1,000 Hits at Age 25

Jose Reyes, at age 25, needs 60 hits to reach 1,000. There are 45 more games until he turns 26 on June 11th. Some quick math tells us that he will get his 1,000th hit on or before his 26th birthday if he is hitting .312 or better.

Now none of this really matters, but it is fun to project what this man might one day accomplish before he hangs up those magical spikes.

Back in January, I wrote a piece about the possibility--the possibility--of Jose Reyes getting to 4,000 hits.

With another typical season, Reyes, who led the NL in hits last year, will finish 2009 with over 1,100 hits.

Batting Statistics

Career: Batting |
SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	NYM	69	274	47	84	12	4	5	32	13	36	13	3	.307	.334	.434	.768
2004	NYM	53	220	33	56	16	2	2	14	5	31	19	2	.255	.271	.373	.644
2005	NYM	161	696	99	190	24	17	7	58	27	78	60	15	.273	.300	.386	.686
2006	NYM	153	647	122	194	30	17	19	81	53	81	64	17	.300	.354	.487	.841
2007	NYM	160	681	119	191	36	12	12	57	77	78	78	21	.280	.354	.421	.775
2008	NYM	159	688	113	204	37	19	16	68	66	82	56	15	.297	.358	.475	.833
2009	NYM	14	64	8	21	1	1	1	6	7	6	3	2	.328	.394	.422	.816
Total	--	769	3265	541	940	156	72	62	316	248	392	293	75	.288	.338	.436	.774

Without making the injury excuse, it's easy to believe Reyes could easily have another 100+ hits.

Let's put that in perspective. With about 220 more games until Reyes turns 27, we can project him at close to 1,200 hits before his 27th birthday. Where would that rank all-time?

Hits Before age 27

Rank	Player		H		PA
1.	Ty Cobb		1600		4844
2.	Mel Ott		1440		5328
3.	Al Kaline		1390		5071
4.	Vada Pinson		1381		4955
5.	Robin Yount		1363		5257
6.	Alex Rodriguez		1354		4972
7.	Freddie Lindstrom		1347		4617
8.	Rogers Hornsby		1323		4281
9.	Hank Aaron		1309		4530
10.	Jimmie Foxx		1307		4590

That is pretty elite company. With continued good health, his speed, and his athletic frame, Reyes has the potential to amass some truly amazing statistics. Though 45 games shy of his 26th birthday, he is already 8th in steals for age 25 players and just outside the top 10 in triples.

The scary thing is that Reyes is getting better. Many teammates predict he will one day lead the league in hitting. Now while I won't go that far, I will say that Reyes will continue to produce. With only similar production over the next few years he will go over 2,000 hits at age 30.

Hits Including Age 30 Seasons

Rank	Player		H		PA
1.	Ty Cobb		2361		7263
2.	Hank Aaron		2085		7216
3.	Rogers Hornsby		2083		6617
4.	Alex Rodriguez		2067		7774
5.	Mel Ott		2061		7802
6.	Jimmie Foxx		2049		7290
7.	Robin Yount		2019		7743
8.	Vada Pinson		2007		7393
9.	Joe Medwick		2004		6488
10.	Willie Keeler		1955		5788

That my friends, is something I look forward to watching.

And don't forget those hips.