Who Will Break All the Records This Season?

Baseball is filled with endless records that seem to be unbreakable. From somewhat recent records such as Barry Bonds’ 762 home-runs, to long standing records like Pete Rose’s 4256 hits, baseball's records are something the game holds dearly. While none of the major career records seem likely to be broken any time soon, i'm going to list the most likely current player to break every major career record ranked from least likely to most likely. Disclaimer: for the sake of diversifying the list, a player can only appear on the list once (otherwise Mike Trout, Juan Soto, and Ronald Acuna Jr. would have compiled all of the list). Also I will only be going over offensive records.

Career Stolen Base Record: 1406 - Current Holder: Rickey Henderson - Nominee: Ronald Acuna Jr. - Every year stolen bases become even more of a rare feat in baseball. While I can’t imagine this record ever being broken, Ronald Acuna Jr. is the clear favorite in my eyes to even come near this record. Acuna could also be in the conversation as a favorite to break the homerun record due to his tremendous power, or the hits record, as he is a leadoff hitter. So far for Acuna’s career, he has stolen 61 bases; averaging 32 over a full season. While that may not seem like a large number, he's only 23. In order for Acuna to break Hendersons’ record, he would have to steal just under 80 bases a season for the next 17 seasons, going through his age 40 season. While that's clearly not going to happen, if there's anyone that could do it, its Acuna.

Career Batting Average Record: 366 - Current Holder: Ty Cobb - Nominee: Jeff McNeil - In the era in which Ty Cobb played in, the approach of MLB hitters was vastly different than hitters now. It was a game that revolved much more around contact hitting, as seen in the league batting average being 273, as opposed to 246 nowadays. Most hitters now are focused on the home run; Jeff McNeil is an exception. Through McNeil’s first three seasons, he's posted an outstanding 319 Batting Average. While that's significantly lower than Cobb’s career mark of 366, McNeil is the only current player within 50 points of Cobb's mark. In order for McNeil to catch Cobb, he would have to hit somewhere in the range of 381 over his next eleven seasons going through his age 40 season. You can't expect that to happen, being no one has hit 380 in a season since Tony Gwynn, but we can look forward to seeing McNeil winning multiple batting titles in years to come.

Career Hits Record: 4256 - Current Holder: Pete Rose - Nominee: Juan Soto - From the moment he was called up to the Nationals, Juan Soto has been one of the best hitters in the game. Improving every year since his arrival, his hitting is at an elite level only topped by Mike Trout. At only 22, he is on the trajectory to be one of the great hitters ever. Despite not being a leadoff hitter, he is the favorite in my eyes to top Pete Rose's hit record. Currently standing at 328 hits on his career, Soto would have to put up approximately 207 hits a season over the next 19 seasons to top the record. Any injuries or setback to Soto’s hitting would bar him from even nearing this record, but it's not unthinkable to say that Soto could do it.

Career Home Run Record: 762 - Current Holder: Barry Bonds - Nominee: Mike Trout - As staggering as Mike Trout's career numbers are, his career home run total is significantly lower than what one would expect for the guy who's been the best player in the game for 9 years. While that's partly due to this past year's abbreviated season, it's largely due to a spread of injuries throughout his career. His current home run total sits at 302, 461 away from breaking Bonds’ record. While that's a large number, it's not out of reach for Trout who is still only 29 years old. Trout can very likely continue slugging home runs into the latter half of his career like sluggers Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarassion who have kept up elite home run hitting numbers into their late 30’s and early 40’s. In order for Trout to tie Bonds’ 762, he would have to hit 46 home runs a season for the next 10 years, with any additional home runs being the one that puts him over the top. If Trout, the greatest player of the generation, stays away from injuries, I wouldn't be shocked to see him pass Bonds.

Career RBI Record: 2297 - Current Holder: Hank Aaron - Nominee: Albert Pujols - Albert Pujols was once on pace to be the greatest right handed hitter the game has ever seen. Since signing with the Angels, his trajectory has declined, but he has still accumulated all-time great total numbers due to his record setting years with the Cardinals. Out of all his great numbers, his RBI total of 2100 is the one most nearing record status. Currently just 198 RBI’s away from breaking Aaron’s record, Pujols could very well surpass that number in two seasons. The problem regarding Pujols’ status is that his contract runs out after this season and it is impossible to be sure if he will be signed again by the Angels or more likely anyone else. He hasn't been an above average hitter since 2016 and he’ll be 42 years old entering next season. Despite all that, the likelihood of Pujols breaking the RBI record is fairly decent, and breaking it would be an incredible way to cap off an extraordinary career.

Most of baseballs records are sealed away and will most likely never be touched. In what many consider to be the golden age of baseball, it's not too much to think that the young talent, and the established greats, can one day join the record books.