Some Recent MLB Milestones and More Coming Soon

Issue #96

Several players have reached counting-stat milestones already this year. So I thought I’d do a quick review of those achievements and consider who might be up next in several key categories. (All statistics are through June 11, 2023.)

Hits

The Pirates' Andrew McCutchen just notched his 2,000th hit recently—yet another feel-good story for Pittsburgh faithful during their surprising season. He is fifth amongst active players, as obviously Miguel Cabrera is the leader by a wide margin with 3,111, then we have Joey Votto at 2,093, Nelson Cruz at 2,043, and Elvis Andrus who reached 2,000 earlier this year and sits at 2,027.

Up next for 2,000 hits would seem to be Freddie Freeman as he currently has 1,992. Jose Altuve with 1,951 could follow this year as well, while Evan Longoria will likely make it eventually, but not this year I assume as he has 1,906.

Runs

Jose Altuve is about to score his 1,000th run as he has 999 through June 11th. Evan Longoria reached the 1,000 mark earlier this year, joining eight other active players with that many career runs. No one else is likely to reach 1,000 this year, as the next in line are Carlos Santana (942), Bryce Harper (936), Mookie Betts (923), and Charlie Blackmon (914).

Home Runs

Miguel Cabrera has 507 HR and Nelson Cruz has 462. Giancarlo Stanton has 383, so if he can stay healthy the 400 plateau is in reach this year. The 300-level was reached earlier this year by Nolan Arenado and Freddie Freeman (Trout, Votto, Longoria, and Goldschmidt also have over 300 HR), and is very much in reach for several other players such as J.D. Martinez (298), Andrew McCutchen (295), Anthony Rizzo (294), Manny Machado (289), and Bryce Harper (288).

RBI

Eight active players have over 1,000 RBI, and if he can stay healthy Giancarlo Stanton should be the next as he has 983. If not, then we might not see anyone reach that level this year as the next candidates are Carlos Santana (953), J.D. Martinez (946), Mike Trout (932), and Anthony Rizzo (921).

Doubles

McCutchen is about to hit the 400 mark here, as he sits at 399 through June 11. Paul Goldschmidt reached 400 recently as well, joining the four other active players with that many: Miguel Cabrera (614), Joey Votto (453), Freddie Freeman (438), and Evan Longoria (428). After McCutchen, Jose Altuve with 384 will presumably be the next to reach 400, with Nelson Cruz not likely to get there since he has 371.

Stolen Bases

Even with some increase this year, obviously we are not living in a golden age of stealing bases. The active leader at present is Elvis Andrus with 341, followed by Starling Marte (332) and Billy Hamilton (326). Jose Altuve doesn't run like he used to (18 last year, 2 so far in 15 games this year), but he has 281 career SB so could reach 300 either this year or next.

Wins

While fans don't track pitching wins as much as we used to, it would still be a nice feather in his cap for Justin Verlander to pick up four more victories to move from 246 to 250. And ditto for the 200 mark for Adam Wainwight, who has struggled this year and sits at 197 for his career. Kershaw reached 200 earlier this year and has 205, ranking him fourth amongst active leaders behind Verlander, Greinke (224), and Scherzer (206).

Strikeouts

Two pitchers are closing in on 3,000 Ks, with Zack Greinke closest at 2,932, followed by Clayton Kershaw with 2,900. Once they get there they'll be joining two other active pitchers in Max Scherzer (3,251) and Justin Verlander (3,231). After those four who have similar totals there is a big drop-off, as Adam Wainwright has 2,168 and Chris Sale has 2,135.

Saves

Earlier this year two relievers reached the 400 SV mark, with Kenley Jansen now at 405 and Craig Kimbrel at 403. Aroldis Chapman has done well in Kansas City this year, but he'll need to get back into a closer-role if he wants to extend his 317 career saves to the 400+ level. After Chapman there are pretty significant drop-offs for the next guys on the active list: Mark Melancon (262), Edwin Diaz (205), David Robertson (167), and Raisel Iglesias (166).

Did you know? I wrote a book with the same title as this Substack newsletter / blog: Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises. It was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports, the publisher of the annual Bill James Handbook and other popular titles. You can learn more about it at www.NowTakingTheField.com, or buy directly at Amazon and other booksellers.