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In Major League Baseball, the 3,000 Hit Club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have made 3,000 or more career base hits. Currently, there are 27 players who have accomplished this. Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros is the latest player to reach this milestone, on June 28, 2007 against the Colorado Rockies in Houston. In addition to the 27 players in the 3,000 hit club, a total of 86 players have 2,500 hits.

A player's 3,000th hit is not a surprise, as the player has been gradually approaching the mark for some time. However, teams will often interrupt the game in which the player reaches the mark in order to honor him on reaching a historically significant milestone, a mark that usually emphasizes an excellent baseball career. The first to accomplish the feat was Cap Anson in 1897, before what is known as the "modern era of baseball," making the 3,000 hit club one of the oldest markers of greatness in the sport. Getting 3,000 hits is generally considered — barring severely bad behavior off the field — one of the most reliable marks that a player deserves admission to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Not only that, but every eligible player who has reached 3,000 hits after 1962 (the first year players got inducted on the first ballot) has been elected on the first ballot. (Pete Rose did not have his name placed on the ballot.)

The 3,000 hits mark indicates consistent performance over a long period of time. A position player who starts regularly might typically get 600 at-bats per year, of which a good hitter will bat safely in roughly 180-200—between a .300 and a .333 batting average. Since most players only play for up to 8-10 years at the Major League level, and usually decline significantly in their numbers toward the end of that period, only a player who remains healthy over a long period and can continue to play like a younger man into his late 30s and even his early 40s can successfully amass 3,000 hits. The only 4 players to reach both 3000 hits and 500 home runs are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, and Rafael Palmeiro.

Rarely mentioned is the 4,000 hit club, which has only two members, Pete Rose and Ty Cobb.

After a slump in the 1980s, the 1990s saw seven players reach 3,000 hits, tied with the 1970s for the most of any decade.

The Members

Closest Active Players

4,000 Hit Club

The exclusive "4,000 Hit Club" is an informal term referring to members of an elite group of hitters: those players that have reached 4,000 hits on their careers. Currently, only two players have made the 4,000 Hit Club - Pete Rose and Ty Cobb. The next closest player to the club is Hank Aaron, with 3,771 hits.

The Members

See also

• List of lifetime MLB hit leaders through history
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball Hit Records‎

References

1. ^ Major League Baseball still lists Cobb's hit total at 4,191, but almost all independent baseball historians have revised the total to 4,189.
2. A number of disagreements exist over the correct hit total for Anson. Research by ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia (primarily Pete Palmer) has determined Anson's likely total to be 3012. This total has been used by the SABR List & Record Book (2007) and by most historians. MLB does not recognize NA as major league (Anson had 423 hits there) but NA totals were independently placed on its website by a third party. hits total".

• Official list of all-time top 50 in career hits from MLB.com (updated after every game; includes all members of the 3,000 hit club)
• Official list of 51–100 in career hits from MLB.com (updated after every game; includes all remaining players with 2,500 or more hits)

• Baseball records
• Baseball lists