With Gary Sheffield's 500th career home run last night at the new Citi Field, Sheff entered a group that includes only 24 other men - quite a feat considering the hundreds and hundreds that have played major league baseball.
It got us to thinking about what other baseball milestone could be achieved this season. By the way, props to Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye for not only hitting their 300th career home runs but doing it back-to-back. Now that is pretty awesome.
(Much thanks to Adam Darowski from BaseballTwit.com for the assistance. You can follow Adam on Twitter (@baseballtwit) and yours truly (@joshnason) if you desire.
Home Runs
Carlos Delgado (28 from 500), Jason Giambi (4 from 400), Vlad Guerrero (7 from 400), Jim Edmonds (18 from 400)
Delgado
Hot on Sheff's heels for 500 is Delgado, a 17-year veteran who is coming off a 38 blast season in '08 with the Amazin's. One of the more undervalued power threats in the National League, Delgado has been a measure of consistency throughout his career and with three homers already this season, attaining another 28 shouldn't be an issue unless injury gets in the way.
Giambi
Back in Oakland where it all began (facial hair and all), Giambi is single digits away from the 400-plateau. After an awful '07, he slugged 32 homers and drove in 96 last season with the Evil Empire. But released from the pinstripes and with an improved lineup in Oakland that includes Matt Holliday hitting behind him, the Giambino could make a nice dent toward 500 this season in the Bay.
Guerrero
The one Vlad image I can't get out of my head is him hobbling around the bases in last season's ALDS...he just looked so old. Just seven away from 400, Guerrero has hit at least 25 homers per year since '98 but is out for a month with an injury. 400? No doubt. 500? Only if his body will let him.
Edmonds
Currently a free agent, it's doubtful that Edmonds will hit the 400 mark for his career. Although he hit 19 a season ago in a season of service with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, the 38-year-old is now the guy that will get the call due to a major injury to someone else. At this stage, I wonder if he'll even be interested in answering the phone.
Strikeouts
Randy Johnson is just 199 strikeouts away from 5000
Johnson begins the year on two statistical quests (more on the other in a bit) with the San Francisco Giants. So far, he's managed just 12 strikeouts in two starts but the mark is possible if he can hit around 25 starts this season and perform up to par in those efforts.
Two years ago, he went 11-10 and fanned 173 in 30 starts. For a guy known so much for strikeouts, it seems fitting that he gets to this mark but given his age and the situation, he is probably going to need two seasons to do it.
Johnson currently stands 2nd all-time behind Nolan Ryan's 5,714.
Saves
Mariano Rivera (15 from 500), Billy Wagner (15 from 400), Jason Isringhausen (7 from 300)
Rivera
There can't be much more said about Rivera, who is the mark of consistency among closers. At 39 years of age, he still posted 39 saves and a 1.40 ERA last season - his lowest since 2005. At the time of this writing, he's yet to give up a run in three games and already has three saves. To say he's getting 500 and then some is about the easiest money bet you can get.
Isringhausen
Izzy has had an interesting career, once regarded as part of the Big Four with the New York Mets that never materialized. In '99, he began closing games and in a short stint with Oakland and in the last seven seasons with St. Louis, has become one of the more dependable second tier closers in baseball.
2008 was one of his worst seasons to date (12 saves and a 5.70 era in 42 games) and he has yet to throw this year, but at some point, I think it's safe to say that he can attain seven saves. Whether that will be with his new Tampa Bay Rays team is tough to say as he started the season on the D.L.
Wagner
While a non-factor in '09 due to injury, his status warranted a mention here. Look for this mark to fall in '10.
More after the jump...
<!-- my page break -->Wins
Randy Johnson (5 from 300), Jamie Moyer (3 from 250), Tim Wakefield (21 from 200)
Johnson
Told you we'd get back to him. He hasn't done much this year to cut into that total with two losses in two games, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut and Johnson will get to 300 sooner or later. When he does, he will be the last one for a long, long, time....
Moyer:
...unless this guy miraculously does. No one is quite sure how he does it, but year after year, Moyer continues to pitch and do so effectively. The past two seasons, he's thrown 33 starts a year and has win totals of 14 and 16 in both.
At 46 years old, Moyer is 2-0 on the early season and has made overtures that he wants to pitch until he's 50. Seems implausible, but so does getting 16 wins and a World Series ring in your late-40's.
Wakefield
Since this is a Boston sports blog, it wouldn't seem right if we didn't at least mention one player closing in on a record. Similar to Moyer, the 42-year-old Wakefield is defying Father Time by still going out every five days on the mound.
Armed with a knuckleball and a good offense, Wakefield has 27 wins in the past two seasons and damn near came close to a no-hitter last week. 22 wins in the next two seasons?
Seems plausible to me, but I wonder if the Red Sox will continue to hold the spot for him with so many young pitchers (Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden) on the horizon. Then again, Wakefield has gone this long surviving. What's another couple seasons?
Josh Nason is the publisher and head writer for Small White Ball, a New England-based sports and media blog. He can be reached at josh [at] smallwhiteball [dot-com]. He joined up with Bleacher Report in 2008 and achieved Columnist status in 2009.
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