San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
DH helped Cabrera’s march to 3,000
Tony Gwynn was not a big fan of the designated hitter rule. When he was approaching 3,000 hits, he preferred the traditional approach. As someone who used a glove.
On his path to 3,000, he told me he didn’t want to reach the milestone while taking advantage of the DH rule, which is a reason he wanted to finish his career in the National League.
Gwynn got his wish. Of his 3,141 hits, a mere 15 came in his time as a DH. That puts him in the minority of 3,000-hit members in the DH era, from 1973. Most benefited from DH at-bats that helped get them to the magical milestone. In fact, between the time Lou Brock reached 3,000 in 1979 until Gwynn got there in 1999, seven players made it to 3,000, all in the American League.
It was the place to be to climb the hits chart. Rod Carew, Robin Yount, George Brett, Dave Winfield, Eddie Murray and Paul Molitor. That’s not to say they wouldn’t have reached 3,000 without the DH luxury, but 538 of Brett’s 3,154 hits came as a DH, as did 611 of Murray’s 3,255.
Of course, Molitor was mostly a DH, collecting 1,457 of his 3,319 hits in that role.
“I’m not trying to downplay what guys have done in the American League, but if you’ve got a ding, you can always DH over there,” Gwynn said. “I’m proud as heck of doing this in the NL. And really proud to be following a player like Lou Brock.” We mention these numbers because the universal DH is upon us, and we might never see another hitter join the 3,000 club without a whole lot of hits as a DH. It certainly has benefited Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, who on Saturday recorded his 3,000th hit, 348 in a DH role.
This is not to knock the legends who prolonged their careers in the AL or accumulated hits as DHs in their later years but to recognize those few who got to 3,000 while mainly playing the field, maybe the last of their kind.
Just five of the 17 most recent members to enter the club before Cabrera joined them reached the figure without benefiting from DH at-bats: Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. (of course), Craig Biggio, Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki. For example, Ripken had 3,157 hits when he was in the lineup as an infielder, but just 24 as a DH.
After Cabrera, it will be a long time before someone else joins the 3,000 party. Next on the active list is Robinson Cano at 2,630 entering Saturday, but he’s 39. Then it drops to Yadier Molina (2,116 through Friday), who is Cano’s age, and Joey Votto (2,035 through Friday), who’s a year younger.
So who realistically has a chance to be next to 3,000? Here are four candidates, all with a long way to go, with hit totals through Friday: Manny Machado, 29, with 1,445; Mike Trout, 30, with 1,428; Jose Altuve, 31, with 1,783; and Freddy Freeman, 32, with 1,722.
Around the majors
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was vehemently booed in Detroit for intentionally walking Cabrera in his final plate appearance of a threegame series, one hit from 3,000. Runners on second and third, two outs, eighth inning, Yankees down 1-0, lefty on the mound. Of course Cabrera should be walked, and never mind that the next batter, Austin Meadows, hit a two-run double. Dusty Baker is closing on a magnificent milestone that seemed out of the question a few years ago when he was overseeing his vineyard and watching his son, Darren, play ball at Cal. The Astros, in need of someone with integrity and honor coming off their signstealing scandal, hired Baker before the shortened 2020
Above, Miguel Cabrera celebrates Saturday after hitting a first-inning single against the Rockies, his 3,000th hit. His home run and hit totals are tracked at Comerica Park, below. season, and he led them to last year’s World Series. Now he’s knocking on the door of the 2,000-win club, seven shy entering the weekend. Membership includes 11 men, all in the Hall of Fame except Bruce Bochy, who will be. One day, so will Baker.
Matt Olson’s scorching start is surprising to absolutely nobody who followed him with the A’s. Through 15 games: .389 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, .630 slugging percentage, and he has reached base a majorsleading 33 times entering Saturday. Perhaps the only surprise: just two homers. If they don’t know it already, Braves fans will come to realize the 28-year-old Olson will be a
better long-term fit at first base than his popular predecessor, Freeman. Don’t look now, but Madison Bumgarner is sporting a 1.38 ERA in three starts, without pinpoint control. He pitched 13 innings and issued 10 walks, but he’s succeeding by relying on his cutter/slider more than ever. He uses it 53% of the time, far more than his four-seam and two-seam fastballs. The most he ever used his familiar from-the-side pitch was 38.6% in 2012, his second of three championship seasons as a Giant. Good to see his velocity is up a bit, too, 91.1 mph on the four-seamer, after he lived in the high 80s most of his first two seasons in Arizona.