Here Are MLB’s Biggest Milestones to Track in 2023

More than perhaps any other sport, baseball fans are obsessed with statistics. And there’s nothing statheads can appreciate more than round numbers. With Opening Day fast approaching, it’s the time of year when we take a peek at the record books for milestones that could be reached during the upcoming season.

Although there isn’t a massive headliner, such as Albert Pujols’s successful chase for 700 home runs last season, there are still plenty of noteworthy checkpoints worth tracking throughout the summer. Here’s a look at what’s to come in the 2023 season, and an estimate on when each player will hit his mark.

250 wins: Justin Verlander (244)

New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander

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Verlander’s battle against Father Time continues, with the 40-year-old coming off perhaps the most impressive season of his eventual Hall of Fame career. Verlander won his third Cy Young Award, earning himself a two-year deal with the Mets worth over $43 million per season.

Verlander enters 2023 with 244 wins, meaning he’s likely to reach 250 by mid-May. The 300-win mark has historically been the ultimate milestone for pitchers, though the last to achieve it was Randy Johnson, who reached that mark in ’09. Verlander faces a steep uphill battle to become the 25th member of the 300-win club—though, to this point, it’s been foolish to bet against him.

200 wins: Clayton Kershaw (197)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw

Ross D. Franklin/AP

From his debut in 2008 through ’15, Kershaw racked up 114 wins, bagging three Cy Young Awards and an MVP in the process. At that pace, the left-hander would have surpassed the 200-win mark long ago were it not for various injuries that have plagued him since. He hasn’t cracked 180 innings in the past seven years and was held under 130 in each of the past two campaigns.

Although those injuries have robbed Kershaw of some victories, they’ve hardly impacted his effectiveness. He’s 12 wins shy of tying Don Drysdale for No. 2 in Dodgers history and 36 behind franchise leader Don Sutton. Expect Kershaw to reach 200 sometime in April or early May, with a chance to catch Sutton by the end of the next season.

3,000 strikeouts: Zack Greinke (2,882)

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke

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Once upon a time, 118 strikeouts didn’t seem like a whole lot for Greinke. Now approaching 40, that’s not the case anymore. The right-hander managed just 73 punchouts in 26 outings in 2022, the seventh-fewest by any pitcher with at least 25 starts over the past 15 years. It might be too big a stretch to get to 3,000, but he was able to record 120 strikeouts just two seasons ago, so it’s not out of the question.

400 home runs: Giancarlo Stanton (378)

New York Yankees designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton

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Stanton surpassed the 300-homer mark at the end of the 2018 season, then amassed only seven dingers across 41 games the following two years. He’s managed to stay relatively healthy in the past two seasons, totaling 66 homers in 1,031 plate appearances.

If he’s able to maintain that level of health and production, Stanton is reliable to bash at least 22 home runs. If that happens, he’ll be just the 22nd player to reach 400 home runs by his age-33 season.

2,000 hits: Jose Altuve (1,935), Freddie Freeman (1,903)

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve

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We have a pair of former MVPs closing in on 2,000 hits. Both Altuve and Freeman have been on similar tracks for their entire careers: steady, All-Star caliber production as core members of World Series-winning squads.

Given how well rounded each hitter’s approach is, eventually reaching 3,000 hits appears very much in play, assuming relatively good health going forward. There have been just six players to join the 3,000-hit club over the past 15 years, and Altuve and Freeman could be the next to gain admittance.

400 saves: Craig Kimbrel (394), Kenley Jansen (391)

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen

Brynn Anderson/AP

The value of saves in evaluating a pitcher’s importance might have dwindled in recent years, but reaching 400 saves still means something. Only six players have ever reached that mark and none since Francisco Rodriguez in 2016.

Both Jansen and Kimbrel will be pitching for new teams in 2023—Jansen with the Red Sox and Kimbrel with the Phillies. Jansen turned in a strong performance in ’22, leading the National League in saves with 41. Kimbrel, though, struggled, eventually losing his closing role with the Dodgers. Philadelphia will pay him $10 million in ’23, so it’s a safe bet that he’ll get a long-enough leash to at least get nine saves and join elite company.