The 2017 World of Wadley MLB Guide

The calendar has turned to that familiar time when the sun shines a little brighter, the grass turns a little greener and the grills come out. It's baseball season, and while the excitement of a new season is nothing new, something feels a bit different in 2017. The Chicago Cubs are defending World Series champions. 99.9 percent of the world's population has never known this kind of world, but the curse ended and so too did a major story line in the game. 2017 is a new chapter for baseball and it's an enticing one.

Here are some things to keep an eye on and what to watch for this season...

Can the Cubs repeat?
This is an obvious starting point for the 2017 discussion. The Cubs open the season Sunday night in St. Louis on ESPN and may have improved from last season. Kyle Schwarber will be available for an entire season and, who knows, maybe Jason Heyward will play like a big leaguer again. It's scary if both of them produce. After all, this team already has MVP Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo plus a stable of pitchers who are downright nasty.

So can they repeat? Sure they can, but they won't. It's simply too hard. Too many things can happen such as injuries or poor play at the wrong time. As ESPN pointed out, no team has repeated since the Yankees in 1998-2000 and only one National League team (the Cincinnati Reds) has ever repeated in the last 95 years. The numbers simply aren't on the Cubs' side.

So who wins then?
The Boston Red Sox. Boston spends big and they should win big this season. Rick Porcello may not turn in another season like last season, but Chris Sale is in Boston now and he and Porcello along with David Price is a nightmare for opposing offenses. Big Papi is gone, but name a more fun trio to watch than Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, Jr.? The Red Sox will have to overcome an always tough AL East and the Cleveland Indians, but if they stay healthy then they will win it all.

What about those Indians?
The Indians will be in the ALCS. They came oh so close last season and they have a loaded roster. It wouldn't be surprising to see them in the World Series again if they can get past Boston. But like the Cubs, it's hard to do it all over again and that's why we are predicting the Indians to be ousted before the World Series rolls around.

Don't forget about Mike Trout
Last season we wrote about how Mike Trout is stuck in Anaheim. He might be stuck on a bad team, but tune in whenever you can to see him play. He's the best player in the game and it's easy to forget that he's still only 25 years old. Trout will be an MVP front-runner once again, but like past seasons, he's going to be sitting at home watching the playoffs. Still, he's a special talent so don't miss out on his best years.

Speaking of the Angels, Albert Pujols is going to make history
Albert Pujols' star has faded since leaving the St. Louis Cardinals, but this season he should pass 600 career home runs. He enters 2017 with 591 and he's done it all clean. His name has never been linked to steroids and he will become the ninth player to eclipse the 600 mark.

Are the Dodgers ever going to win with all that money and talent?
Who knows, but they won't win this year. Magic Johnson and the Dodgers have spent big and on paper this team looks fantastic. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game and will surpass 2,000 strikeouts for his career this season. Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager and Justin Turner make a great lineup. Yasiel Puig is a wild card year-in-year-out. LA hasn't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs and with the Cubs in the National League it doesn't seem like that will change this year.

Will Bryce Harper return to form?
Harper struggled last season after his MVP campaign two years ago. He hit .243 with 24 home runs and 86 RBIs last season, which is a great season for many guys in the MLB. But this is Bryce Harper, the guy who hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 RBIs in his MVP season. Still only 23 years old, this is Harper's sixth year in the league. The Nationals, much like the Dodgers, haven't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs and without Harper at his best they don't stand a chance.

Which Astros team should we expect?
The Astros have taken us on a rollercoaster ride the past two seasons. The joy of 2015 was gone after an average 2016 season in which Houston missed the playoffs. The core of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer is still there and the pitching staff hasn't changed. Dallas Kuechel's shoulder is an issue, but one thing to watch is whether or not the Astros make a move for Chicago's Jose Quintana before season's end. This is a fun team to watch, but the AL West has strengthened the past few years. Time will tell if the Astros can take the next step.

The White Sox stink now, but....
Okay, we know no one is tuning into White Sox games this year because they just can't get enough of the SouthSiders. Chicago is going to stink. Sure, Todd Frazier will hit some bombs, but that's about it. However, don't sleep on this team in the future. They made some quality moves this offseason (namely getting Yoan Moncada) to go along with youngsters Tim Anderson and Charlie Tilson, which means the future could be bright on the South Side. The young guys are going to get their chances this season and that may just be worth tuning in.

