Of all of these records, I figure to see only the K record go down. Sosa might make it yet, if he can hang on for 3 more years (he's 450 back now). Thome could too, if he ever makes it back (needs 800 more) to full-time.

The BA and SLG might be vulnerable if a great enough player starts out in Colorado and stays there. But they'd have to be pretty damn great, at the Pujols level. Actually, this hypothetical Coors/Pujols player would threaten all of the records except the triples, GIDP, and SB (and only one of hits and OBP, probably can't get both).

Of those, I could see someone like Pudge (currently 220) "beating" Ripken. Maybe Franco can hold on for another 3 years (he's only 50 or so back right now)...he seems to be eternal.

It seems more likely that there will be an "Uber-Rockie", than the game will suddenly produce triples at the dead-ball era rate. To me at least...

I would have put Ripken's other record up there as an unbeatable record...

I voted for Sam Crawford's triples.. I think that the triples and Walter Johnson's shutout record are ones that will stay for eternity, and that most of those listed are also close to unbreakable.

When you pass 40, the "in your lifetime" question gets a little touchy.

Looking at the past 100+ years of baseball, conditions usually have changed in a very significant within 20 years or less of a new era commencing. Baseball entered a hitter's boom in the early 90's; by the standards of the past, it is likely to start reversing itself fairly soon. PETCO is the first real pitcher's park constructed in a long time (although it really is about the same as Qualcomm was), and it may be a harbinger of things to come.

Anyways, I voted for Ty Cobb's .366 BA. It depends really on where you draw the bar for minimum PAs. In a short career, ending perhaps at age 35, this mark could be broken, I suppose. In order for Crawford's record to be broken, a bunch of teams would have to move out the fences.

I would have put Ripken's other record up there as an unbeatable record...

groove, I thought about that but decided it wasn't an offensive record.

The next poll will deal with pitching marks.

Where is DiMaggio and his 56 games? If that isn't an offensive record, then what is it?

That's a good one, smcs. I thought of that and then forgot about it when posting. Oh well ... anyway, I think you can make an argument that Joe's streak isn't a "career" mark like the others listed. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I voted for the IBB - it requires a hitter of truly historic stature, the kind that comes along only every 30 years or so - and a kind of mass hallucination on the part of opposing managers that the IBB is not roughly equivalent to... oh, an intentional error.

I have to go with the triples. I agree that ballpark contruction and offense/defence prevalence swing back and forth, but there is no way that ballpark contruction is going to revert back to turn of the century thinking and make bleacher seats 450-500 feet away. The finances of that kind of contruction (the cost of the additional land in prime urban locations and the loss of prime bleacher seats) just aren't there today.

The triples is the hardest to reach imo. Although if I could build a stadium it would be ala the old Polo Grounds which I suspect was good for triples (550 to centre iirc). The RBI, K, GIDP are records I could easily see broken. Cobb's BA and Williams OBP will be the hardest though. I do remember in the mid-80's some thinking that Boggs could have a shot at Cobb if everything broke right, but once he left Fenway that was no longer the case. Ruth's slugging will also be very hard to beat unless by the ultimate Coors player (HOF quality HR hitter anywhere else who starts and stays in Coors).

Triples, because I just don't see 10 or more teams moving the fences back 30 feet.

I went with Teddy's OBP record, but I was torn between that and Ricky's stolen base record. I just don't think that in this era of baseball that either of these things are possible anymore. The times now where players that are athletes and the stolen base is not a priority, as well as the specialized late-innings pitchers and the emphasis on control across the league just don't make either seem feasible.

Though looking at it, if Barry Bonds ever comes back, he might have a chance at the OBP record - he's currently third all time, at .443.

Meanwhile, looking at stolen bases, the closest active player is Kenny Lofton at 557. Of the speedsters I can think of right now, Podsednick only has 167, and he's already 29, and Ichiro has 181, and he's already 31. Rickey's record is safe for this lifetime.

I plan to live to be 100. I fully expect someone to challenge Cobb's, Ruth's, Rose's, Aaron's, Ripken's, and Jackson's records.

Williams's record I'm slightly less sure of, but someone's got a shot. Likewise Rickey's stolen bases.

Bonds's record I'm less sanguine about. I don't think we'll see anyone IBBed 30 times a season in the future; either offensive levels will go up, making the IBB a less useful strategy, or significantly down, making a hitter who could challenge it less likely to emerge. Also, a rule change could come any decade now to make the IBB rarer.

But Crawford's record - we'd need at least 20 new and radically different ballparks, with worse outfield seats. That ain't going to happen.

Rickey's stolen base record seems untouchable to me in the modern era of the slugger. Sure, a player might get 70SB in a season, but then he has to do that for _20_ years in a row.

Just _playing_ for 20 years is an accomplishment.

Running like Rickey (and getting on base like Rickey) for 20 years? I just don't see it happening in the next 50 years.

I don't think it's unreasonable that we could see a momentary return, somewhere down the line, to the 100+ SB numbers. Especially if the ball is deadened.

Most likely active players to break these records:

BA - Ichiro the only (distant) possibility.

SLG - Pujols a distant chance.

Hits - Alex Rodriguez a very, very distant possibility.

RBI - Pujols is 13 more seasons from this mark. He could do it.

OBP, 3B, SB, IBB - no one.

K - Sammy Sosa is two or three more seasons away. This is the most threatened of the marks.

GIDP - Ivan Rodriguez is about nine years away. This one is possible.

For the RBI mark, I figure Manny (1400+ after this season) and Rodriguez (1200+ after this season) are both threats to break it.

Ramirez has to keep it going, much the way Aaron did with 756 RBI from age 34 on. He might get 400 in the next three seasons and make a run at it. Or he might flake out and fall off the Green Monster tomorrow...or he could demand a trade to the Yankees one of these times and "fall" off the Monster after a meeting with some Boston fans.

If Rodriguez is going to threaten the HR record, like a lot people thought in the previous poll, he'll definitely make a run at the RBI record too.

I don't think it's unreasonable that we could see a momentary return, somewhere down the line, to the 100+ SB numbers. Especially if the ball is deadened.

The change in philosophy/players/ball would have to last for 14 years (minimum) for a player to take advantage of it to get up to Rickey's 1406 SB total.

I don't know if someone will be able to maintain that speed for that long, as well as get on base enough to get the opportunities. It COULD happen, but I think it's the rarest one (although the 309 triples seems more unlikely after reading some of these comments about park sizes).

I'd actually be surprised if Jackson's K record doesn't fall in the next 15-20 years. While Sammy may or may not break the record in the next few years, Adam Dunn is almost certain to break the record, unless something dramatic happens. Dunn is currently only 25 years old and has 687 K's in almost exactly 2100 AB's. His K rate has held steady if not increased over his career. At this pace he needs around 5700 AB's to break the record. Even given his propensity for BB's and factoring in injury it will only take him 10-11 years to break the record.