3 Reds who could experience milestone-moments in 2023

One of the biggest milestone moments of the 2022 season was Albert Pujols hitting home run No. 700. Yes, he plays for the hated St. Louis Cardinals, but most of the Cincinnati Reds fanbase can at least respect the work that Pujols put in over the years to reach that milestone.

Now, very few players in Major League Baseball will ever reach that milestone. Even some of the all-time greats like Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays never reached 700 home runs.

But there are other career-milestones that players are able to reach that, while they won't make the headlines, are also a tremendous individual accomplishment. Let's look at three players who could achieve such a milestone in 2023.

1. Reds RHP Luke Weaver could experience a milestone moment in 2023.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired Luke Weaver during the offseason after signing the veteran pitcher to a one-year contract. It's still unkown as to whether or not Weaver will be part of the Reds starting rotation or settle into a bullpen role in 2023.

Regardless, Weaver should be able to reach 500 strikeouts during the upcoming season. Currently, Weaver is sitting on 462 career punch outs, so 38 more would be enough to secure 500 Ks in his career. Oddly enough, Weaver recorded 38 strikeouts last season while splitting time between the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Weaver's best season came back in 2019 with the D-backs. Starting 12 games that season, Weaver posted a 2.94 ERA and struck out 69 batters. Injuries have marred Weaver's career over the past few seasons, so a healthy campaign would be essential to the 29-year-old recording 500 strikeouts in 2023.

Luke Weaver appears to be the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to competition for the final spot in the Reds 2023 rotation. Luis Cessa, Brandon Williamson, and Connor Overton are also vying for a spot.