___

The 2017 season begins Sunday, April 2nd with a tripleheader on ESPN.

For the Cubs and the City of Chicago, "Next Year" is Finally Here

12:47 AM eastern time. Two outs, and a one-run lead. Mike Montgomery was on the mound. Wait, who? Talk about your unlikely closer. This moment was made for Aroldis Chapman, the flame-throwing left-hander who came up big time and time again in the World Series. Or maybe this moment was Jon Lester, the prized 2015 free agent who put up Cy Young-caliber numbers this season. Or maybe, though it's a stretch, this moment was for Hector Rondon. A guy who struggled with consistency yet still managed to seal a couple key wins for the Cubs these past few seasons, yet lost his closing job when Chapman was acquired this summer. Could you imagine Rondon being the hero after the guy who took his job was knocked out of the game? So many scenarios, so many possibilities, but it was Montgomery who had the weight of 108 years and generations of sadness on his shoulders.

108 years later, the Cubs can celebrate once more

And it didn't phase him one bit. That final pitch, a curve ball that the Cleveland Indians' Michael Martinez grounded just past the mound to a charging Kris Bryant, is the pitch that will replay in the minds of Cubs fans for eternity. Bryant threw the ball to Anthony Rizzo, Montgomery completed the one-out save, and the baseball world was turned upside down. The Chicago Cubs, yes, THE Chicago Cubs, were World Series champions. There are people who lived and died without ever saying those words in the same sentence. Yet here we are, still trying to comprehend what took place in Cleveland, Ohio last night.

So many times in that game it seemed like the Cubs were going to crumble. Dexter Fowler's lead-off home run seemed too good to be true when it happened, but the Cubs piled it on early. It was in the fifth inning when things started to get shaky, and every Cub fan desperately hoped and prayed that this team would avoid another historic collapse. David Ross' throwing error, Lester's wild pitch, Chapman giving up three straight hits, Rajai Davis' game-tying home run in the eighth. You name it. Time after time it seemed like the Cubs' magical season was going to come to a horrific end. So many times it seemed like history could repeat itself.

But this team never cared about history. Dexter Fowler said it himself. This team was not going to break under any pressure. Down three runs in the ninth inning of game four in the NLDS? No worries. Fail to score a run in consecutive NLCS games? Don't sweat. Trail 3-1 in the World Series which requires winning two of three games on the road? No big deal. Time and time again this Cubs team was faced with season-threatening obstacles. To watch this team fight back and show grit and heart that no Cubs team has ever shown is something that every baseball fan should be able to admire. I understand the Cubs have their fair share of enemies and haters, but to look at a group of kids, literally kids with a little veteran leadership,  and see the maturity, the fight that this group has. How can you not appreciate that?

It's what brought so much excitement to the north side of Chicago. It's what gave every single Cub fan reason to hope. The emotions that fans feel towards the Cubs are something no other fan base can truly appreciate. No other fan base in all of sports understands what that kind of perennial mediocrity and disappointment feels like. I'm 22 years old, I don't even know the full affects of that, but I'm old enough to vividly remember "The Bartman Game". I watched the Cubs get swept out of the playoffs back-to-back years in '07 and '08. I sat and watched as they lost 101 games in 2012. I witnessed the Cubs drop four in a row to the New York Mets in the 2015 NLCS. 22 years of age and still experienced all that disappointment. God bless those Cubs fans who are on the back half of their lives. That's dedication that will always be respected.

That is why emotions were in abundance when Bryant and Rizzo combined for that 5-3 putout. Decades of hope, passion, and anxiety finally rewarded. No more talk of curses. No more jokes. No more "this is what was happening in the world the last time the Cubs won" on Sportscenter. No more waiting for next year. The Cubs are on top of the baseball world, and this team is built to last.

Bedlam in Wrigleyville

So now what? 108 years of pain has been alleviated, so where do the Cubs go from here? The "lovable losers" label is long gone and the wait for a championship is now over. Are the Cubs ever going to be the same? The answer is no, and that's perfectly okay. Look at what the Red Sox have done since they broke their curse: they're now perennial contenders (with a few bad years sprinkled in) and have sustained their success. To this generation, they are a better organization than the New York Yankees even though history would certainly tell us otherwise. Are the Cubs now setting themselves up to be viewed as superior to the St. Louis Cardinals? Again, history would tell us otherwise, but for now the Cubs are in the driver's seat in the NL Central with a young core that will be around for at least a couple more years. And now, with no curses to think about and every single reason to hope, Cubs fans can truly begin to wonder if a dynasty started on November 3rd, 2016.


