Milestone and record watch

Entering the tenth season in this world, we are starting to see players reach important milestones. Here’s a look at some players who are making runs at some of these milestones and a few who might break some career records in years to come. (Note: All records are based on real-life Major League records.)


Home Runs
Billy Hernandez is just 47 home runs from becoming the first player in this world to hit 500 career home runs a number he could reach this season. Just 30 years old, Hernandez has a good shot at making a run at 762. At his current pace he will pass Barry Bonds in season 15 at the age of 35. And if he can stay healthy and play for the next 10 seasons, he could very well finish his career not only over the 800 mark, but dare I say over the 900 home run mark as well.
Others closing in on the 500 home run mark include 33 year old Sean O’Toole (410), and 31 year old Jonathan Cummings (358). 35 year old Homer Stein (373) and 37 year old Ramon Jang (371) also have outside shots at reaching the mark.

Stolen Bases
While 1,408 looked to be in reach for Nicholas Bryant just a few seasons ago, the 36 year old would have to average 90 stolen bases over the next four years to reach that. It’s not completely out of the question, but looks a lot tougher now. Danys Castillo, however may be the better bet to reach this mark. In six seasons, the 28-year old has 618 stolen bases. He is on pace to break the record in season 16 at the age of 34.


Hits
As many as three players could top the 2,000 hit mark this season. J.R. Lankford and Ken Hill are both 34 years old and Bryant is 36, so 3,000 looks out of the question for those three.

Wins and strikeouts
Chris Ramirez is on pace to reach the 300 win mark sometime in season 15 or 16. He’s currently the only pitcher age 30 or under with 150 wins or more. He’s only four seasons or so from becoming the first pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts. But as good as Ramirez is, he’s likely not going to reach marks of 511 and 5,714.

Saves
Frank Harris and Martin Baek both have 554 both have Trevor Hoffman in their sights, with Harris on pace to pass 563 in five seasons. But as Hoffman keeps picking up more saves it will become tougher for both these star closers to catch up.