Who Will Reach New Milestones in 2025?

Last year Japanese born player Shohei Ohtani became the first player ever to have 50 homeruns and 50 stolen bases in a single year.  He also earned the Most Valuable Player of the Year again with a unanimous vote.  Expected to return to the pitcher’s mound some time later this season, baseball aficionados agree that he will not achieve the feats of last year.

But are there other players in Major League Baseball who could reach career or league milestones or set records.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider needs just five strikeouts to reach the milestone of 500 K’s and after reaching 495 in 329 2/3 innings; he could do so in the fewest number of innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher enters the 2025 season with a career total of 846 strike outs;  he needs just 154 K’s to reach 1,000 strikeout and possibly doing so in the fewest number of innings.

New York Mets player Pete Alonso has hit 226 home runs since joining the Mets in 2019.  He is currently in third place on the all time Mets home run list behind David Wright with 242 and Darryl Strawberry with 252.  If Alonso has a good year, he could easily move into second place and maybe even take the title.

Cross town rival New York Yankee Aaron Judge enters the season with 315 career home runs – the most in the MLB since his debut season in 2016.  Judge needed just 955 games to reach 300 home runs for the fewest games in MLB history.  Mark McGwire needed 1,280 games to reach 350 homers; Judge has played in 993 games so far.  Can he hit 35 homers in less than 287 games?

Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout sits at 378 home runs and needs just 22 homers to join the 400 club – the 59^th player in MLB history to do so; but Trout also has a career 212 stolen bases – a feat achieved by 14 of the 58 400 Club members.

Walter Johnson sits at number nine on the career strikeout list with 3,515.  Currently in eleventh place, Max Scherzer has 3,407 with while Justin Verlander sits in 10^th with 3,416.  With both pitchers needing less than 100 strikeouts to reach 3,500, it is possible the either or both could surpass Johnson to take over ninth place. Gaylord Perry with 3,534 currently sits in eighth place.  With 5,714 Nolan Ryan tops the list.

Still out with an injury, Los Angles Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw currently has 2,968 strikeouts; just 32 away form 3,000!  There are currently just 19 pitchers who have at least 3,000 career strikeouts.

Since arriving in the United States, Shohei Ohtani has hit 225 home runs – well, 226 since that homerun hit in Tokyo.  While he is expected to return to the mound later this year, Ohtani-san may not reach that 50 home run mark for a second year but 250 is certainly achievable; and he is hoping to add to his 608 strikeouts.  He is the only player besides Babe Ruth who has a total of 714 home runs and 501 strikeouts.

The only player in MLB history to have 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases – Ronald Acuna Jr, has 165 career homers and 196 stolen bases; he could easily reach 200 in both categories this season and become the first player to reach that feat before his 28^th birthday.