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Coming Soon to a Ballpark Near You

Being that we are officially in season ten of Capra baseball, it seems fitting to look at some upcoming individual milestones as well as whatever else I stumble upon looking at league records. I also included some real-life comparisons with stats through the 2007 season.

Brett Simms and Julio Johnson can join all-universe slugger Walt Cashman as the second and third men to hit 400 career doubles. In real life, 154 players have hit this milestone.

The aforementioned Cashman is just a hit away from 2,000. Nobody else has 1,800, and only 24 active players have 2,000 MLB hits. He could also score his 1,350th run to pace the field.

Henry Menechino should easily reach 500 home runs this season. Rudy Lombardi (argh!) leads a list of guys just a stone's throw from 400 after he hit exactly 100 in the minors. This year, Gary Sheffield became the 25th player to hit 500 home runs. Kip White, Trenidad Prieto, et al lead the pack behind Menechino and Lombardi. If history repeats itself, though, a free-agent like Prieto will go unsigned until after the rule 5 draft, and he'll have to sign for peanuts.

Unless he lands a starting gig somewhere, Jeffrey Brow will pick up his 150th career pinch hit, approximately twice as many as the next-best guy.

Rudy Carver, Ringo Weston, Cashman, and White will all come to bat for the 7,000th time. Twenty-three current MLB players have batted as often.

Even though he is 36, Henry Menechino could possibly drive in his 1,400th run if he returns to season 7 form. This would put him pretty close to Larry Jones, Jr.'s RBI total.

Mikey Tatum probably steals his 450th base this season. Only Kenny Lofton has more than that among active players.

Division rivals Jose Almonte and Harry Pascual should join White as the other two members of the 1,000 walk club. White also has an outside shot at making his 14,000th putout at first.

Geronimo Ordaz could turn his 1,100th double play at short.

If Donald Lee has another season like last year, he will throw out his 350th would-be basestealer.

Fargo 's Big Three will each individually face their 10,000th batters. They also will have made 370 starts each. Ozuna will give up his 350th gopher ball and Tracy will pitch his 2,500th frame and maybe reach 2,400 and 2,500 strikeouts. Those two guys can also win their 200th games. To back up this trio, Tyler Henderson will save his 400th game. Just ten current real pitchers have 200 wins. Tracy's strikeout total would put him eighth among active players, and only four men have ever saved 400 games.

Capra's answer to Roy Halladay, Pete Patrick , will finish his 65th complete game. Nobody else has better than 50. In real life, he would be behind only Maddux, Johnson, and Schilling.

If they sign somewhere, Al Howard and Vasco Carrasco will make their 700th appearances. No such worry for Arthur Caufield in Scranton. Just 85 men have pitched in 700 big-league games.

Comments

rls said…
love this, mn. great research.
Anonymous said…
This was some cool stuff. Perhaps you can do a Mendoza level assessment, too?

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