While 2024 had a lot of ups and downs for many players, now into the projection season, every MLB star will hope to chase benchmarks in 2025! While sometimes the stats of some players stand out, which allows us to think about how great the upcoming season may be, there are a few players expected to create milestones, the top players who are esteemed to do something exemplary. 

Bryce Harper: Just a few more away from 1000 RBIs

In baseball history, Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies’ star, will be the only fourth player to achieve his feat—1,000 RBIs. Isn’t that humongous? Well, Harper will still need 24 more RBIs to achieve that milestone with 1000 walks and 100 stolen bases alongside it, at just 32 years of age, which many players dream of. Once he reaches the milestone, he will join the list of elite players like Barry Bonds, Carl Yastrzemski, and Mickey Mantle.

Manny Machado: On the way to 2000 hits

Manny Machado, the San Diego Padres star, is not only eight home runs away from the 350-home-run mark but also requires just 100 hits more to achieve the record 2,000-hit plateau. Machado’s .279/.338/.488 slash line, along with 342 homers and 363 doubles in 7517 plate appearances already makes him gradually move towards the Hall of Fame. And now, it will be a tremendous effort from him once he reaches that 2000 mark. But there are two other players who are looking to make it big in 2025.

Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer: Moving towards the magical 3,500 K mark

Another milestone we all expect to see is Justin Verlander, the San Francisco Giants’ pitcher, achieving 3500 career strikeouts. Sounds surprising, but yes! Over the past three seasons, Verlander had a 129 ERA+ with 3.49 FIP in 427 2/3 innings, and with more than 260 wins in his career with an 81.0 WAR, he will soon achieve that magical number. But he’s not the only one! The Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher Max Scherzer has reached that 3000 strikeout mark before as well, and with the season to start soon, we all expect him to achieve another milestone—3500 K, which is quite normal for a player of his caliber. Isn’t it?

Clayton Kershaw: Looking for a comeback

Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers pitcher and a five-time Cy Young Award winner, looks to make a comeback to the mound soon. Although Kershaw has been out due to toe and knee surgeries, and he may not be back until the midseason, many expect him to reach 32 more and get that 3000-strikeout mark. But there’s something that might make the fans unhappy.

Clayton Kershaw might just be the last one to achieve this milestone

Well, what makes us think so is that there are rarely any players nowadays who may be seen breaking that 3000 strikeout mark. Although Verlander and Scherzer are aiming to achieve that 35500 strikeout number, Kershaw’s record may be the best one, given that he had spent his entire 17-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, what makes it so special?

Basically, we all know that the Dodgers are one of the dominant forces in MLB; be it in terms of playing or spending money, they just do everything right. So, Kershaw, being one of the best all-time strikeout leaders in the Dodgers, acquiring just 32 more runs would make him achieve that feat that no one in the Dodgers previously achieved. MLB analyst Harold Reynolds also seems hopeful of Kershaw being the 20th and last pitcher to achieve such a great record in his career. The reason? Most of the pitchers neither last for many innings nor go through a long career, although Scherzer and Verlander are exceptions.

So, do you think Kershaw may achieve that monumental milestone soon, or maybe more than what we expect? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.