One of the best things about sports is when a player, who has dedicated their life to the sport, reaches a milestone that few have reached before. Don't you just love it when fans have signs they can flip as players get closer to said milestones? Well, here are some players who have an opportunity in the years to come to join some of the elite clubs baseball has to offer.
3,000 Hits
It seems like a monumental task, doesn't it? To achieve 3,000 hits, a player needs to have 15 healthy seasons of 200 hits. No current MLB player is in this prestigious club. But expect a few to get there in the next two to three years.
As of Tuesday morning, Ken Griffey, Jr. stood at 2,774 hits, but I think he's running out of gas rather quickly. Already at age 40, Griffey would need two decent years of limited time to reach 3000 hits. His 2009 batting average of .214 tells me it would be rather difficult for him to reach 3,000 by the end of 2011. He'll need to play into 2012. Can he keep it together at age 42? I certainly hope so. Nobody deserves such an honor more.
Derek Jeter (2,771) will soon overtake Griffey as the top active hitter. At age 35, one can fully expect him to reach 3,000 hits barring any severe injuries that would be career-threatening. He should cross the 3,000-hit line in May or June of 2011.
Ivan Rodriguez can reasonably expect to reach 3,000 hits. He sits at 2,734 and has been fighting annoying injuries, but he is playing well and if he wishes to play another three seasons, he should reach his milestone considering his primary position of catcher.
Omar Vizquel (2,706) and Gary Sheffield (2,689) won't get enough playing time (especially considering Sheffield remains unsigned) to reach the mark. Five years ago, I would have said both could make it, but there has been significant drop-off in their production.
Alex Rodriguez (2,511) is only 34. He may find himself looking to cross the 3,500-hit mark before all is said and done.
In 2009, four players had 200 hits or more. In 2008, only three players had more than 200 hits. Only one had 200 in both seasons. That is, of course, Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki, who has had 200 hits in every season he has spent in Major League Baseball. In nine MLB seasons, Ichiro amassed over 2,000 hits. If you combine his Japan totals with his MLB totals, he already has over 3,000 hits. Even at 36-years-old, I still believe Ichiro will find his way to MLB's 3,000-hit mark. He simply doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Going down the list a bit farther, we find Albert Pujols (1,742). Pujols is the only relatively young player I have faith will reach 3,000 hits. I think Hanley Ramirez (792) has a good chance, but Pujols is the only player I see at 30 or under that stands out as well on his way.
500 Home Runs
This club has five current players resting in it. Ken Griffey, Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and the out-of-work Gary Sheffield.
If Griffey (630) stays around to achieve the aforementioned 3,000 hits, he could very well end up pretty close to 700 home runs.
Alex Rodriguez (585) had been my hope to overtake Barry Bonds and I still think he will, but his not being clean makes him less desirable as the champion of the home run club. I think Rodriguez can reasonably expect between 750 and 800 home runs before his career is over.
Jim Thome (567) has found a nice home in Minnesota. I think he'll end up playing into 2011 and cross the 600 home run mark.
Manny Ramirez (548) should also reach 600 in 2011. I'm don't trust him to achieve much beyond that.
Sheffield limped across the 500 mark last season, ending at 509. I don't know that he'll play another game and even if he does, he won't get near 600.
Carlos Delgado is next on the list at 473. He should have reached destination 500 in 2009, but injury prevented him. He expects to be back in early summer. He should have enough left to reach 500 eventually, but not much beyond.
Chipper Jones (428), Jason Giambi (409), and Jim Edmonds (383) don't have enough games left in their bodies to reach 500.
Vladimir Guerrero (409) is playing well at his new home in Texas. I expect his 500th to come, but not until early 2013.
Andruw Jones (394) just turned 33. He seems a lot older on the field, doesn't he? He also seems to be doing well with a change of scenery in Chicago. If the White Sox keep him around and throw him enough at bats, he should also reach 500 by 2013.
