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05/17/2004 Archived Entry: "MLB news: This week in milestones: Sosa, Edgar, Franco and more"
This week in milestones: Sosa, Edgar, Franco and more
By Michael Toeset
The perpetually injured J.D. DREW hit his 100th home run – albeit several years after was expected of him. Nonetheless, on April 7, he slugged No. 100, and as of the 17th, he has a .283 career average, 103 home runs and 62 steals.
Every day CRAIG BIGGIO seems more of a sure bet for the Hall of Fame, and on April 8, he collected hit No. 2,500. Along with those hits, he also now has a .287 average, 218 home runs, 390 steals, 528 doubles and 1,532 runs scored.
The Marlins’ records keep falling: Not long after Brad Penny set a franchise record, MIKE LOWELL did. On April 8 he hit his 168th double, passing Cliff Floyd. The three years Lowell registered more than 500 at-bats, he hit 38, 37 and 44 doubles. He hit 27 last year in an injury-shortened season.
ALEX SANCHEZ brings little to the table other than his blazing speed, and on April 9, he stole his 100th base. He only has a 69 percent success rate to go with those steals, so he still has lots to learn as far as base-running.
TROY GLAUS collected his 500th RBI on April 11. He already has 28 RBI this season, and he’ll soon pass last season’s total of 50.
JOSE VALENTIN hit his 200th home run on April 11. The shortstop is in his 13th season, and the only reason the .247 hitter has stuck around this long is because of his home-run hitting prowess. His season high in homers was last year (and 2001), with 28.
JIM EDMONDS got his 300th two-bagger on April 12. The outfielder is far better known for his home runs and his defense than his other abilities, but he has been a decent doubles hitter over his career; his high was 42 in 1998.
EDGAR MARTINEZ may not be as safe a bet for the Hall of Fame as Biggio, but he’s put together quite a resume, and on April 12, he hit his 300th home run. The full-time designated hitter also has a .314 average, 2,153 hits and 1,215 RBI.
JOHN FRANCO is quietly marching toward the top of the record book. On April 13, he pitched in his 1,051st game, making him No. 5 on the all-time games list. He passed Kent Tekulve on the 13th, and he should have no problem moving to No. 2 by year’s end. Next up on the list: Dan Plesac (1,064), Hoyt Wilhelm (1,070) and Dennis Eckersley (1,071). No. 1 on the list is Jesse Orosco, who retired this offseason at age 65. OK, so maybe he wasn’t that old, but he did stick around a long time and pitch in a record 1,252 games.
ROYCE CLAYTON never lived up to the hype, and he finally hit his 100th home run on April 13. His other numbers aren’t all that great either: .256 average, 194 steals and 1,479 hits.
STEVE FINLEY’s quest to reach the top 100 all-time triples hitters hasn’t gone far this season – he only has one – but on April 14, he did collect his 1,000th RBI. He has 109 triples, as well as 261 home runs and 302 steals.
SAMMY SOSA isn’t the slugger he was from 1998 to 2001, but he keeps hitting home runs at an All-Star clip (including 40 last year). On April 15, he passed legendary third-baseman Mike Schmidt on the all-time home-run list with No. 549. Sosa is now the ninth most-prolific home-run hitter of all time. Next up are Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, Mark McGwire and Frank Robinson. Sosa also is piling up the strikeouts, and with 2,012 as of the 17th, he is No. 2 on that list, behind Jackson. Mr. October’s record 2,597 whiffs still appears within reach for Sosa. I wonder if the media will cover his strikeout-record chase as it did his home-run chase in 1998…
In addition to Drew and Clayton, two others also recently hit their 100th home runs. ARAMIS RAMIREZ blasted his 100th on April 15, as did TORII HUNTER.
Catcher DAN WILSON drove in his 500th run on April 15. Wilson has had a decent career for a backstop, also collecting 88 home runs, 1,042 hits and 204 doubles.
JEFF WEAVER might be feeling a little pressure at the moment to perform like an All-Star, seeing as how his younger brother is likely to become the No. 1 draft pack in this summer’s draft. But to date he hasn’t performed all that well after getting out of New York, logging a 2-5 record with a 5.07 ERA. He did, however, register his 1,000th inning pitched on April 16.
e-mail comments or questions to mtoeset@baseballguru.com.
