What do you think would be harder to achieve?

Question

500 career home runs or 300 career pitching wins or 500 saves?

Also 3,000 hits

Answer 1

500 career home runs is no longer a viable mark of greatness.

It used to be, but I can see 500 home run hitters not going to the hall of fame. Home runs are up, close to 1 every 30 at bats now.

If you look at a 'good' performer now a days
A good home run hitter will hit 40 homers
Win 18 games
Save 45
Have 200 hits.

Given that, it would take only 11 years to get 500 saves.
12.5 years to hit 500 home runs
15 years to get 3000 hits
16.67 years to get 300 wins.

Injuries sway the wins most. For the saves, you have to be in the right position, where home runs you can do from anywhere in the lineup.

Given that, I would say that in order from easiest to most difficult it would be
500 Home Runs
500 Saves
3000 Hits
300 Wins.

Answer 2

From this point on any new player would have the most difficult time achieving 300 career pitching victories. 500 homeruns almost seems to be where 400 used to be. When Jimmy Fox retired with 534 he was second only to Ruth. He's all the way down to #14 these days and has several guys hot on his trail. He may end up lucky to stay in the top 20.

Answer 3

In this day and age...the 300 wins is going to be nearly impossible to reach. A pitcher, today, gets 32 to 33 starts a year. If he wins 1/2 of them, EVERY YEAR, for 20 years, he can win 300.

The average MLB Ace, or top of the rotation starter, can win between 13-16 games, if he has a good season. Rarely do you see any of them (Santana, maybe Peavy aside) who can do that every single year, without mistake.

I think for this day & this time period, a pitcher who gets between 250 & 275 would be considered a Hall of Famer.

500 saves is going to be tough, but you have guys like Rodriguez, Nathan, Cordero, etc...who if they are on a good enough team that wins 90 to 95 a year, then they are going to have a shot.

500 career home runs is slowly becoming a less impressive feat. In the next 10 years, there will be about double the amount in that club, then there was 20 years ago.

Answer 4

Fewer players have 500 saves than players with 500 homeruns, 300 wins, or 3,000 hits. Action speaks louder than words, the 500 saves must be more difficult.

Answer 5

My guess would be 300 wins. Everyone seems to be arguing that 500 saves is harder because only one player has done it so far. But relief pitchers have only become so important in the last 30 years, almost a recent trend. While starting pitchers pitch less and less innings every year, turning their potential wins over to relievers, who often blow them. It's a toss up between those two, but I think you'll see a few more pitchers crack the 500 save plateau before anyone reaches 300 wins.

Answer 6

Right now, 500 saves, which has been done only once. And closing is notorious for wearing out pitchers. But since the potential for this milestone has only been around roughly 40 years, it hasn't had the window the other marks have. We'll see if it remains so difficult; if not, 300 wins will be harder, though not by much.

Answer 7

500 saves is the hardest. Only Trevor Hoffman has done it, while more pitchers have achieved 300 wins, and even more have gotten 500 home runs. All three are impressive, but only one guy has 500 saves, and that means something.

Answer 8

500 saves

Answer 9

300 wins.

The pitching milestones are easily more difficult (in my opinion), because you have to depend on your team to help you out.

With the hits and home runs, its an individual achievement.

The only reason why 300 wins is more difficult than 500 wins, is that you have an opportunity to win a game every 4 or 5 games. You potentially have a save opportunity every game or at least every 2 games.

Not only do you have to rely on your defense, but your team's hitting has to be on as well.

Answer 10

500 saves