Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2015

What's interesting about the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is the same as the Classes of 2013 and 2014...there are some definite shoe-ins.

Truth is, I don't know if the Hall of Fame has had back-to-back-to-back years with so many quality, legitimate first ballot candidates.  To be honest, I can't wait until the Class of 2012 gets enshrined this weekend so we can start talking about the circus atmosphere that will encompass the years that follow. 

Here are the players that will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2015.

IN.

Randy Johnson.

With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Once Martinez finally announced he was officially retired, everyone began debating...in or out?  Pedro has a  career .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and is a Boston legend.  Put him in.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

Rich Aurilia, Aaron Boone, Paul Byrd, Tony Clark, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree, Darin Erstad, Kelvim Escobar, Cliff Floyd, Brian Giles, Tom Gordon, Eddie Guardado, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Kevin Millar, B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt, Julian Tavarez, Jarrod Washburn and David Weathers

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
Delgado attempted a comeback late 2011, but since he never made it back to bigs...here he sits as a first ballot guy in 2015.  Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, with more than 2000 hits and 1500 RBI, Delgado is not that far from becoming the second player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

Missed any of the other re-hashes from this week?  Be sure to check out 2013 and 2014.  On Friday, your first look at 2017 hits the interwebs.

Gary Sheffield Visits Orioles Camp...as an Agent

***The picture above was borrowed from The Baltimore Sun.***

Hey, Baltimore Orioles fans, that familiar face you saw bumping around Sarasota this week was, indeed, Gary Sheffield.

But, no, he wasn't tryng to make the team.  Far from it.  The nine-time All-Star was in camp pitching (get it?) his latest client...righty Josh Banks.

Wait..client?

That's right, it appears "Sheff" picked up a thing or two during his 22-year big league run...dude is now the brains behind the Sheffield Management and Entertainment Group.

And, apparently, he knows what he is doing.  The 29-year-old Banks got an invite to tryout with the birds.

“(Sheffield) brought him here,” Orioles GM Dan Duquette told The Baltimore Sun, “because he sees the opportunity for pitchers to help our major league team. So Gary's been paying attention, I'll tell you that.”

This wasn't Sheffield's first foray into agenting (is that even a word?) either.  In 2003, he brokered his own deal with the New York Yankees...getting $39 million over three years.

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2015

What's interesting about the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is the same as the Classes of 2013 and 2014...there are some definite shoe-ins.

Truth is, I don't know if the Hall of Fame has had back-to-back-to-back years with so many quality, legitimate first ballot candidates.  Honestly, I can't wait until the Class of 2012 gets enshrined a year from now so we can start talking about the circus atmosphere that will encompass the years that follow. 

IN.

Randy Johnson.
With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Not that long ago, Martinez finally announced that he was officially retired.  Of course, by not playing in 2010...he is Hall-eligible a year earlier than some of the others that recently hung it up.  In or out?  Pedro has a  career .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and is a Boston legend.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

Rich Aurilia, Aaron Boone, Paul Byrd, Tony Clark, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree, Darin Erstad, Kelvim Escobar, Cliff Floyd, Brian Giles, Tom Gordon, Eddie Guardado, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Kevin Millar, B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt, Julian Tavarez, Jarrod Washburn and David Weathers

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
Delgado attempted a comeback late last year, but since he never made it back to bigs...here he sits as a first ballot guy in 2015.  Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, with more than 2000 hits and 1500 RBI, Delgado is not that far from becoming the first player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

Missed any of the other re-hashes from this week?  Be sure to check out 2012, 2013 and 2014 because, tomorrow, your first look at 2016 hits the interwebs.

Gary Sheffield Officially Retires...Cooperstown Next?

Last week, Gary Sheffield made it official.

With one phone call to the Players Association...the slugger is now, officially, retired.  Almost immediately... thoughts turned to his Hall of Fame chances.

"I am sure it will be mentioned and debated but from my standpoint I know who is in the Hall of Fame," Sheffield told The New York Post. "A lot of them don't belong in the Hall of Fame. If someone wants to debate me, check the stats."

After jumping around on the interwebs and looking at some of the comments made about Sheffield and his retirement...it is amazing to me how polarizing the dude is.

Me?

I love the guy.  Take a look at his resume...what's not to like?

Let’s break it down. 

Most impressive are his power numbers. 509 home runs are more than all but 23 members of the Major League fraternity. All but two (Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro) of the players with more home runs that are Hall eligible are enshrined.

