Milestones of greatness
These statistical barriers are likely to be conquered in the coming season
Nobody knows when — or even if — baseball will launch its 2022 season.
The schedule pegs March 31 as opening day, but the actual start will depend upon the pace of progress at the negotiating table, as owners and players slowly (very, very slowly) hammer out a new labor agreement.
The lockout is a boring topic that it is being greatly discussed in other forums, so let’s wave it off here. You know what’s more entertaining on these cold midwinter days? Indulging in summer dreams of heroics to come.
Below is a rundown of eight statistical milestones that are likely to be reached by baseball’s brightest stars in 2022. Precise dates depend on that pesky labor contract, of course, but the odds of success seem reasonably high in all eight cases.
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3,000 games
Albert Pujols (2,971) is just 29 games short of this milestone, which has been passed by only nine players in big-league history. Pujols finished 2021 with the Dodgers, though he entered the lockout as a free agent. He says he wants to continue playing, but a return to Los Angeles seems unlikely. He won’t be able to sign with any club until the labor dispute is resolved.
1,000 runs
This isn’t a terribly exclusive number. A total of 343 major leaguers have crossed home plate at least 1,000 times. But only seven active players belong to that group. Freddie Freeman (969) and Mike Trout (967) are highly likely to join them in 2022. Trout is entrenched with the Angels, but Freeman is a free agent this offseason. The smart money is on him signing a new contract with the Braves.
3,000 hits
This, of course, is one of the grandest milestones of them all. Thirty-two batters — including 26 Hall of Famers — are members of the 3,000 club. Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is knocking on the door, currently sitting in 33rd place with 2,987 hits. He rapped 121 last year, so there’s no doubt about his ability to reach 3,000 shortly after the season starts.
300 home runs
This isn’t the preeminent landmark for sluggers. Five hundred homers is their magic number. But nobody is situated to reach 500 — or 400, for that matter — in the season ahead. Paul Goldschmidt of the Cardinals (280) and Freeman (271) could reach 300 if they post their usual numbers in the coming season. Other contenders are Goldschmidt’s teammate in St. Louis, Nolan Arenado (269), and Bryce Harper of the Phillies (267).
1,000 runs batted in
Pujols leads all active players with 2,150 RBIs, and seven others who played in 2021 also sit in four figures for their careers. Yadier Molina of the Cardinals is poised to join them. He finished last season with 998 RBIs. Freeman (941) is also a solid bet to reach 1,000 before the final pitch of 2022.
200 wins
Remember when 300 was the ultimate number for pitchers? It seems unlikely that anybody currently active will ever reach that threshold, not in an era of five- and even six-man rotations. But 200 is manageable. Jon Lester got there with St. Louis last year, and Max Scherzer of the Mets (190), Clayton Kershaw (185), and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (184) are closing in on the prize. Kershaw is currently a free agent after 14 seasons with the Dodgers.
400 saves
Only six relievers have reached this milestone in big-league history. Craig Kimbrel (372) has an outside chance of becoming the seventh in 2022. There’s no doubt about his ability — he racked up 23 saves for the Cubs in just four months last year. But Kimbrel is currently in a setup role with the White Sox, presenting virtually no opportunities to add to his save total. Perhaps a trade will clear his path?
2,000 strikeouts
The big total in this category is 3,000, last reached by Justin Verlander in 2019 and Scherzer in 2021. Next up is Zack Greinke, formerly of the Astros and now a free agent, with 2,809. But he no longer seems to have the necessary stuff to register 191 strikeouts in a single season. The lesser benchmark of 2,000 is more likely to fall this year, with Ervin Santana (1,978), a free agent who pitched for the Royals in 2021, and Madison Bumgarner of the Diamondbacks (1,948) within striking distance, so to speak.