Freeman leads active MLB players in pursuit of rare 3,000-hit milestone
Fox Sports identifies Freddie Freeman as the strongest active candidate to reach 3,000 career hits, with José Altuve still a possibility.
Only 33 players have reached 3,000 career hits in Major League Baseball and its predecessor leagues, according to Fox Sports, which assessed the active players with a realistic chance of joining the group.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is the leading candidate. He was reported to be 413 hits short of the milestone as at 9 September 2026, after collecting 156 hits this season.
Fox Sports said Freeman’s three-year average was 157.7 hits, meaning three more seasons at a similar rate could put 3,000 within reach. The assessment remains conditional on his health and production as he moves further into his late 30s.
Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve was described as another possibility, although Fox Sports noted his age and diminishing production. Altuve is No. 103 in the 2,500-hit club and has accumulated 1,250 hits across his past nine seasons, including his nearly complete 2026 campaign.
Altuve previously led the American League in hits from 2014 to 2017 and won three batting titles during that period. Fox Sports said his chances of reaching 3,000 were far from nonexistent, while stopping short of presenting the achievement as likely.
The figures cited by Fox Sports place the 3,000-hit mark among baseball’s most selective career milestones: 1,421 players have reached 1,000 hits, 299 have reached 2,000 and 103 have reached 2,500.