Eight times, "Sheff" topped 30 home runs and in each of those years…he had 100 or more RBI. His 1676 RBI rank him 25th all-time and, unlike with homers, Palmeiro is the only Hall eligible players ahead of him on the list that doesn't have his likeness on a plaque in New York.

It’s also worth pointing out that only Sheffield, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson have at least 500 home runs, at least 2500 hits, 1500 RBI and 200 stolen bases.

When he last swung a bat, Sheffield was near the top of the active hits list with 2689 base knocks.  It’s safe to say that without a couple of injury plagued seasons (and yes, I know we could say that about a lot of guys), we’d be talking about a guy with close to 3000 hits and 550 home runs.

Actually, we wouldn’t be talking at all. Sheff’s induction to the Hall of Fame, with or without those numbers are a no-brainer. As it is…we’re talking longevity and hardware and Sheffield has a resume rife with both.

From his first hit (fittingly a home run) at 19 in 1988 until his last one (a single to left field) last season, Sheffield’s 21-year career was a colorful one filled with lots of stops.  His longest stint with any team being the six seasons he spent with the Florida Marlins.

His last full season in Miami, 1997, was also the only time he played in (and won) a World Series.

Sheffield played in nine All-Star games and is the only player to have represented five different teams, spanning both leagues. Never an MVP, Sheffield finished in the top three on three different occasions and in the top ten in voting three other times. Like with his All-Star appearances, Sheffield garnered MVP votes with each of the teams he played for except Milwaukee and Detroit.

Sheffield is also the only player to have hit 25 or more home runs with six different teams and five times, he took home the Silver Slugger Award.  But unlike most home run hitters, Sheffield had remarkable control at the plate.

He was a free swinger, but he never struck out more than 83 times in a season. By comparison…someone like Sammy Sosa has never struck out less than 83 times in a season.

Good friend of The Hall Jeff Montgomery faced Sheffield seven times in his career and held him in check...striking him out twice and only allowing one hit.

The former Kansas City Royals closer approached Sheffield like most of the free swinging right handed hitters that liked to drive in runs.

“(I’d) let ‘em get themselves out,” Montgomery said.  “They don’t want the guy standing in the on deck circle to drive in the runs so they are likely to swing at a pitch out of the zone. Slider, slider, slider. All off the plate. If I had to throw a fastball it was above the strike zone. He didn’t miss many mistakes!”

One mistake Sheffield did make was hanging out with Barry Bonds. It’s said that during a 2001 workout, a trainer applied some infamous cream to Sheffield’s surgically repaired knee.  While Sheffield claims the cream did nothing to strengthen his knee, he was mentioned in the 2007 Mitchell Report as one of the players who had obtained and used steroids.

And we've seen how the players linked to PEDs have been handled in Cooperstown.

Controversy aside, if you ask me, Sheffield’s a shoe-in.  His numbers are better than most enshrined (regardless of the era) and while many people will laugh at how "feared" hitters are or aren't...dude was.

"Hall of Fame...it's pretty simple," Sheffield's former skipper Jim Leyland told the Detroit Free Press.  "I think there were several years in baseball where it was the general consensus that (Sheffield had) the fastest bat in baseball."

So welcome to the the 2015 ballot, "Sheff"...it's a packed one.  Hopefully, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez can save some votes for you.

What are your thoughts, gang...is Gary Sheffield a Hall of Famer?

We've Had a Gary Sheffield Sighting, Folks!

I'm told there's probably nothing to it (and let's be honest, there probably isn't)...but Gary Sheffield has been working out in St. Petersburg, Florida with the Seoul Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization.

Again, there's probably nothing to it.  I mean, Sheffield is "99.9%" retired, right?

But let's imagine for a second that there is something to the 42-year-old taking some spring training cuts with the Heroes...the slugger would be, by far, the most celebrated American player ever to take his game to Korea.  All in all, dude has a pretty solid, Hall of Fame-worthy resume to his credit...including a career batting average of .292, 2689 hits, 509 home runs and 1676 RBI.

Then again, the 22-year pro hasn't seen live big league pitching since September 2009.

Now, a simple Google search can tell you WHY the Heroes were in Florida...they're one of four international teams calling the former Major League facilities home for some spring training.

What Google can't/won't tell you why Gary Sheffield was there.  But it sure is fun to speculate.

Pictures courtesy of Naver News.  A tip o' the hat to Dan (@mykbo) for the lead.