I shed a lot of tears last night. I wasn't old enough to appreciate Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. The Cubs went to the playoffs four separate times before this year and never came close to winning the World Series. Shawn May and the North Carolina Tar Heels beat Illinois in the 2005 men's basketball championship. Peyton Manning and the Colts took down the Chicago Bears in the 2006 Super Bowl. USC disposed of Illinois in the 2007 Rose Bowl. Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in 2012, one year after the Miami Heat beat the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, and that core's potential was never fully realized. I've never experienced what it's like to have a favorite team of mine win on one of the games' biggest stages. Let me tell you, watching my brother and grandpa celebrate a couple St. Louis Cardinal World Series wins got old really quick, too. So last night, there was a lot of emotion that went into that Cubs victory. Sweet relief and pure joy. This Cubs team gave the city and its fans everything they had and completed one of the best seasons in major league history. And you know what's most exciting? They could just be getting started. Hey Chicago, what do you say?

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Monitor Reviews

It really doesn't matter what sport it is anymore. In every game it has become a fixture; the officials grouping together to discuss a call and then, because of their desire to get the call right, they head for the monitor. It's a double-edged sword. The monitor is a blessing of new technology and a curse for various other reasons. Cameras are every where these days and slow-motion replay can slow plays down to unbelievable speeds, allowing referees and fans to see exactly what happened frame-by-frame. It's a beautiful thing isn't it? Maybe not. In a year where it seems officials can do nothing right, the monitor has actually become something like the evil sidekick to the big, bad villain that is the referee.

Before anything really negative is said about monitor reviews it's worth noting that the technology is obviously a good thing for the games. Countless amounts of plays have been overturned because the officials saw the replay and realized their error. That's a good thing for the game and it's a necessary tool in today's world when the technology is easily available.

However, lately the monitor has become an annoyance. Turn back the clock to March when the NCAA Tournament was in full force. It's the best college basketball of the season, but the stoppages of play were almost unbearable in some games. In the final 10 minutes of a basketball game it's no secret that it will crawl. Between the television timeouts, the coaches calling timeouts and dozens of free throws, the game slows in pace. Add in the two or three monitor reviews that officials were using and sometimes it felt that a game would never end.

Why is this a bad thing? Well, maybe it's not. On one hand, you appreciate the fact that the officials want to get the calls right, but on the other hand the stoppages sometimes create unfair advantages. Take the Marquette-Davidson first round game as an example. Davidson led by one with 11 seconds left and proceeded to throw the ball out of bounds. Marquette had no timeouts and should have had to attempt a game-winning shot without being able to draw up a play. However, the officials went to the monitor to check the time and that allowed Buzz Williams to draw up a play for the Golden Eagles and Vander Blue nailed the game-winner out of the "monitor timeout."

In baseball, the monitor has provided the year's most upsetting error and perhaps, umpires' most arrogant mistake ever. By now, almost everyone has seen it and, if not, the video link is included above. The Oakland A's were trailing the Cleveland Indians by one run in the ninth and Adam Rosales hit what should have been a game-tying home run. The ball clearly hit the facade above the yellow line, but the umpires came out and still declared that Rosales hit a double. There is no explanation for such a horrible judgement call.

The worst part about it is that the entire A's team had to be in the clubhouse watching the television replays and fully expected for the umpires to rule it a home run. It was clear to see, but apparently not. Rosales had to stay at second and the A's ended up losing the game. Wouldn't it be a shame if they missed the playoffs by a game?

Mistakes are part of the games we play in America. Officials get paid to call it as they see it, but the problems set in when technology is utilized and they choose to ignore it. The overuse of the monitor is also something that has to be considered. The games are at excruciatingly slow paces and have allowed unfair advantages for teams. Technology is a great thing, but only if it's harnessed and used properly. As years go by this will become less of a problem, but for now it has become an issue.

Proof that too much of a good thing might not be a good thing. 

Influx of Talent Headed to American League

Jose Reyes will make his American League debut with the Blue Jays in 2013

The rich get richer, or so the saying goes, and it's never rang truer than this winter's MLB signings. The American League, long considered superior to the National League, has acquired some of the top talent in the game for the second straight summer and taken several high profile players from the NL. While it doesn't necessarily matter in the long run, it's easy to see that if fans want to see stars then an American League game is the route they will want to take.

