Baseball is a game that has always held its own history in high regard. And one of the best ways to keep track of that history has been through statistical milestones, numbers that have come to act as a sort of distillation of greatness. Round numbers that represent on-field brilliance in an easy-to-understand way.

Granted, changes in the game are in turn changing these milestones. The way the game is played and the meaning of the numbers being tallied isn’t what it once was; the sabermetric revolution has altered how we look at these statistics. Still, there’s something undeniably special about those iconic career marks. While their relevance may fade someday, we’re not there yet.

Here are a few milestones that might be reached in 2018:

One of Major League Baseball’s most exclusive clubs has a new member.

With an opposite-field single off Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Leake on May 4, Los Angeles Angels first baseman/designated hitter Albert Pujols became just the 32nd player to reach the 3,000-hit plateau. He’s the latest in a run of players to reach the mark – Alex Rodriguez in 2015, the just-released Ichiro Suzuki in 2016 and Adrian Beltre last season – though it’s likely that it’ll be a while before the club gets any bigger.

Baseball is a game that has always held its own history in high regard. And one of the best ways to keep track of that history has been through statistical milestones, numbers that have come to act as a sort of distillation of greatness. Round numbers that represent on-field brilliance in an easy-to-understand way.

Granted, changes in the game are in turn changing these milestones. The way the game is played and the meaning of the numbers being tallied isn’t what it once was; the sabermetric revolution has altered how we look at these statistics. Still, there’s something undeniably special about those iconic career marks. While their relevance may fade someday, we’re not there yet.

Here are a few milestones that might be reached in 2018:

Angels slugger becomes ninth ever to reach milestone

Beltre, Pujols both looking to reach rarified air