With Miguel Cabrera’s ascension to the 3000 hit club, there have been plenty of questions about how long it will take for another player to reach that milestone. The general assumption is that it will be a long time, possibly decades, until that happens. However, thanks to San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, it may not take as long as expected.
As it stands right now, Machado is well on his way to joining that exclusive club. He has 1471 hits entering Thursday’s action, 19th amongst active players. What makes his place on that list so interesting is that he is the only player in the top 30 on the active hits list that is currently under 30 years old.
San Diego Padres could get another member of 3000 hit club in Manny Machado
Machado is staring that milestone birthday down. He will turn 30 on July 6 this season, reaching the unofficial midpoint of his prime. He is also not showing any signs of slowing down as he may be in the midst of a career year.
Heading into Thursday, Machado leads the majors with 47 hits and a .383 batting average. He leads the National League in the rest of the triple slash line categories, with a .460 on base percentage and a .625 slugging percentage. After some early season concerns about his lack of power, Machado has hit seven homers and eight doubles on the year.
He has already had an impressive career. A five time All Star, Machado won a Silver Slugger in 2020 and has finished in the top five in the MVP vote three times. Chances are, he will be adding to those totals this season.
As he does, the hits will keep dropping in. Machado will slowly climb up the active and all time leaderboards. While time may eventually catch up with Machado, he has enough of it left where the 3000 hit club is not an impossibility.
Manny Machado is closing in on his 1500th career hit. The San Diego Padres third baseman may be the next member of the 3000 hit club.