SAN DIEGO -- It's birthday week for Manny Machado. He turns 33 on Sunday. Presumably, he will be celebrating with a milestone. Machado, who is squaring off in fan voting with Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy for the starting nod at third base in the All-Star Game, is seven hits away from 2,000. That would put him in some remarkable company. Earlier this month, Machado reached the 350-homer mark. Only 11 players have reached those two numbers -- 2,000 hits and 350 home runs -- in their age-32 season or earlier. Those 11 players? Eight are Hall of Famers -- Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott and Frank Robinson. The other three are Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols (who are not yet eligible) and Alex Rodriguez. So, yeah, Machado is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. |
“Consistency is what ultimately wins,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “For an individual player to have that kind of career -- consistency allows whatever talent you have to come out and be on display. … Manny, from a consistency standpoint, has been very good in his career.” Keep up that consistency, and there are quite a few milestones Machado could still achieve. He’s under contract for eight more seasons after this one. Here’s what Machado has within his sights during that time. 1. 3,000 hits Two players have reached the 3,000-hit milestone while playing for the Padres -- Tony Gwynn in 1999 and Rickey Henderson in 2001. Machado is on pace to become the third. It’s certainly not a foregone conclusion. But Machado would only need to average about 118 hits per season for the duration of his contract to reach that mark. Given the way he’s swinging right now, you’d expect him to get there. Machado is currently in the midst of one of his best seasons, hits and average-wise. He’s never finished a full season batting above .300, but he entered play Monday hitting .293. He’s on pace for 182 hits, which would be his most in seven years. |
2. 500 home runs Willie McCovey and Gary Sheffield are both one-time Padres who reached the 500 home run club. But no player has ever reached that milestone while playing for the Padres. Machado hit his 355th home run against the Nationals on Monday. That leaves him needing just over 17 per season for the rest of his Padres tenure to reach 500. Presently, Machado is reliably mashing 30 taters per season in San Diego. Even if his power production tails off, he should be on pace to reach that number. Perhaps the most interesting question: Which milestone does Machado reach first? For most of his career, the home run milestones came quicker than the hits. But recently, Machado has been so good at hitting for average, it might be close. (Personally? I’m rooting for Machado’s 500th home run to also be his 3,000th hit.) |
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Who is the last player to record his 2,000th career hit while playing for the Padres? A. Jim Edmonds B. Steve Finley C. Ian Kinsler D. Mike Piazza |
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3. Padres' RBI record Nearly all of the Padres’ offensive records are held by one man -- Gwynn. Machado spent his first seven seasons with the Orioles; there’s almost no way he tracks down Gwynn on the bulk of those milestones. Meanwhile, he’s already set the franchise home run record, having passed Nate Colbert last season. Machado is now at 180 and counting. As such, there’s only one legitimately notable franchise record Machado can reasonably track down: Gwynn’s RBI mark. And it’ll be a close one. Across 20 seasons, Gwynn knocked in 1,138 runs -- 500-plus more than Dave Winfield in second. Machado sits at third with 583. So he’s more than halfway there. And, in theory, he’s not yet halfway through his Padres tenure. Of course, RBIs can be tricky, and they’re largely dependent on hitters in front of you. But Machado will be sharing a lineup with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. over that time, so he ought to have plenty of opportunity. About 65 RBIs per season across the duration of Machado’s contract would get it done. |
4. First Padres World Series
Ahh, the big one.
In no uncertain terms, the signing of Machado represented a turning point for the franchise. Also-rans for the majority of their first 50 seasons, the Padres have become perennial contenders since Machado’s arrival.
In his three trips to the postseason, Machado has mostly been solid. His seven playoff homers are the most in franchise history. But he’s yet to win the big one.
The Padres believe they have the core in place to contend for the foreseeable future, with Machado at the center of it.
No one will ever supplant Gwynn -- literally Mr. Padre -- as the defining player in franchise history. But Machado would ascend to an echelon next to Gwynn if he could deliver San Diego its long-awaited first title. |
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D. Piazza Piazza notched hit No. 2,000 with a double against the Giants on July 21, 2006. He is one of five players to reach the 2,000-hit milestone with the Padres -- joining Steve Garvey (1983), Graig Nettles (’85), Garry Templeton (’90) and Gwynn (’93). |
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