Albert Pujols is my hope for a clean record-holder in the home run category. He has 373 at the moment and unless Delgado makes a comeback should be the next player to reach 500. By the end of the 2014 season, he will be 35 and I expect him to be around 600. It's far too early to tell how well his body will handle aging, but 700 seems likely at this point. Topping Bonds (or Alex Rodriguez if he tops Bonds first) may be out of reach, but I think I speak for the general fan population outside of New York in saying, I hope Pujols will hold this record someday.
Adam Dunn (319) is the only other candidate I think can be put into the category of "he should make it." He's only 30 and still playing well. One can reasonably expect 30-40 home runs for the next few seasons which should put him close enough for him to glide across 500.
Prince Fielder (161) turns 26 next month. He certainly has a chance, but it's far too early to tell.
300 Wins
It would not be a bad bet to say that no current player will ever reach 300 wins.
There are no current players with more than 300 wins. There are no current players with 300 wins on the horizon for the next five years, but there are still some who might make it.
Jamie Moyer is 47-years-old. He has managed to reach 260 wins over a career that started before some current players were born. If he can pitch into his 50s, he'll reach 300 wins, but I just can't see it.
Of the remaining pitchers who are halfway to 300, only one will even start another 150 games, much less win very many at all and that is Roy Halladay. Halladay turns 33 in May and has 152 wins. Playing with the Phillies, many people are expecting not only 20 wins out of him, but perhaps 25. Four seasons of 25 wins would put him above 250 and he'd be 37. If he can keep his right arm healthy and live up to some admittedly high expectations, 300 is a possibility.
Tim Hudson (149) and Roy Oswalt (139) are in the same boat as Halladay, except Hudson is two years older and Oswalt is 23 wins behind and playing for a worse team.
C.C. Sabathia is a name that really jumps out on this list. He has 139 wins and turns 30 in July. The problem with Sabathia is that he is not the type of pitcher that typically can pitch into his 40s. Then again, neither was Nolan Ryan, but Sabathia's size would be the concern for me. He'll need to keep in good shape to keep winning games.
Mark Buehrle (137) is a name I really like to make 300. He looks like the type of guy that could pitch until he is 40 and perhaps beyond, which gives him at least nine seasons to win 163 games. That's about 18 games a season for nine years; 16 a season if he gets to 10 years. I think he could do it.
Then there is Johann Santana (124). Had Santana stayed with the Twins, I think he'd make it. As it stands, he has a long contract with a poor Mets team, I don't think he'll make it.
Touching on some very young players, Felix Hernandez (60) is only 24. He could turn into a dominant pitcher for the next 10 years and be well on his way or he could implode and never make it to 100 wins.
Tim Lincecum (44) turns 26 in June. He's in the same arena as King Felix, but older and behind in wins.
3,000 Strikeouts
Pedro Martinez (3,154) and John Smoltz (3,084) are both listed as active players with more than 3,000 strikeouts, but I doubt either will throw another major league pitch.
Next on the active list is Jamie Moyer (2,353), but I think he would have to pitch into his 60s to reach 3,000 punch-outs.
Javier Vazquez (2,271) is a mere 33. He may have another few good years in his right arm.
I truly like Johann Santana (1,755) to reach 3000 Ks. Even if the Mets are terrible, he'll still strike out plenty of batters, especially since his changeup is his strikeout pitch. That will never go bad.
Sabathia (1,613) should get there as well if his health can hold up.
Again, at 24, King Felix (841) and Lincecum (708) at 25 may very well find their way towards 3,000, but it is far too early to tell.
Other Milestones in the Immediate Future
Juan Pierre (468) should reach 500 stolen bases in 2010. He already has nine in 18 games for the White Sox.
Jason Kendall may be hit by a pitch for the 250th any day now. He sits at 249. Don't expect any player near that mark for another five to 10 years.
If Jim Thome (2321) plays for another two seasons, he will likely become the second player in major league history to strike out more than 2,500 times; the other being Reggie Jackson (2,597).
Jimmy Rollins (96), Johnny Damon (95), and Carl Crawford (93) could all hit their 100th triple of their careers this season. Unfortunately reaching 100 won't even put them in the top 100 for all-time in the category of triples.
Trevor Hoffman (594) should get save number 600 in the near future. He would be the first player to reach that milestone.
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