Getting to three grand on hit list is no easy feat. Here are the players that have already made it and the ones who will make it.

The 3,000 Hit Club is baseball’s most exclusive offensive fraternity. There have been more than 10,000 players to stand in a Major League Batter’s box since the creation of the first Major League in 1869. Of all those thousands of players in MLB history, only twenty-six have collected the 3,000 Hits necessary for admission. These men are among the best hitters in baseball. Here is the complete list of MLB players with 3000 hits or more along with the total number of hits for each:

Members of Baseball's 3,000 Hit Club:

1. Pete Rose (4,256)

2. Ty Cobb (4,191)

3. Hank Aaron (3,771)

4. Stan Musial (3,630)

5. Tris Speaker (3,514)

6. Carl Yastrzemski (3,419)

7. Cap Anson (3,418)**

8. Honus Wagner (3,415)

9. Paul Molitor (3,319)

10. Eddie Collins (3,315)

11. Willie Mays (3,283)

12. Eddie Murray (3,255)

13. Napoleon Lajoie (3,242)

14. Cal Ripken, Jr. (3,184)

15. George Brett (3,154)

16. Paul Waner (3,152)

17. Robin Yount (3,142)

18. Tony Gwynn (3,141)

19. Dave Winfield (3,110)

20. Rickey Henderson (3,055)

21. Rod Carew (3,053)

22. Lou Brock (3,023)

23. Rafael Palmeiro (3,020)

24. Wade Boggs (3,010)

25. Al Kaline (3,007)

26. Craig Biggio (3,002)

27. Roberto Clemente (3,000)

** Cap Anson collected 423 hits while playing in the National Assocation (NA) from 1871-1875. The NA was a direct precursor to the National League, but was not considered a true "major league" by Major League Baseball until the 1990s. Thus, in many record books, he is only credited with a total of 2,995 hits.

What Makes 3,000 Hits So Amazing

Consider this. In 2006, only eight players had 200 or more hits. In 2005, only three major leaguers topped 200 hits. Over the past ten seasons, there has only been an average of six players per year who broke 200. So, in other words, it is pretty hard to get 200 hits in a season. Only the very best top-of-the-order hitters even have a realistic chance to reach that number. Now, consider this: to get 3,000 hits, a player must collect 200 per year for fifteen straight seasons. That’s pretty impressive, to say the least. Hence, the exclusivity of the 3,000 Hit Club.

The 3,000 Hit Club and the Baseball Hall of Fame

Being a member of the 3,000 Hit Club is a virtual admission ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of the 26 members of the club, 25 are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame. With the lone exception of Pete Rose, who is ineligible for admission because he was banned from baseball for gambling in 1989, every single eligible member of the 3,000 Hit Club has been voted into the Hall.

Active Players Who Should Make the 3,000 Hit Club

It is very hard to predict what any major league baseball player will accomplish in the future. Anyone can get hurt. Everyone gets older. Skills diminish, opportunities evaporate, and a player who seemed like a lock for 3,000 hits is gone in the blink of an eye. That being said, the following five active players will more likely than reach 3,000 career hits.

Barry Bonds (2,902). Even though he is 42 years old, and his last two seasons have been marred by a series of injuries, Barry Bonds will get the 159 hits he needs to join the club. It may take him until the early part of the 2008 season, but can anyone really imagine Barry Bonds quitting the game if he has 2,950 hits by the end of the 2007 baseball season?

Derek Jeter (2,266). Jeter has been around forever, but he is still only 32 years old. For a player who has averaged 196 hits a season over the course of his career, the only real question for Jeter is: how close will he get to 4,000 hits?

Alex Rodriguez (2,163). Like Jeter, Rodriguez is smack-dab in the middle of his career and has already broken through the 2,000 hit plateau. A-Rod is going to reach a lot of impressive milestones as his career moves forward, the least of which may be 3,000 hits.