Baseball Milestones Within Reach

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Apr 1, 2010

Baseball Milestones Within Reach

Ken Griffey Jr.

With 30 home runs, The Kid will tie The Say Hey Kid for fourth all-time on the career home runs list. Fitting, since Junior chose to wear 24 for most of his career to honor his idol, Willie Mays.

Alex Rodriguez

He needs just one roundtripper to break a tie with Mark McGwire for 8th all-time in homers. Sixteen more and Rodriguez will become just the seventh player in history to attain 600 career home runs.

Carlos Delgado

Delgado, the only player since 2003 to hit four homers in a single game, can join the illustrious 500 home run club with 27 dingers in 2010. The Mets first baseman would be the first to reach the mark since Gary Sheffield launched number 500 last April.

Albert Pujols

Griffey eclipsed 400 at a younger age, and McGwire in fewer at-bats, but neither has been more reliable than Pujols. Since breaking into the majors in 2001, Pujols has been a model of consistency, swatting at least 32 homers in each of his nine seasons.

Jamie Moyer

The 47-year-old lefty made his major league debut with the Cubs in 1986. Since then, he's served up 491 home runs, including 10 to Manny Ramirez alone. With 15 more, Moyer will become the all-time leader in home runs allowed.

Johnny Damon/Chipper Jones/Manny Ramirez

Ramirez (2,494) Damon (2,425, pictured), and Jones (2,406) can top 2,500 hits in 2010. Each has played at least 15 big league seasons; Damon, 35, is the youngest of the trio.

Tim Wakefield

A 17-year vet and the longest tenured player on the 2010 Red Sox roster, Wakefield can top 200 wins with 11 this season. The notorious knuckleballer can also pass former ace Roger Clemens for most wins at Fenway Park with five more.

Trevor Hoffman

Hoffman can create a class of his own this season as nine saves would make him the only man in baseball history to amass 600 for a career. Considering the Brewers back-end man has notched at least 30 saves in each of his last six seasons, it should be no sweat.

Tony La Russa

Cardinals skipper Tony LaRussa would probably rather avoid this record, but he will likely take over the second all-time spot in losses by the end of the season's first month. Only Connie Mack has more career losing efforts.

Omar Vizquel

A three-time All-Star and 11-time Gold Glove winner, Vizquel is starting anew in 2010 with his fifth major league team in his 22nd season. His wizardry at shortstop has kept his career alive, despite being just a .273 career hitter.