MLB player milestones to watch in 2026

Key Points:

• Aaron Judge needs 32 home runs to reach 400 career homers, a milestone he could achieve in the fewest games ever if done within the next season and a half, given his consistent high home run totals in recent years.
• Juan Soto is on pace to surpass 1,000 career walks before turning 29, potentially ranking third or fourth in fewest games to reach that mark, continuing his historic walk totals at young ages.
• Ronald Acuña Jr. aims to join the exclusive 300-300 club (home runs and stolen bases) and break his franchise's total bases record, with strong chances based on his recent 30-40 season performances.
• Pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are closing in on seventh place all-time in career strikeouts, needing 22 and 86 strikeouts respectively to surpass Don Sutton’s 3,574 strikeouts.
• Tyler Glasnow and Jacob deGrom are on pace to set records for fewest innings pitched to reach 1,000 and 2,000 strikeouts respectively, highlighting their elite strikeout efficiency.
• Shohei Ohtani is approaching 300 home runs and 700 pitching strikeouts, continuing to build on his rare dual-threat legacy alongside Babe Ruth.
• Ronald Acuña Jr., at 28, is close to joining Mike Trout and Barry Bonds as players with 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases before age 29, potentially doing so in fewer games than any previous player.