Chase Utley
Out of all the milestones that made it on this list, none is more painful than the one that Chase Utley is about to achieve.
The hit by pitch is one of the most painful acts while standing in the batter’s box. A 90-plus MPH fastball to the back can make any hitter look weak. And for Chase Utley, he currently sits at 199 hit by pitches.
The left-hander remains just one hit by pitch away from reaching the 200 HBP club. It might not be the most impressive milestone club, but nonetheless, it still takes skill to get hit 200 times. Crowding the plate can definitely give the hitter an advantage in this category.
Utley currently remains a free agent, but some team should look to sign the veteran 39-year-old before the season starts. When he reaches 200 HBP, he’ll become just the eighth player to ever do so.
That achievement won’t get much recognition, and not too many people probably realize how close Utley is to history in that category, but with that said, it still is an offensive category that helps the OBP stat line.
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The second baseman needs just one more painful at-bat to put himself in the record books with seven other guys in one of the most brutal categories in baseball.