With his next hit, Atlanta Braves Catcher A.J. Pierzynski will have reached an impressive milestone for a catcher – 2000 hits.
Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski currently finds himself one hit shy of 2,000 for his career. When compared with other catchers, this accomplishment will put Pierzynski in some elite company. There are only eight players who spent a majority of their time at catcher who compiled 2,000 hits. That list includes: Ivan Rodriguez, Ted Simmons, Carlton Fisk, Jason Kendall, Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, and Johnny Bench.
Pierzynski is currently playing for his seventh major league ball club. So far this season the thirty nine year old catcher is hitting .256/.326/.282 in eleven games for Atlanta. Last season for the Braves Pierzynski played in 113 games and hit .300/.339/.430. It was easily his most successful season at the plate since 2012 with the White Sox. Tyler Flowers was acquired by Atlanta to back up Pierzynski, and Flowers has been behind the plate in eight games.
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Over nineteen major league seasons, Pierzynski has been a two time All-Star (2002 and 2006). However, his best offensive season was the aforementioned 2012 season. That year he hit .278/.326/.501 with an out of character 27 home runs. It’s the only season in his career that he’s cracked the 20 home run mark.
Once Pierzynski passes the 2,000 hit threshold, his next target will be Johnny Bench. Bench accumulated 2,048 hits from 1967-1983. Barring injury he should be able to accomplish that feat this season. The next person on the list, Gary Carter, will be a little more difficult to pass with 2,092 hits. However, that accomplishment is also doable this season. Beyond that Pierzynski will need to play an additional season to move up the rankings further. Mike Piazza and his 2,127 hits would be next.
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Currently Pierzynski is on a one year deal with the Braves for three million dollars. Atlanta’s addition of Flowers might make Pierzynski expendable at the end of this season. Prior to the 2016 season he will turn 40, and it’s looking more and more like his offensive resurgence in 2015 was an aberration.