Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera became the 100th MLB player to reach 2,500 hits and the eighth to do it by the end of their age 33 season.
Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera knocked a line drive single to right in the third inning of the Tigers’ 9-5 victory over the Indians on Sunday for the 2,500th hit of his career. Cabrera’s hit came off of Trevor Bauer and was the sixth hit he’s had off of Bauer in his career. Bauer shouldn’t feel bad, though. There are 84 pitchers who have allowed more hits to Miggy, including James Shields, who’s given up 24 of Cabrera’s 2,500 hits. Cabrera has crushed Shields in his career, hitting .375/.431/.672 off of the veteran right-hander.
At the age of 33, Cabrera is having another great season. His .309/.387/.545 batting line is a bit below his career mark of .320/.398/.561, but still 46 percent better than the average hitter when league and park effects are taken into account (146 wRC+). He’s helped his Tigers stay alive in the Wild Card race, as they sit just 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays with 13 games to play.
For those who like nice, round numbers, Cabrera is the 100th player in major league history to reach 2,500 hits. He’s also the youngest to reach 2,500 hits since Hank Aaron in 1967, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Even as he slows down a bit due to age, Cabrera has a good chance of reaching 3,000 hits within three years. He’s currently fifth in career hits among active players, trailing only Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols and Carlos Beltran. He’s also three years younger than the next-youngest player in that group (Pujols).
Cabrera’s 2,500th hit put him in an even more select group than the 100 hitters in the 2,500-hit club. He’s also just the eighth player in history to reach the milestone before the end of his age 33 season, joining an impressive group of all-time great hitters. Here is a look at the other seven players who have banged out 2,500 hits by their age 33 season.