Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman doubled twice against the Astros on Sunday night, the second of which put the Dodgers in position to tie the game in the eighth inning. It was also the 2,000th hit of Freeman's career.
Freeman becomes the 295th player to get to the 2,000-hit plateau in Major League Baseball, and the sixth active player, but there's good reason to look ahead here.
At 33 years old, Freeman isn't overly old for getting to 2,000 career hits. Plus, he's still in his prime and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. He led the majors last season in hits and doubles while hitting .325 and leading the NL in on-base percentage. He's leading the majors in doubles this season while hitting well above .300 and slugging well over .500. He's signed with the Dodgers through the 2027 season. And it really feels like his bat will age well, doesn't it?
Everyone can see where I'm going with this by now. The 3,000-hit barrier could well be attainable for Freeman. Only 33 players in MLB history have gotten there, and in Freeman's case it would be an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame.
Obviously it'll be incredibly difficult to get another 1,000 hits. After all, it's taken him 1,801 games to collect 2,000 and he's approaching his mid-30s. Still, he's such a skilled hitter that it's reasonable to believe Freeman has a shot. He had 199 hits last season and has 97 this season a bit before the halfway point. If he keeps hitting at his current pace another few years and his bat ages well into his late-30s, he'll probably need seven more seasons to get another 1,000 hits.
That's possible. Time will tell, of course.
For now, congratulations to Freeman for getting to 2,000 hits here in his age-33 season. Most don't ever get there and most of the players who do see it happen later in their careers.
