MLB Records, Milestones That Could Go Down in 2015's 2nd Half
It's been said that records are made to be broken, but sometimes the milestones reached on the journey are just as memorable as the record-breaking moment itself.
We've already seen Alex Rodriguez become the 26th member of baseball's 3,000 hit club this season, while Mike Hessman's 433rd career home run—a grand slam, nonetheless—made him the all-time home run king of the minor leagues, breaking a record that stood for nearly eight decades.
While some truly notable milestones remain just out of reach for a handful of players this season—Ichiro Suzuki isn't going to pick up the 92 hits to join Rodriguez in the 3,000 hit club, for example—there are some we could see fall before season's end.
Is another player going to join Adrian Beltre and Miguel Cabrera as the newest members of baseball's 400 home run club? Could we see someone crack the 500 home run plateau? Is there a pitcher with a chance to put his name alongside one of the legends of the game?
Let's take a look.
Mark Teixeira: 400 Home Runs
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Current HR Total: 393
HR Needed: 7
Projected Milestone Date: Sept. 12 vs. Toronto
Mark Teixeira's remarkable resurgence finds the switch-hitting slugger not only rewriting the record books, but sitting on the verge of joining one of baseball's most exclusive fraternities.
He set a new major league record on July 31, going deep from both sides of the plate in the same game for the 14th time, breaking a tie with former teammate Nick Swisher, and now sits within shouting distance of becoming the 54th member of baseball's 400 home run club.
Teixeira very well may have already reached this milestone were it not for a wrist injury he suffered preparing for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, an injury that ultimately required surgery to repair and limited his production for two years.
"It (the wrist) feels great. I've said it since spring training, I feel really good," Teixeira told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I feel strong, the wrist is healthy, and that's all I can really ask for."
Well, that and seven more home runs.
With the way Teixeira has been swinging the bat, hitting .373 with 13 extra-base hits (seven home runs) since the All-Star Break, he's got a legitimate chance to hit his 400th career home run before Labor Day arrives.
Albert Pujols: Multiple Milestones
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Pujols' Milestones
| Doubles | 583 | 575 | 8 | Sept. 25 vs. SEA |
| Home Runs | 555 | 550 | 5 | Aug. 30 at CLE |
| RBI | 1,700 | 1,669 | 31 | Sept. 29 vs. OAK |
| Runs | 1,600 | 1,576 | 24 | Sept. 21 at HOU |
The days of Albert Pujols being a .300 hitter may be in the past, but the 35-year-old remains one of baseball's most prolific run producers, continuing to add to his already impressive Hall of Fame resume.
When Pujols finally reaches all of the above milestones, he will join Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro as the only players in baseball history with at least 550 home runs, 580 doubles, 1,600 runs scored and 1,700 RBI for their careers.
For obvious reasons, some will totally disregard the last two names on that list, making it a two-man club that includes only Aaron and Pujols.
Pujols' 583rd double will put him in a tie for 18th place all time with Robin Yount, while his 555th home run will find him tied with another face of the performance-enhancing drugs era, Manny Ramirez, for 14th place on the all-time list.
Alex Rodriguez: Multiple Milestones
3 of 6A-Rod's Milestones
| Games Played | 2,700 | 2,669 | 31 | Sept. 14 at TB |
| Hits | 3,060 | 3,039 | 21 | Sept. 1 at BOS |
| Runs Scored | 2,000 | 1,983 | 17 | Sept. 8 vs. BAL |
Having already hit his two big milestones on the season—his 3,000th career hit and passing Willie Mays for fourth on baseball's all-time home run list, Alex Rodriguez has a chance to reach three smaller milestones before the end of the 2015 regular season.
With 21 more hits, he'll tie Craig Biggio, recently enshrined in the Hall of Fame, for 20th on the all-time list, while 2,700 career games and 2,000 runs scored are both within his reach.
As for becoming the fourth member of baseball's 700 home run club and challenging the immortal Babe Ruth (714 home runs) for third place on that list, that's going to have to wait until the 2016 season, as he sits 22 home runs shy of 700 and 36 behind the Bambino.
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A.J. Burnett: 2,500 Strikeouts
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Current SO Total: 2,484
SO Needed: 16
Projected Milestone Date: To be determined
Expected to be out until early September with a flexor strain in his right elbow, it's nearly impossible to project when A.J. Burnett will get back on the hill, much less record the 2,500th strikeout of his career.
But with the 38-year-old retiring at season's end, you can be sure he's going to do everything in his power to get back on the hill for the Pirates and continue his chase of one of baseball's most legendary arms, Christy Mathewson.
While Burnett needs 16 whiffs to become only the 31st pitcher in MLB history to record 2,500 strikeouts, he sits 18 away from tying Mathewson for 30th on baseball's all-time list. For a pitcher who was never considered one of the best in the game over his 17-year career, that's a pretty remarkable feat.
Miguel Cabrera: Multiple Milestones
5 of 6Miggy's Milestones
| Hits | 2,300 | 2,283 | 17 | TBD |
| Home Runs | 412 | 405 | 7 | TBD |
Were it not for a strained calf that forced him to the disabled list in early July for the first time in his career, Miguel Cabrera would have already reached these milestones and been working his way up baseball's all-time leaderboards.
But with his return finally on the horizon, according to MLive.com's James Schmehl, Cabrera's pursuit of history can resume. Having already cracked the 400 home run club earlier this season, Cabrera needs seven home runs to tie Alfonso Soriano for 50th on the all-time list.
With 17 more hits, he'll become the 36th player in baseball history with at least 2,300 hits and 400 home runs, a club that fellow Venezuelan star Adrian Beltre joined earlier in the year. To put things in proper perspective, Cabrera's .963 career OPS would rank 11th among that group, just behind Frank Thomas.
David Ortiz: Multiple Milestones
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Big Papi's Milestones
| Home Runs | 500 | 488 | 12 | 2016 |
| RBI | 1,600 | 1,595 | 5 | Aug. 18 vs. CLE |
David Ortiz may not be the other-worldly force in the middle of Boston's lineup that he once was, but the 39-year-old designated hitter is still a dangerous man when he steps to the plate, as evidenced by his 22 home runs and 62 RBI on the season.
It's not a question of if, but when, Ortiz will drive in the five runs he needs to become the 32nd player in baseball history with 1,600 career RBI. With one seven-RBI game under his belt already this season, it could come at any time.
Whether he'll become the 27th member of baseball's 500 home run club in 2015, however, is less certain. While it'd be foolish to say that Ortiz can't hit the 12 home runs he needs between now and the end of the regular season, it's not something that we can assume is going to happen, either.
That said, he has hit seven home runs in each of the past two months and already has two bombs in six August games. If he can maintain that pace over the rest of the year, it's entirely possible that his last home run of the season will be the one that puts him into rarefied air.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and are current through games of August 7. All projected milestone dates courtesy of MLB.com.
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