5 potential career milestones affected by MLB’s shortened season

5. Albert Pujols — 700 career home runs and all-time leader in RBI

When it comes to career milestones, Albert Pujols is the one player most impacted by MLB’s upcoming 60-game season.

Pujols has already notched a multitude of milestones to his already stout Hall of Fame career. He could retire tomorrow, and Hall of Fame voters would still induct him as a first-ballot nominee — and possibly a unanimous one. He also already holds multiple baseball records that were accumulated thanks to his dominance with the St. Louis Cardinals over the 2000s.

But there are two milestones that would help in furthering his case as a lock to be a top 10 hitter in baseball history.

For one, Pujols is 44 home runs away from reaching the 700 mark. Only three players are members of the prestigious 700 home runs club: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). Anytime a player can add their number to a leaderboard that features these three icons from the sport must be fulfilling for the one who hits the feat.

Assuming Pujols retires after the 2021 season when his 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels is finally up, there is a slim chance he can get to 700 career home runs. Even if he features in all 222 games over the two upcoming seasons, the chances are still not in his favor. Over his last 222 games, Pujols has recorded 37 home runs. And now in his 40s, his power will only continue to slope downward.

At the very least, Pujols can pass Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time home runs list; he trails Mays by four home runs.

The other now unlikely milestone that Pujols could still hit is becoming the all-time leader in RBI. He is currently tied with Cap Anson for fourth on the all-time RBI list with 2,075. He would need 223 RBI to pass Hank Aaron to become the sole leader in this leaderboard.

Unless Pujols somehow manages to turn back the clock and become the RBI machine he once was, there is an almost zero percent chance he attains this milestone.