Fastest to 3000 Hits

[crossface21]

With the new Ichiro deal, it got me thinking. What is the fastest any player has ever gotten to 3000 hits? Not by age, but number of seasons.

 

By the end of this year, Ichiro will be close to 1,600 hits in only 7 seasons.

[NYChez]

Here's one measure: the 3 youngest players to attain their 3,000th hit are Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, and Robin Yount.

[mls4]

Rose predictably had the fewest seasons to 3000 hits; he hit 3000 in his 16th season. However the number of games in a season varies so I calculated the number of games it took for each member of the 3000-hit club. By the way, at Suzuki's current pace, he would be the fastest to 3000 in only his 14th season and 2109th game. He still would be only 40 years old so it looks quite feasible at this point.

 

Here's the list with number of games it took, with seasons in parentheses (I had to approximate the older players, their game logs are not available):

 

Cobb 2140 approx. (17)

Anson 2180 approx. (24)

Lajoie 2240 approx. (19)

Waner 2280 approx. (17)

Gwynn 2284 (18)

Musial 2301 (17)

Speaker 2340 approx. (19)

Rose 2370 (16)

Molitor 2411 (19)

Carew 2416 (19)

Boggs 2429 (18)

Clemente 2432 (18)

Wagner 2440 approx. (18)

Aaron 2460 (17)

Collins 2550 approx. (20)

Brett 2559 (20)

Brock 2586 (19)

Mays 2639 (19)

Yount 2708 (19)

Murray 2764 (19)

Biggio 2781 (20)

Ripken 2800 (20)

Palmeiro 2809 (20)

Kaline 2827 (22)

Winfield 2840 (20)

Yastrzemski 2851 (19)

Henderson 2979 (23)

 

 

(edit: 'killed' the accidentally posted emoticons --1992casey)