Robinson Cano joins a club only occupied by Derek Jeter and Lou Gehrig with new milestone

Updated

It’s still hard to say if he reaches the vaunted 3,000 mark, but Robinson Cano entered rarefied air on Tuesday when he notched career hit No. 2,500.

Facing San Diego Padres rookie Cal Quantrill in the first inning, the New York Mets second baseman belted a ground-rule double over the Petco Park fence.

Cano is the 101st player in MLB history to record 2,500 career hits and only the third active player along with Albert Pujols (3,106) and Miguel Cabrera (2,712). Cano became the sixth Dominican-born player, joining Pujols, Adrian Beltre, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Manny Ramirez and Julio Franco.

Cano also somehow made New York Yankees history with the hit, despite not having played for the team in six years.

New York Mets' Robinson Cano hits a single off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, May 2, 2019, in New York.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Robinson Cano has begun entering the history books. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

What Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Lou Gehrig all have in common

According to the Elias Sports Bureau and via Jon Heyman, Cano is just the third player to reach 2,500 career hits that made his debut with the Yankees. The other two: Derek Jeter and Lou Gehrig.

The list being that short is pretty surprising. Sure, the Yankees have a long history of acquiring talent rather than developing it, but the team’s greatest dynasties had homegrown talent as their core.

Mickey Mantle came close with 2,415 career hits, but the star’s infamous struggles with alcohol and injuries took their toll before he could reach the milestone. Joe DiMaggio, who averaged 207 hits per season on his way to 2,214 career hits, would almost certainly have reached it had he not lost three seasons in his prime to World War II. Yogi Berra (2,150) faced a strong headwind as a catcher. Bernie Williams (2,336) was one good season short. Don Mattingly (2,153) was two good seasons short.

Cano is unique in history as one of the best players to ever voluntarily leave the Yankees in his prime, and joining the Jeter-Gehrig club is a testament to that.

Will Robinson Cano enter the 3,000-hit club?

Of course, Hall of Fame voters don’t put much cache in the 2,500-hit club. The 3,000-hit club is where it’s at, and Cano is one of a handful of active players with a tangible shot at one of baseball’s biggest milestones.

Cano is currently playing in his age-36 season and is under contract with the Mets for four more seasons after this year. He’s on pace to finish the season with 134 hits, which would bring his career total to 2,604 at season’s end.

If Cano were to play out four more seasons, he’d only have to average 99 hits per season to hit the mark. He could also lower that average needed by picking up the pace this season, as he’s currently hitting a career-low .256.

Of course, the Mets might not want to give Cano regular at-bats in his age-39 and -40 seasons. That would put a lot of pressure to produce during the earlier seasons if Cano is headed to the bench in a couple years, but the Mets invested enough in Cano this offseason by taking on his contract that it’s easy to see them sticking with him for as long as they can.

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