Michael Bourn, a Gold Glove winner and two-time winner, inked a four-year, $48 million deal with the Cleveland Indians and he became the latest NL star to switch leagues. Bourn batted .274 with nine homers, 57 RBIs and 42 steals last season for the Atlanta Braves. The speedy outfielder joins Nick Swisher, Brett Myers (also from the NL's Phillies) and manager Terry Francona on a revamped Tribe roster that promises to be more of a contender this fall.

The Indians' move is the latest in a string of trades and free agent signings that have sent stars across leagues. The Toronto Blue Jays made splashy moves earlier this winter when they acquired the reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and the 2012 All-Star Game MVP Melky Cabrera. Despite being 38-years-old, Dickey baffled opposing hitters with a knuckleball that danced, rolled, fluttered and moved in abnormal ways and he finished 2012 with a 20-6 record for the New York Mets. Cabrera batted .354 for the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants, but his season was cut short due to a failed drug test. His name was also mentioned in reports for PED use at a South Florida clinic. Regardless of his faults, Cabrera is a great pickup for the Jays in the loaded AL East.

Along with the two free agent signings, Toronto also required Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes from the Miami Marlins in a trade that defined the failures of the Miami "rebirth." Buehrle has a perfect game and 174 wins on his resume while Johnson is a 29-year-old fireballer and 2-time All-Star. Reyes, the most recognizable of the trio, has often been injured, but when healthy he is one of the best in the game. He led the NL in stolen bases three times and batted .337 in 2011.

None of these signings are as big as last summer's signings of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but it's obvious that the American League has lured some of the game's best players away from National League. On top of that, other stars that have left their AL ballclubs are staying in the league, rather than signing with a National League team. Josh Hamilton, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Napoli all moved within the league and it begs the question: why aren't NL teams signing the big names players?

If these signings are supposed to show in the statistics then something is wrong. Since 2003 the American League has won six of nine All-Star Games, but the NL has won the last three. The NL has also won six of the World Series since 2003, including the last three. Those statistics don't reflect the exodus of stars from the NL, but time will tell if this year is different.

As pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the American League looks to be the stronger league. They have some of the game's top managers, pitchers and hitters. However, if recent history tells us anything, it's that the big signings don't always correlate with winning the big games.

Active MLB First Ballot Hall of Famers

It is a common understanding that Major League Baseball has the hardest Hall of Fame to be a member of and rarely do more than two or three players get in per year. Sometimes the Hall of Fame status is thrown around much too loosely. There are good players, there are great players, and then there are Hall of Fame players. It's an exclusive group, one that includes just 202 players and 289 members overall. Only once have there been three first-ballot nominees elected in the same year (1999), not including the first year in 1936. So it's rare that players be elected so soon after retirement. I recently read a blog post that listed Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia and Miguel Cabrera as first-ballot Hall of Famers. I scoffed at that simply because it's much too early to classify those players like that. Are they on the right track? Yes. But the road ahead is a long one. What a player does in the back half of his career will decide whether or not he is a Hall of Famer or not. Many have started out strong, only to fizzle out as their bodies grow older. The list of current first-ballot players is short in my mind. Here it is...


Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees
Current Season: 18th Year
Career Stats: .313 batting average, 3,222 hits, 1,828 runs, 346 steals, .382 OBP
Awards: '96 Rookie of the Year, 13-time All-Star, 5 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, 5 World Series
Derek Jeter has defined winning throughout his career. Perhaps the most respected man in the game of baseball, Jeter eclipsed the 3,000 hit mark last season with a 5-5 day that was capped off with a home run. In my mind, the 3,000 hit plateau should put a player in automatically considering that only 28 men have ever achieved the feat. However, that's not all there is to Jeter. He holds the record for career postseason hits with 191 in 152 games. Obviously the fact that he has played with the Yankees has helped his cause, but that is a record that may never be broken, especially when you consider that he is still building upon it. His defense has produced five Gold Gloves and has given us some of the most memorable highlights in baseball. His unbelievable flip against the A's and his headfirst dive into the stands behind third base will be shown forever. His class, records and winning ensure that he will be in Cooperstown as soon as possible.

Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Seattle Mariners
Current Season: 12th Year
Career Stats: .322 batting average, 2,544 hits, 441 stolen bases, 1,180 runs, .365 OBP, 100 assists
Awards: '01 MVP, '01 Rookie of the Year, 10-time All-Star, 10 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers
Ichiro may have the most impressive resume when you consider he is only in his 12th full season and he missed about three or four seasons in his prime. He captured the league by storm in his first season, winning the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards. He has led the league in batting average twice, hitting an absurd .372 back in 2004. He has stolen 40+ bases five times and led the league in 2001 with 56. His outstanding arm has generated 100 assists from the outfield and counting. While he has not played on very many winning teams and the Mariners made the playoffs just once in the time he was there. While Jeter has played in 152 postseason games, Ichiro has played in just 10. Now a Yankee, he will most likely finish his career in pinstripes. At 2,544 hits he needs just 456 hits until 3,000. His 162 game average is 222 so if he keeps pace he will need just two seasons after this to reach the milestone.

Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
Current Season: 12th Year
Career Stats: .326 batting average, 2,193 hits, 1,353 runs, 469 home runs, 1,405 RBI
Awards: '01 RoY, 9-time All-Star, 3-time MVP ('05,'08,'09), 3 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, 2 WS
It's hard to believe Pujols is only in his 12th season because his numbers tell a much different story. He has a lifetime batting average of .326, is just 31 home runs away from 500, and could reach the 3,000 hit mark in about four years. If so, he would be only the fifth player to achieve both the milestones (Aaron, Mays, Murray, Palmeiro). Pujols is a three-time MVP, but perhaps more impressive is the fact that he has finished in the top ten of MVP voting every single year and finished top five in nine of those years. He hit at least .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in his first ten seasons and last year came up a point and RBI shy. He is now in the American League and playing on one of the most exciting teams, the Angels. As he heads into the last stretch of his career he will cement himself as one of the greatest players of all-time.

Chipper Jones, 3B, Atlanta Braves
Current Season: 19th Season
Career Stats: .305 batting average, 2,693 hits, 1,600 runs, 1,609 RBI, 464 home runs, .405 OBP
Awards: '99 MVP, 8-time All-Star, 2 Silver Sluggers, 1995 World Series title
Chipper is probably the only player on this list that doesn't have the eye-popping statistic that ensures he will be enshrined. He will retire at the end of this season, his 19th in the league and with the Braves, and while he won't finish with either 500 home runs or 3,000 hits, he will be in an elite group of third basemen. Chipper has always been a hitter, batting over .300 ten times in his career and on his way to number eleven. He led the league in 2008 with an outstanding .364 average. He won the 1999 MVP award after batting .319 with 45 home runs and 110 RBI. He has a lifetime .305 batting average and has averaged over 30 homers and 100 RBIs in his career. If Chipper's numbers and lack of awards don't seem worthy of the Hall then consider this: while George Brett has more hits than Chipper, Jones has the same batting average as Brett and has more home runs, RBI, runs, and a better OBP.

Alex Rodriguez, SS/3B, New York Yankees
Current Season: 19th Year
Career Stats:.301 batting average, 2,872 hits, 1,878 runs, 1,937 RBI, 644 home runs, 314 stolen bases
Awards: 14-time All-Star, 3-time MVP ('03,'05,'07), 2 Gold Gloves, 10 Silver Sluggers, '09 WS title
There are two things that separate A-Rod from the rest of the players on this list: how great his numbers are and steroids. An admitted steroid user during his three seasons in Texas, Rodriguez does have a tainted career. However, I have included him on this list because he has still produced after the steroids. He was excellent before them and has been excellent after them. I think that guys like McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro will find it hard to be elected, but A-Rod admitted it and, as far as we know, has stopped. Because of that, I think he will be elected. He definitely has the numbers. He has led the league in home runs five times and could eclipse 700 by the time it's all said and done (he needs 56). He has led the league in batting average once and RBIs twice. He has over 300 steals on top of all the hitting and he has a chance to finish with a .300+ batting average, 700 home runs, 2,000 RBIs, and 3,000 hits. Those are numbers that few men will ever achieve.

