-1998: Mark McGwire, 228
1993-1997: Ken Griffey, 207
1992-1996: Albert Belle, 206
1991-1995: Albert Belle, 186
1990-1994: Cecil Fielder, 188
1989-1993: Fred McGriff, 174
1988-1992: Fred McGriff, 171
1987-1991: Mark McGwire, 175
1986-1990: Darryl Strawberry, 171
1985-1989: Darryl Strawberry, 163
1984-1988: Dale Murphy, 170
1983-1987: Dale Murphy, 182
1982-1986: Mike Schmidt, 181
1981-1985: Mike Schmidt, 175
1980-1984: Mike Schmidt, 190
1979-1983: Mike Schmidt, 199
1978-1982: Mike Schmidt, 180
1977-1981: Mike Schmidt, 183
1976-1980: Mike Schmidt, 190
1975-1979: Mike Schmidt, 180
1974-1978: Mike Schmidt, 171
1973-1977: Mike Schmidt, 168
1972-1976: Reggie Jackson, 149
1971-1975: Willie Stargell, 172
1970-1974: Willie Stargell, 181
1969-1973: Hank Aaron, 203
1968-1972: Hank Aaron, 192
1967-1971: Frank Howard, 198
1966-1970: Hank Aaron, 194
1965-1969: Hank Aaron, 188
1964-1968: Willie Mays, 181
1963-1967: Harmon Killebrew, 202

OK, I'm going to stop there. A few things to note:

• It's not tough to see why Mike Schmidt was a first-ballot HOFer, eh? Ten consecutive seasons where he was the 5-year cumulative HR leader.
• Compare that to Jim Rice, whose name is nowhere to be seen. (And I don't think he even finished a close second in any of these periods.)
• Two names that were surprises to me: Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy. I always knew that McGriff amassed impressive totals, but he never had any huge HR years. He was really steady, though.
• Mark McGwire is the only guy to appear here in two different phases of his career. He's the 1987-1991 leader, thanks in part to his 49-HR rookie year, and then he shows up again later during the Mark-n-Sammy show in the late 1990s. That's impressive. (Hank Aaron also appears here in non-consecutive years, but that was just a blip where Frank Howard beat him out over one 5-year period.)
• Check out the difference in numbers in the period from the late 1990s to early 2000s. There, each 5-year period was led with an average of 283 HR, or 56.6 dingers per year. Meanwhile, in Schmidt's 10 leads, he never topped 190 HR, or 38 dingers per year. Quite a difference. Even A-rod, the current leader with 220, has averaged "only" 44 dingers over the last 5 years.

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