By: Zach Reger
Miguel Cabrera is the latest MLB player to record his 3,000th hit. On Saturday, Cabrera hit a single into right field off of Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela to join the exclusive 3,000 Hit Club. Cabrera is now the 33rd player to ever achieve this feat. He also helped out the Tigers franchise by making them tied with Cleveland for having the most amount of players to record 3,000 hits (3).
Many teams have seen two players in their franchise record 3,000 hits, such as the Padres, the Tigers, the Twins, the Cardinals, the Yankees, the Orioles, the Pirates, and the Braves. Eleven franchises have one player hit their 3,000th career hit while wearing their uniform, which results in eleven teams without a hitter in the 3,000 Hit Club.
There is a reason there are such few players that have recorded 3,000 hits. To achieve this feat, players must have both longevity and consistency. Those are two characteristics that are difficult for baseball players, especially when some rookies get their first crack at the big leagues in their upper 20s. This has led to the discussion of if there will ever be another player to reach this exclusive club. Ryan Bunnel, the co-founder of the Going the Distance Sports Network, joined me to discuss this question.
Cabrera is the first player to reach the 3,000-hit milestone in the 2020s. Five players, however, hit the milestone in the 2010s, while five players also recorded their 3,000th hit in the 2000s. Seven players achieved this feat in the 1990s which is tied for the most in a single decade with the 1970s.
When it comes to who is next (if anyone), there are only a few players where it seems possible. Jose Altuve has 1,738 career hits but is already 32 years old and has begun making more and more trips to the injured list. Manny Machado is just under halfway there and is 29. If neither of them hit the milestone, then it will be the responsibility of the young superstars in the game right now. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis are all players who are only 23 years old and have been in the majors for a few years.
All 33 MLB players to reach this exclusive club are located in the table below.