Gary Sheffield "99.9%" Sure He's Done

Close to a quarter century ago, slugger Gary Sheffield was getting ready for his first spring training.

Flash forward a couple years to September 9, 1988...Sheffield takes Seattle left Mark Langston deep for his first Major League hit.

Now, 508 home runs later...he's ready to call it quits.  This according to tampabay.com:

Sheffield told ESPN 1040 in Tampa this afternoon that he's "99.9-percent" sure he's going to retire. Sheffield, who last played in 2009 with the Mets, wanted to play with his hometown Rays, and had dinner with manager Joe Maddon last month. Maddon had said the meeting was just to get to know him, and there was no expression of interest, but Sheffield said on ESPN 1040 that he felt a "little disrespected" he didn't get a call back.

Sheffield has a pretty solid, Hall of Fame-worthy resume to his credit...including a career batting average of .292, 2689 hits, 509 home runs and 1676 RBI. 

He was the first player to hit at least 25 home runs for six different teams and along with Fred McGriff...one of two players to have 30 or more home runs in one season for five different teams.

The journeyman has not swung a bat in the bigs since September 2009.

Pair of Veterans Look to Join the Rays

In an obvious effort to re-create my 2002 fantasy baseball team, the Tampa Bay Rays are being courted by a couple of veterans.

Yes, similar to the Manny Ramirez-to-the-Blue Jays rumors...free agents (and former New York Yankees teammates) Johnny Damon and Gary Sheffield both said Tuesday night that they'd be interested in signing with the Rays.

This...according to the St. Petersburg Times:

Damon, 37, talked with the Rays last spring before signing with Detroit, but they didn’t have a regular role for him, not with Carl Crawford in leftfield and Pat Burrell at DH. Now the Rays have an opening in leftfield, and Damon - who is looking for a team close to his Orlando home - would like to fill it.

Tampa’s Sheffield, 42, wants to play again after sitting out last season, and very much would like to do so as the DH for his hometown team. Sheffield, who has 509 career homers, said financial terms wouldn’t be an issue: " We can work that out."

Last season with the Tigers, Damon hit .271 in 145 games.  For his career, he is a .287 hitter and is sixth among active players with 2571 hits.

Sheffield sat out all 2010 after not being offered a contract extension by the New York Mets.  He ranks in the top 25 all-time in home runs (509) and RBI (1676) and is the only player in Major League history to hit at least 25 home runs for 6 different teams.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (so far)

Looking ahead to the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is tricky...and the reasons are simple.

There are some guys who are definitely retired like Randy Johnson and Nomar Garciaparra. There are guys like John Smoltz who don't look to be coming back. And, of course, there are those who seem to be up in the air as to whether or not they want to play or not a la Pedro Martinez.

Add to that those pesky few who are out there and just not signed (Carlos Delgado and Gary Sheffield)...and 2015 looks murky at best.

IN.

Randy Johnson.
With the uncertainties out there of who is officially retired and who isn't..."The Big Unit" announced he was done following last year. With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Martinez recently announced that he won't be playing at all this season. Of course, he didn't rule out 2011. Memo to Pedro...pack up your .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and status as a Boston legend and reserve a hotel in Cooperstown for July 2015. There is nothing more for Martinez to prove and at this point...all he can do is ruin his reputation.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

2005 American League Cy Young Bartolo Colon, Brian Giles, Eddie Guardado, Paul Byrd, Tom Gordon, Jason Schmidt, Darin Erstad, David Weathers, Rich Aurilia, Russ Ortiz, Mark Loretta, Tony Clark, Cliff Floyd and Julian Tavarez.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
There are plenty of rumors out there surrounding Carlos Delgado. Ask him and he'll tell you that he is coming back. Check out his Wikipedia page and he's already been signed by the New York Yankees. Ask me and I will tell you that if he hangs it up now, he's on the bubble when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, Delgado is not that far from becoming the first player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

There are some more players that haven't played this season that I could have included (Joe Nathan, Jason Isringhausen, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree and Ron Villone) but as of now...their careers don't appear to be over.

So there you have it...your breakdown of the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (so far). Be sure to check out this week's re-hashes.

Monday: 2011

Tuesday: 2012

Wednesday: 2013

Thursday: 2014

The season that was...April

Entering this season, The Hall laid out Ten Milestones to Watch For. Simply stated, some were reached…some weren’t.

