Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt closing in on another milestone

Paul Goldschmidt continues to rise toward the top among Arizona Diamondbacks franchise leaders.

Last week, several players around the major leagues achieved career milestones. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks is bidding to join the party.

If you’re a baseball enthusiast from the 21st century, then the last seven days produced plenty of unforgettable moments. On June 2, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw became the second fastest pitcher in MLB history, behind Randy Johnson (262 games), to strikeout 2,000 batters in a career. Kershaw struck out the Brewers’ Johnathan Villar swinging in the second inning and achieved the feat in 277 games.

On the same day, and after one of the greatest pitchers of the current generation, made history, arguably the this century’s preeminent pure hitter followed suit. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers doubled against the White Sox reliever Derek Holland. The hit drove in two runs and he became the fourth active player to reach the plateau.

If that wasn’t enough, Albert Pujols hit career home run No. 600 Saturday and became the ninth player to join the club. On top of that, Edison Volquez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Marlins right-hander became the first MLB starter to no-hit a team since last April. Prior to Volquez, Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs threw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Pujols, Cabrera, Carlos Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki have plenty of potential milestone moments ahead of them, according to MLB.com’s milestone tracker. Speaking of milestones, a number of Diamondbacks could experience a similar moment before the season ends.

First, Goldschmidt is at the top of the list. When Goldschmidt hits his next home run, he will pass Steve Finley for second on the Diamondbacks’ all-time list. Finley and Goldschmidt both have 153 career home runs. Luis Gonzalez is the franchise leader with 224 long balls.

Here are some other potential Diamondbacks milestones to watch:

A.J. Pollock (102) is two doubles shy of tying and three away from passing Connor Jackson (104) for the 14th most in team history.
Pollock (449) needs to play eight more games to pass Danny Bautista (456) for 20th in team history.
Pollock (467) needs 14 more hits to pass Mark Reynolds (480) for 16th in team history.
Pollock (102) is five doubles away from passing Craig Counsell (106) for 13thh in team history.
Jake Lamb (53) needs three home runs to pass Aaron Hill (55) for 15th in team history.
Paul Goldschmidt (838) is 12 games away from passing Finley (849) for fourth in team history.
Pollock needs eight more stolen bases to pass Eric Byrnes (88) for fourth in team history.
Owings (23) needs two more triples to pass David Peralta (24) for seventh in team history. Of course, Peralta can pass him. It will be interesting to see who ends their career with more three-baggers.

For a complete list of projected and completed milestones click here.

"Arizona Diamondbacks: Road trip not productive, team remains positive"

Watching players climb up all-time lists is one reason why baseball is the best game. Keep an eye on Goldschmidt, “America’s First Baseman” and other Diamondbacks as they make their respective mark on the franchise’s history.

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