Thursday baseball trivia: Can you guess the right player?

Each Thursday during the 2023 MLB season, we will have a trio of baseball trivia questions for you to mull over. It’s a break from the norm in our fantasy baseball coverage, and we hope you will take part and enjoy every week.

I couldn’t help but notice that Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers is currently sitting on 299 home runs as we enter play on Thursday. When he eventually joins the 300 Club, he will be one of only nine active players to have achieved that milestone.

I also couldn’t help but notice that, in the alphabetical sense, he’s in a league of his own. Among all active players (currently on a major league roster) whose last name starts with an F, Freeman is tops by over twice as many homers as the next closest individual — Wilmer Flores, with 132. And so, that’s where our Thursday trivia takes us this week — the alphabetical active HR hitter leaderboard.

As always, in the spirit of fun, three questions are before you. Three answers are required. We’re on the honor system here, so please no searching the internet for the answers. You just might be surprised at how much you actually remember! It’s as easy as A, B, C…

Question 1

Two members of the New York Mets are currently checking in at No. 1 in their “letter group” for home runs. Can you name both of these hitters? Remember, for all three of these questions, we’re only talking about players currently on their team’s MLB roster or on the big league IL.

Question 2

Normally, when it comes to “K” in the box score, we think of it as a bad thing for hitters. But what can you do if it’s the first letter of your last name? You can hit a lot of HRs, that’s what. Who is the current King of the Ks?

Question 3

Finally, we have to acknowledge that not all letters are created equal. C is for Cabrera and his 507 homers — so poor Nelson Cruz (462) will have to wait until Miguel Cabrera retires before he can claim top honors. Six other letters can claim HR leaders with over 300, with three more (including F for Freeman) with current leaders within eight of that milestone.

However, this question is about the other end of the spectrum. What current “letter leader” has the fewest career homers? (Hint: Not every letter actually has an active major leaguer with a last name that starts with it.)

Take your time and think about your answers, and when you’re ready to see if you’re right, click here.