At least Julio Franco is still going.

Is he retiring now or at the end of the season? I saw the tweet of the fans in Tokyo giving him an incredible ovation and couldn't determine if he was done as last night or is done as of the end of this coming season.

Ichiro is the Brett Favre of MLB.

I think they said on the radio this morning that he had taken his final at-bat (retired after game was over).

Yep, don't today. That was plan all along. Dude is amazing. I still remember his rookie season.

Ichiro was a player out of time so to speak.

his game would have translated much better to the 1980's era of stolen bases and small ball.

he came along during the height of the steroid era where his style of play was less appreciated or under utilized

And, this kind of throw at 45! The guy could hit, play good defense and was fast. You are underselling him.

agproducer said:

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And, this kind of throw at 45! The guy could hit, play good defense and was fast. You are underselling him.

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I made my boys watch his last at bat before they left for school. They had no clue who he was but it was a pretty cool moment

Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano have decent chances to get to 3,000 hits if they can stay healthy over the next few years. Beyond that, there really isn't anyone that is even on the horizon. With the changes in the way the game is played, I wonder how long it will be until we ever see another player get to that mark.

Seven Costanza said:

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Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano have decent chances to get to 3,000 hits if they can stay healthy over the next few years. Beyond that, there really isn't anyone that is even on the horizon. With the changes in the way the game is played, I wonder how long it will be until we ever see another player get to that mark.

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Altuve and Trout will probably be next in the late 2020's.

Ichiro was definitely a throwback kind of player, and I think he was definitely appreciated when he came into the league. He was one of the most popular players in the league for a long time. Also, his pre-game speeches at All Star games are the stuff of legend.

You're right about Altuve. He looks like a lock to get there if he stays healthy. Trout seems less likely, given his Walk rate.

Key to getting to 3000 hits (or any of the major rare benchmark numbers) is performance deep into the career, past the point that everyone else starts seeing significant drop offs. There are plenty of people who can put up nice numbers in their 20s, doing it in the mid to late 30s is hard. For example, Altuve is behind Elvis Andrus through their Age 28 seasons in hits, not that I think Andrus is likely to challenge to 3000 either.

Altuve is way ahead of where Biggio was through his Age 28 season, but Biggio had nearly 1100 hits from Age 35 season on.

Altuve is comparable to where both Jeter and Beltre were through their Age 28 seasons, those two had around 950 and 750 hits, respectively, from Age 35 on.

Altuve is behind ARod and Pujols were at Age 28, both them slowed production in their late 30s before getting there at 39 and 38.

Ichiro is tough to use as a comparison since he didn't make his debut til 27, but he had over 200 hits each of his first 10 seasons(!), including some monster numbers in there (262!), and broke 3000 in his Age 44 season.

Now lets compare to a few other guys who didn't get/haven't gotten there:

Dustin Pedroia - a couple hundred behind Altuve through Age 28, but still respectable (ahead of Biggio). Since then he's a had two 190+ hit seasons, but injuries have derailed him, not sure how much he has left in the tank at all. He's just over 1800 hits heading into his Age 35 season.

Michael Young - a later MLB debut than Altuve so behind him at Age 28 by a couple hundred, but put up very comparable hit numbers in his prime as Altuve (5 straight seasons of 200 or more). Didn't suffer any significant decline until his final season when he got 145 hits in 123 games. Retired after Age 36 season over 600 short of 3K.

Miguel Cabrera - About 180 hits ahead of Altuve through Age 28 season, now at 36 he needs 324 more hits and I'm not sure if he's gonna be able to limp there.

Robinson Cano - About 150 behind Altuve at Age 28 season, now at 35 he needs over 500 hits. Before his suspension this past year, he'd been remarkable consistent through his early 30s, but will now need to maintain for several more years to get there.

So comparing to all these guys, Altuve can definitely get there. But at his current pace, it'll take to his Age 37 season, longer if he ever slows down or misses meaningful time. It's tough to call that a lock. 3000 hits is really hard.

Looking at how long that post turned out, I apologize for going overboard there. I just think its a little crazy to say someone is 'a lock for 3000 hits as long he doesn't get hurt' when they aren't even halfway there yet.

Jeter having a 200 hit season after already collecting hit number 3000 blows my mind. I think only Rose and Cobb have done that.

https://texags.com/forums/53/topics/2875861/replies/49651725

I was fortunate to have moved to Seattle in 2000, so I got to see the 2001 Mariners unfold every day. The 116 win thing was great, but even during the season I had no confidence they'd win it all.

But I could never get enough of Ichiro. He was so different. The opposition had no answer. Routine grounders became hurry up throws became two-base errors. Sacrifice flies became "stay on third" if hit to right field.

I was at Safeco when he broke Sisler's hit record, so that was awesome.

One of our blank white Cards Against Humanity became "Ichiro's tight little butt," which my wife picks as the winner at every opportunity.