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On Sunday, June 25, Freddie Freeman collected his 2,000th hit of his Major League career. An impressive feat no doubt. Freddie got his 2,000th hit at 33 years old which got me thinking, who will be the next to 3,000?

Joey Votto is the closest to actually accomplishing this, with Nelson Cruz right behind him. Unfortunately for these two, they’re both over 900 hits away. Plus Votto is 39 and Cruz is 42 years old. The most likely age for a new member of the club lies on the other side of 40. But these two are just too far away. All of these players have a ways to go to become the 34th ever member, but it certainly won’t be impossible for any of them. Here’s my predictions of the top ten most likely to join the MLB’s exclusive 3,000 hit club.

10 – Christian Yelich, 1428 Hits

The Brewers’ former MVP has had an incredible career thus far and while he’s not quite halfway there, he has quite a bit of time to do so. Yelich is only 31 and averages 175 hits per year. If he produces at this rate, he’ll notch his 3,000th in just 8.5 years, his age 40 season. It’s actually somewhat likely that he continues to put up great production numbers, because his hits per 162 game statistics are weighed down by the shortened COVID season and an injury that kept him sidelined. Because he’s only about halfway there, truly anything can happen.

9 – Paul Goldschmidt, 1834 Hits

What’s crazy about Yelich and Goldschmidt is that the two (as of June 2023) have the exact same hits per 162 games. Goldschmidt is just slightly further along in the journey. His reigning NL MVP Award gives even more confidence in his ability to reach the 3,000 hit mark. At his current career hit production mark, Goldschmidt would join the club in his age 41 season. He may only be 6 seasons away.

8 – Xander Bogaerts, 1480

Bogaerts has both a higher hits per 162 game career average and more career hits than Yelich. He averages 179 hits per season and is only 30. Thus potentially giving him nearly a decade of baseball to reach the mark. But, his current production would get him there in just 8.5 years.

7 – Bryce Harper, 1427

Yes, Harper and Bogaerts are the same age and yes, Bogaerts has more hits and hits per 162 games. But injury has kept Harper out of nearly 200 games thus far in his career. What’s more is Harper is only 30. Harper averages 162 hits per 162 games, so it would theoretically take him 1573 games to reach the 3,000 mark. Or 9.7 years, his age 40 season. Harper beats out our first three on this list because of his intense passion for baseball. It seems likely that Harper would play into his 40s if his health permits him.

6 – Mookie Betts, 1381

Mookie Betts has the least number of hits of anyone on this list. But his 188 hits per 162 games are near the top. Mookie is only 30 yet is nearly halfway to 3,000 hits. At the rate he’s playing, he’ll reach the 3,000 mark in 8.6 years, his year 39 season.

5 – Nolan Arenado, 1600

Nolan Arenado is already on the back half of his journey to 3,000, and his 178 hits per 162 games will hopefully get him there. At this pace, Nolan is on track to join the club in his year 40 season.

4 – Mike Trout, 1614

Trout is just ahead of Nolan in career hits, but just behind him in hits per 162 games. Trout averages 176 hits per 162 games. He’s one full year younger than Arenado, giving him even more time. At the pace he’s currently hitting, he’ll reach the 3,000 mark in 7.8 years, or his year 39 season.

3 – Manny Machado, 1660

Manny’s 178 hits per 162 games tie Nolan’s while his 1660 hits beat Trout’s. What’s more is that he’s only 30 years old. At the rate Manny is hitting, he’ll join the club in 7.5 years, his year 38 season.

2 – Freddie Freeman, 2001

Technically, Freddie Freeman has the most hits of anyone on this list. After notching his 2,000th hit last week, it became much more likely that we’ll see him notch number 3,000. Freddie is 33 and averages 180 hits per 162 games. He’s on track to join the club in 5.5 years, his year 39 season. He could reach the mark even faster though, as his most recent seasons have shown ramped up production.

1 – Jose Altuve, 1961

Altuve’s 1961 hits are second most on this list. Jose Altuve and Freddie Freeman are the same age, and Freddie has more career hits. But, Altuve is averaging nearly 200 hits per game. His 198 hits per 162 games are by far the most on this list. At the rate he’s hitting, he’ll notch hit 3,000 in 5.25 years, or his year 38 season.