Among those that made headlines, a few were monumental (Randy Johnson 300th victory)…others were obscure personal achievements (Omar Vizquel beoming the all-time hits leader among Venezuelan born players). And unless you spent the last few years living like Ted Williams' frozen, battered head...you knew that the Yankees opened up a new homer friendly ballpark.

All in all…a good season.

Let’s dive in, appropriately enough, with April.

Of all the home runs achievements that occurred during 2009, none were more improbable than White Sox teammates Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye both reaching the 300 home run plateau against the Tigers on April 13.

In the same game.

Back-to-back.

It was fitting that the pair reached the historic milestone in Detroit given Dye has hit the most home runs (16) by a visiting player at Comerica Park. Konerko is tied for fourth with former Sox teammate Jim Thome at 13.

Two night later, Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki slapped a single against the Angels and surpassed Isao Harimoto and became the all-time leader among Japanese baseball players.

And with that hit, questions were raised…is Ichiro the all-time Japanese hit leader or the all-time hit leader among Japanese born MLB?

Suffice it to say…the guy knows how to swing a bat.

And remember right before the season where it looked like Gary Sheffield’s career looked to be done?

Well, he all but guaranteed his Hall of Fame candidacy (in my mind) when the Mets picked him up off the scrap heap, signed him and, on April 17, he became the 25th member of the 500 home run club.

His first hit in the Majors was a home run for the Milwaukee Brewers, so it was fitting that number 500 was against them. Unpredictably, Sheffield achieved the milestone as a pinch hitter…the first ever to do so.

With April in the books, everyone’s eyes turned to May. Baseball's favorite octogenarian Jamie Moyer was on the cusp of 250 career victories and a revitalized Jason Giambi was looking to nail down home run number 400.

Ticket punched

His first hit in the Majors was a home run for the Milwaukee Brewers, so it is fitting that his latest home run was against them.

New York Mets slugger Gary Sheffield thrilled the 36,436 in attendance when he hit home run Number 500 and became the 25th player to accomplish the feat. I laid out his Hall of Fame candidacy a few weeks back after the Tigers released him...no need to repeat it.

That being said...here are ten OTHER things that might interest you about Sheff's 500 dingers.

250,000
On September 8, 2008 (as a member of the Detroit Tigers), Sheffield’s grand slam against Oakland was determined to be the 250,000 home run in Major League history.

334
Sheffield went yard against 334 different pitchers. The first…Mark Langston. The latest…Mitch Stetter. Tom Glavine and Jamey Wright were victimized the most, giving up six long balls apiece.

51
Sheffield’s home run Friday night was his 51st game tying home run. Over his career, 203 of his 500 were go ahead shots, while another 4 were grand slams.

42
In 1996, Sheffield went deep 42 times for the Florida Marlins, setting a franchise record for the fish. In 6 seasons in Miami, Sheffield hit 122 home runs.

41
When Sheffield sent one out of Citi Field Friday night, it meant he had hit a home run in 41 different Major League ballparks.

30…31?
Sheffield has hit a home run against all 30 Major League teams. If you count the Montreal Expos…he’s hit one against 31.

17.9
Sheffield hits a home run every 17.9 at bats, which nestles him right near Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson (17.52) and Duke Snider (17.6) on the all-time list.

8
Sheffield has played for and gone deep for eight teams. Milwaukee (1988-1991), San Diego (1992-1993), Florida (1993-1998), Los Angeles (1998-2001), Atlanta (2002-2003), New York Yankees (2004-2006), Detroit (2007-2008) and New York Mets (2009).

2
In 28 pinch hit at bats, Sheffield has 10 hits…2 of them (Friday night’s included) have been home runs. The other was July 20, 1994 off Jeff Brantley.

0
Sheffield is 6 for 21 (.286 batting average) against his legendary uncle Dwight Gooden. The “0” stands for how many times he circled the bases against him.

Ten Milestones to Watch for This Season

Welcome to Opening Day!

Every season begins with a number of milestones on the horizon (and if you followed the divisional breakdown the last few weeks...you know them), and 2009 is no different. Gone are history-makers like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Greg Maddux.

So, before the Bronx Bombers open the doors to their newest version of Yankee Stadium, let's look at ten milestones to watch for during the upcoming baseball season.

And because of injury, you'll notice that I conveniently ignored Alex Rodriguez. I harbor no ill will toward the man.

Maybe.

