Nick Madrigal, Chicago White Sox. (Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal believes he can amass 3,000 hits at the big-league level. This led to a hilarious moment from his White Sox teammates.
Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal needs a nickname, so why not. . .”Mr. 3000″?
Madrigal was hopelessly trolled by his White Sox teammates during spring training after he suggested he could achieve the hall-of-fame milestone at the plate. To date, the 24-year-old infielder has 35 career base hits in 103 plate appearances. While he is hitting .340 in his short, but promising MLB career, that did not stop his White Sox teammates making “Mr. 3000” t-shirts.
Could Nick Madrigal do for the White Sox what Stan Ross “did” for the Brewers?
So what is it going to take for Madrigal to achieve lofty Stan Ross status? With 2,965 career hits to go before he matches the late Roberto Clemente in the annals of MLB history, Madrigal will need to average nearly 175 hits at the plate each year through his age-40 season. Had he gotten to the big leagues earlier than going to college at Oregon State, this “might” have been in play for him.
Regardless of if he gets to 3,000 career hits or not, let’s hope he is as selfless as Clemente was and not as arrogant as Ross was. If Madrigal retires mid-season after becoming “Mr. 3000” like Ross did, all of his White Sox teammates will resent him forever. Then again, these t-shirts made by his White Sox teammates in jest will become absolutely hilarious in 2038. We cannot wait for it.
Madrigal aims to become the second or third-most important person when we think of 3,000 hits.