I love to check out the all-time leader boards on baseball-reference.com. Its thrilling to watch current players pass up players from the 1930s or 40s. Derek Jeter closing in on Eddie Murray on the all-time hits list. Adam Dunn getting close to 2000 career strikeouts to name a few.
Its also an exercise in gaining perspective. The historic figures like Mantle, Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Mays, etc still occupy positions at the top of most offensive lists. The era of the longball (commonly referred to as "the steroid era" to which I say other factors along with PEDs influenced the offensive increase) is behind us. The players who played in the 1990s are slowly becoming baseball retirees or soon will. The time of the 21st century player is here as they creep up the leader boards.
Yet there is always a few players on the leader boards who are just "hanging on". Their days are numbered yet they continue to play in extremely part-time roles. So I cleaned up the leader boards for a few stats by "retiring" certain players who 1) either haven't played a game this year and are free agents, 2) who said that they are definitely retiring at the end of the season (the Omar Vizquels of the league), 3) players who are still under contract next year and will play regardless (Todd Helton) or 4)--and this is where it gets more speculative--players who are having a sub-par year as a utility fielder or a one-a-week pinch hitter.
Note: One player who I couldn't decide on was Bobby Abreu along a few starters like Bartolo Colon.
After eliminating these players, I reshuffled the active leader boards and came up with these prospective leader lists as they MIGHT LOOK LIKE at the start of the 2013 season. The first number is the actual stat (as of August 16th), the second is the player's first year, the third is their position on the all-time list. The leader boards all of a sudden look a whole lot different! Aside from Jeter and A-Rod, not many players are close to the top.
RUNS SCORED
Alex Rodriguez 1878 1994 12th
Derek Jeter 1839 1995 15th
Bobby Abreu 1439 1996 80th
Todd Helton 1360 1997 97th
Albert Pujols 1357 2001 101st
Carlos Beltran 1252 1998 142nd
Scott Rolen 1204 1996 167th
Andruw Jones 1199 1996 171st
Ichiro Suzuki 1181 2001 190th
Jimmy Rollins 1149 2000 206th
HITS
Derek Jeter 3245 1995 13th
Alex Rodriguez 2872 1994 41st
Ichiro Suzuki 2554 2001 88th
Bobby Abreu 2434 1996 111th
Todd Helton 2420 1997 113th
Carlos Lee 2237 1999 162nd
Albert Pujols 2199 2001 175th
Adrian Beltre 2164 1998 188th
Paul Konerko 2143 1997 199th
Juan Pierre 2111 2000 211th
HOMERUNS
Alex Rodriguez 644 1994 5th
Albert Pujols 471 2001 31st
Andruw Jones 432 1996 41st
Paul Konerko 414 1997 47th
David Ortiz 401 1997 49th
Adam Dunn 399 2001 50th
Alfonso Soriano 361 1999 74th
Lance Berkman 360 1999 75th
Carlos Lee 355 1999 79th
Todd Helton 354 1997 82nd
DOUBLES
Todd Helton 570 1997 22nd
Bobby Abreu 565 1996 23rd
Derek Jeter 516 1995 44th
Scott Rolen 511 1996 48th
Alex Rodriguez 509 1994 50th
Albert Pujols 487 2001 67th
David Ortiz 481 1997 76th
Carlos Lee 462 1999 87th
Adrian Beltre 452 1998 94th
Alfonso Soriano 426 1999 134th
GAMES PLAYED
Derek Jeter 2541 1995 45th
Alex Rodriguez 2496 1994 56th
Bobby Abreu 2325 1996 98th
Andruw Jones 2170 1996 143rd
Todd Helton 2123 1997 167th
Paul Konerko 2099 1997 177th
Adrain Beltre 2071 1998 194th
Carlos Lee 2055 1999 199th
Scott Rolen 2010 1996 225th
Raul Ibanez 1912 1996 286th
STEALS
Juan Pierre 582 2000 21st
Ichiro Suzuki 441 2001 54th
Carl Crawford 430 2002 57th
Bobby Abreu 398 1996 72nd
Jose Reyes 398 2003 74th
Jimmy Rollins 391 2000 79th
Derek Jeter 346 1995 112th
Chone Figgins 337 2002 120th
Alez Rodruguez 316 1994 148th
Rafawl Furcal 314 2000 152nd
WINS
Andy Pettitte 243 1995 54th
Roy Halladay 194 1998 129th
Tim Hudson 193 1999 134th
CC Sabathia 188 2001 144th
Livan Hernandez 177 1996 164th
Mark Muehrle 170 2000 179th
Bartolo Colon 170 1997 184th
Kevin Millwood 167 1997 197th
Roy Oswalt 163 2001 212th
Barry Zito 154 2000 237th