Ron Villone, TBD

Ron Villone, who changes uniforms so fast, team photographers can't keep up with him, will inevitably suit up for his major league record-tying twelfth team. When he takes the bump next, he'll tie pitcher Mike Morgan on the all-time list. Close on their heels? Matt Stairs. Stairs is currently with Philadelphia, his eleventh team.

Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals

The Nationals enter their fifth season since re-locating from Montreal with little to no fanfare. For the four Adam Dunn fans out there, you’ll be glad to know that he’s 22 homers away from 300 for his career, and if he gets to 40 this season, he’ll have done so for six straight seasons. Only Babe Ruth did it more consistently when he hit 40 out in a record seven straight seasons.

Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers

Aside from Manny Ramirez (more on him later), the Dodgers do have some milestones to watch out for. Off the field...or more specifically, in the dugout, manager Joe Torre is 44 wins away from leap-frogging Sparky Anderson (2194) and Bucky Harris (2157) and moving into fifth place on the all-time list.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

When 2008 came to a close, Albert Pujols became the only player in major league history to hit at least .300, with 30 or more home runs and at least 100 RBI in each of his first eight seasons. The only other players to accomplish the 100 RBI feat were Al Simmons, who did it in eleven straight, and Ted Williams, who stalled after eight. All in all, “Prince Albert” is 31 home runs away from 350, 23 RBI from 1000 and 53 runs from 1000.

And oh yeah, he just turned 29.

Greg Maddux/Fergie Jenkins, Chicago Cubs

While not exactly a milestone, the Cubs are doing something pretty cool and pretty monumental on May 3. Before the “North Siders” take the field against the Florida Marlins, they’ll retire number 31 for Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. Each hurler won a Cy Young Award and combined for 300 victories while wearing the pinstriped 31.

Carlos Delgado, New York Mets

Raise your hand if you ever thought Carlos Delgado was going to be a member of the 500 home run club. No one? After Gary Sheffield hits number 500, which should have come in the first week of the season...Delgado is up next. The slugger has 469 home runs and should, barring injury, close out the Mets’ first season at Citi Field with a milestone.

Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Last year, Ramirez came into the season needing 10 home runs to get to 500. This season, Manny comes in with 527 and looks to pass up Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Reggie Jackson on the all-time list. Factor in his 2,392 hits and, by season’s end, you’ll be looking at just the sixth player to have more than 2,500 hits, 500 doubles, 550 home runs and 1800 RBI. The others: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Frank Robinson, and Babe Ruth.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

Mariano Rivera is 18 saves away from joining Trevor Hoffman as the only two closers with 500 saves. Next on the active list is Billy Wagner with 385. Savor save number 500, baseball fans. It’ll be awhile until we see it again. Saves are tricky to predict because it’s all dependent on how the Yankees fair this season. If you’re curious, Rivera has claimed his 18th save as early as May 29 (in 2004) and as late as August 6 (in 2007).

Gary Sheffield, New York Mets

A major leaguer at 18, Sheffield got off to a quick start by getting his first hit and first home run in the same swing. Now, 498 home runs later, Sheffield is on the cusp of becoming the 25th player to hit 500 long balls. Also worth mentioning, Sheffield comes into 2009 with 1633 RBI. Everyone who is Hall eligible and has more RBI than “Sheff” is enshrined in Cooperstown.

Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants

Not since Bonds was knocking on the door of every home run milestone have the Giants had a milestone (or two) to watch for. Randy Johnson brought with him to the Bay a number of things worth noting. First and foremost, “The Big Unit” is five victories away from 300 wins. Only 24 pitchers have accomplished the feat. The closest active pitchers include Jamie Moyer (246), Kenny Rogers (219) and Andy Pettite (215).

And while he hasn’t hit 200 or more strikeouts since 2005, it’s worth mentioning that Johnson is 211 Ks away from becoming the second player to strike out 5000 batters. He won’t touch Nolan Ryan’s record at 5714, but burying his closest active competition in Pedro Martinez (3117) and John Smoltz (3011) has to be a little gratifying.

Also within reach for “Unit,” he is 15 hit-batsmen away from surpassing all-time leader Walter Johnson. He probably won’t get there (he has only 10 in the last two seasons), but passing up Eddie Plank (196) is a possibility. Something tells me that, deep down, Johnson wishes that hit-by-pitch magnet and former teammate Craig Biggio (who, ironically, “Unit” NEVER hit in 16 plate appearances) was still out there swinging a bat.