Mariano Rivera, P, New York Yankees
Current Season: 18th Year
Career Stats: 76-58 Win-Loss, 2.21 ERA, 608 saves
Awards: 12-time All-Star, All-time saves leader, 5 World Series titles
Domination. Mariano Rivera has dominated competition for 18 years now and has been a part of five Yankees World Series championship teams. He is the all-time leader in saves with 608 and that is a number that will continue to grow once he comes back from an ACL tear. He has been the closer for the best dynasty in awhile and even at the age of 42 he still dominates with his devastating cutter and nearly ensures a Yanks win once he comes out of the bullpen. He is the best relief pitcher of all-time and, as the game changes, he has set the standard for closers. For that reason he will be elected into the Hall as soon as possible.

The Next Three (Questionables)
Todd Helton, 1B, Colorado Rockies
Current Season: 16th Year
Career Stats: .320 batting average, 2,420 hits, 1,360 runs, 1,345 RBI, 354 home runs, .419 OBP
Awards: 5-time All-Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers
Helton has decent numbers, but they don't stack up to the players listed above. He is an above average fielder and can flat out hit the ball, but will voters hold the fact that he played in Coors Field against him? I don't think a player should be penalized for that, but it will definitely be a discussion among the voters. Helton lacks the accolades of other players in his era. Perhaps he will get in at some point, but not first ballot.

Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox
Current Season:16th Year
Career Stats: .284 batting average, 2,142 hits, 1,088 runs, 1,314 RBI, 413 home runs
Awards: 6-time All-Star, 2005 World Series title
Konerko may not be a Hall of Famer at all, but he has been a steady player his entire career. He has been the face of the White Sox since Frank Thomas left and he was a key component of the 2005 World Series team. Konerko could play a few more years and potentially build on his numbers, which would make the discussion may be a little easier.

Carlos Beltran, CF, New York Mets
Current Season: 15th Year
Career Stats: .283 batting average, 2,025 hits, 1,247 runs, 1,233 RBI, 327 HRs, 303 stolen bases
Awards: '99 Rookie of the Year, 7-time All-Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers
Beltran has quietly put together a nice career and is having one of his best seasons for the Cardinals here in 2012. The 1999 Rookie of the Year for the Royals has three Gold Gloves to his name and surpassed the 2,000 hit mark this season. Were it not for injuries, we may be giving Beltran a closer look.

On the Right Track (Too Early to Tell)
Justin Verlander, P, Detroit Tigers
Current Season: 8th Year
Career Stats: 118-64 Win-Loss, 3.44 ERA, 1,367 SO
Awards: '06 Rookie of the Year, '11 Cy Young Award, '11 MVP, 5-time All-Star
It's a long road ahead, but Verlander averages 18 wins per season. At that pace, he will need to pitch nine more seasons like that to reach the 300 win mark. He has a Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP trophy in his collection and has appeared in the World Series once as well. The 3,000 strikeout plateau is also one that could be attainable for Verlander. At the pace he is going he will need just eight more seasons to hit 3,000.

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers
Current Season: 10th Year
Career Stats: .317 batting average, 1,736 hits, 923 runs, 1,075 RBI, 304 home runs, .394 OBP
Awards: 7-time All-Star, 3 Silver Sluggers, 2003 World Series title
Cabrera is well on his way to the 500 home run mark and could reach it in about six seasons. 3,000 hits is a little bit more of a stretch but he is on pace to reach it in about seven seasons. Having Prince Fielder behind him in the lineup will help him greatly. Combine the hitting stats with the All-Star appearances and the Silver Sluggers and you may have a Hall of Famer in the making.

C.C. Sabathia, P, Cleveland Indians
Current Season: 12th Year
Career Stats: 187-99 Win-Loss, 3.51 ERA, 2,150 SO
Awards: 2007 Cy Young Award, 6-time All-Star, 2009 World Series title
Sabathia is in his 12th season but 300 wins may be a reachable goal. He is on pace to reach it in 2018 which will mean he would have to keep his 17-game win average going until his is 37 years old. That's not going to be easy. I think 250 wins is going to become the new 300 and Sabathia should achieve that. 3,000 strikeouts should be easier for the big lefty. He is on pace to reach that by 2016. If he can add another Cy Young to his collection that would help his case tremendously.

There are obviously several more players who could be added to the last list and maybe a few more on the Questionables list. I really don't think there's anybody else who is a lock right now though. The team listed next to the player is the one I think they will go in as for the Hall of Fame as of now. If you have any comments or arguments feel free to post below!