Johnny Damon Keeps Smiling and Swinging His Way into Cooperstown

Johnny Damon is the least popular future Hall of Famer in Baseball. He has been one of the most productive players in the majors but doesn’t get the accolades or credit that he has earned. The Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter is continuing to add to his legacy with every swing of the bat.

Perhaps he gets downplayed because he was never the biggest name on the lineup card. In Boston, he was surrounded by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. In New York, he had Derek Jeter and A-Rod. Those other guys in the clubhouse allowed Johnny to just go to work.

Damon went to work and added another milestone to his career when he hit his 500th career double in Saturday night’s game against the Marlins.

What exactly is so special about his 500th double?

It puts him in very elite company. He became the 11th player all-time with 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 home runs and 2,500 hits. The 10 other players that have accomplished this feat are George Brett, Lou Gehrig, Goose Goslin, Rogers Hornsby, Willie Mays, Paul Molitor, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Al Simmons, and Robin Yount. All 10 are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Damon even stands out within the group. Brett, Molitor, Yount, and Damon are the only players in the group that began their careers in the last 60 years. Molitor, Mays, and Damon are the only players in the group with 300 steals.

That wasn’t the only resume bullet he added Saturday night. He also tied Jimmie Foxx for 72nd on the all-time hit list with 2,646, and is eight shy of Ted Williams for 71st. He is 354 hits shy of 3,000.

With the level of production that Damon has performed at throughout his career, there shouldn’t be much of a debate about his Hall of Fame credentials.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

You can follow him on Twitter @JWilburg