MLB: Player milestones within reach during the 2018 season

CC Sabathia

Just a few years removed from struggling career lows and entering rehab for alcohol addiction, CC Sabathia has found success once again on the mound. At 37 years old, Sabathia isn’t the Cy Young award winner he was back in his younger ace days but he remains a solid middle of the rotation pitcher.

The way he pitched in 2017 earned him a new contract with the New York Yankees. Sabathia and the Yankees agreed on a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason. His career resurgence is allowing him to move up in career ranks and he’s moving closer to a milestone.

Sabathia currently sits at 2,846 strikeouts, leaving him just 154 strikeouts from joining the 3,000 strikeout club. Only 16 other pitchers in MLB history have reached 3,000 career strikeouts.

Although, 154 strikeouts won’t be an easy task for Sabathia. He struck out 120 batters in 2017 but the year before that he reached 152 strikeouts. With Sabathia reinventing himself on the mound, his K/9 has declined.

If the left-hander can stay healthy and follow up his excellent 2017 season with another good season in 2018, he has a shot to reach 3,000 strikeouts this coming season. And even if he can’t pull off the feat in 2018, it is almost a guarantee that he’ll accomplish this amount by the 2019 season.