Bartolo Colon Closing in on Exclusive Strikeout Club

The Atlanta Braves signed 43-year-old Bartolo Colon to a one-year, $12.5 million contract in the offseason, essentially guaranteeing his stay in the majors for at least a 20th season. The deal also gives him an opportunity to join 32 other pitchers in the 2,500-strikeout club, per MLB.com.

Colon enters the 2017 season requiring just 135 punchouts to reach 2,500 for his career, but he could make it even more special by finishing with fewer than 1,000 walks. Only eight other pitchers in MLB history have recorded 2,500 strikeouts while keeping the free pass total under 1,000.

While he started his career playing six years for the Cleveland Indians, Colon spent much of it after that journeying from team to team. The veteran hurler pitched no more than four seasons for any one ball club following his initial stint with Cleveland and has played for a total of nine different teams throughout his prolonged career.

The same MLB.com article notes that Colon would break Gaylord Perry's record of pitching for eight different teams should he join the grouping of pitchers.

A fan favorite around the league, Colon's performance hasn't slowed with age and neither has his ability to take the mound every fifth day. In fact, he posted a respectable 3.43 ERA and pitched 191.2 innings with the New York Mets last season, earning his fourth career All-Star nod. He now has an All-Star nomination in four different decades.

While his numbers likely won't push Colon into Hall of Fame consideration, he at least has one of the longer careers. There's also no guarantee the big man will call it quits following 2017, so he could add to his 20 years of service time at the top level.