Yankees Chasing Numbers: The Hitters

A few of the Yankees chasing special milestone numbers in the last weeks of the season (thanks to Baseball-Reference's Play Index for a lot of the help on this):

Robinson Cano can join some impressive company in 2010 (ESPN)

Robinson Cano (.323, 99 runs, 187 hits, 28 HR, 102 RBI, 13 IBB).

If Cano reaches 100 runs, 200 hits, 30 HR and 110 RBIs (and he's on pace for each mark), he would become the third Yankee to do so after Lou Gehrig (7 times), Babe Ruth (3 times), Don Mattingly (twice) and Joe DiMaggio (once). Cano would also become only the third Yankee middle infielder to hit 30 HR after Alfonso Soriano (twice) and Joe Gordon (once). The only Yankees with an average of at least .323 and 30 HR: Babe Ruth (11 times), Lou Gehrig (9 times), Joe DiMaggio (5 times), Don Mattingly (3 times), and Mickey Mantle (twice). Cano's 13 intentional walks are tied for 9th best for a Yankee, one more ties him for 6th, two more ties him for 5th and 4 more would tie him for 4th. A 200-hit season would make him the first Yankee second baseman with more than one 200-hit season and would join Derek Jeter as the only other Yankee middle infielder with multiple 200-hit seasons..

Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson (30 HR, 28 HR, 26 HR, 25 HR, and 21 HR respectively)

If somehow 4 players finishes with 30 home runs, it would be the first time that 4 Yankees have hit 30 HR in the same year. The Yankees have had 3 players hit 30+ HR in one season 4 different times: 1941 and 2003, 2004 and 2005. Right now the Yankees have 4 players with 25 HR, tying them for second on the all-time list with the 1938 Yankees. If Granderson can hit 4 more home runs, they would tie the 2009 team which also had 5 players hit 25+ HR.

Brett Gardner (42 SB)

Gardner needs only 2 steals to become only the second Yankee since World War II to steal at least 44 bases in a season. Of course, Rickey Henderson (80 in 1985, 87 in 1986 and 93 in 1988) was the other.

Alex Rodriguez (25 HR, 111 RBI, 2 3B in 2010; 608 HR, 1,818 RBI, 1749 runs, 1,825 K in career)

Needs 5 HR to stretch his 30 HR-100 RBI streak to 13 consecutive seasons. One more triple gives the 2010 Yankees 6 players with at least 3 triples tying them for 2nd best on the Yankee list (only the 1953 and 1947 teams with 7 players had more). 3 more runs scored on the season will move A-Rod to 20th place on the all-time list, passing Jimmie Foxx. One more HR ties A-Rod with Sammy Sosa for 6th on the all-time home run list. 9 more RBIs will tie A-Rod with Al Simmons for 18th place on the all-time list. 17 more strike outs would tie A-Rod with Mike Cameron (assuming he doesn't strike out any more this season for 10th on the all-time list.

Derek Jeter (29 2B in 2010; 1,677 runs, 1,561 K, 2,910 hits, 322 SB, 85 CS, 47 sac flies in career)

One more double would give Jeter 8 seasons of 30 2B, tying him with Earle Combs for third most amongst Yankees (only Don Mattingly's 9 and Lou Gehrig's 12 have more). 2 more stolen bases would tie Derek Jeter atop the all-time Yankee list with Rickey Henderson. 2 more sacrifice flies would tie Jeter for 8th on the all-time Yankee list with Elston Howard. 2 more caught stealing would tie Derek Jeter with Bernie Williams for 6th on the Yankee list. 7 more runs would tie Jeter for 27th on the Major League list. 17 more hits would tie Al Simmons for 35th on the all-time list. 9 more strikeouts would tie Jeter for 33rd on the all-time list.

Jorge Posada (18 HR in 2010; 169 GIDPs in career)

Posada needs 2 more home runs to reach 20 HR for a 9th season. The only other Yankees to do that are Babe Ruth (15 times), Mickey Mantle (14 times), Lou Gehrig (13 times), Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio (11 times each). The only other major league catchers (spending 50% of season at catcher) with 9 are Gary Carter (9), Berra (10), Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza (11 each).  Jorge is two GIDPs away from tying Willie Randolph for 5th on the all-time Yankee list and 5 away from tying Paul O'Neill for 4th.

Next time we'll look at the pitchers chasing special numbers for the Yankees.