5 MLB Pitchers Who Have Shot at Getting to 300 Wins

One of the most coveted groups of players in all of sports, the 300-win club is one that many think will never have another member. 

Due to changes in the game such as pitch counts, five-man rotations, injury prevention and, simply, longevity, many experts believe that we will never see another 300-game winner.

There is always a chance for another pitcher to win 300 games and there are only a handful of players in baseball today who may challenge to get a spot in the club. Remember that there is a good chance that not another pitcher gets to 300 wins, but if we had to pick ones who could, here are the 5 pitchers in the MLB who have the best shot at joining the 300-win club:

5. Jair Jurrjens

Age: 25

Wins: 49

Best thing he has going: Craig Kimbrel

Jair Jurrjens is a phenomenal young pitcher who will be a great pitcher in this league for quite some time. At the age of 25, Jurrjens already has 49 wins, which is a great start for someone going after the 300-win mark. One of the reasons why Jurrjens is on this list, is a teammate of his, Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel is a young, 23-year-old closer who happens to lead the MLB in saves this season. Jurrjens has found his new best friend in Kimbrel, who is an excellent closer who will take care of his starting pitcher and make sure that he gets all of the wins that he can.

It doesn't hurt that Jurrjens is also on one of the most consistently good ball clubs in baseball in the Atlanta Braves.

Area of Concern: Youth

To get to 300 wins, well, you have to win a lot of games. Even though Jurrjens is at a good start with 49 wins, he still is 251 more away. Jamie Moyer is the only active pitcher in baseball who even has at least 251 wins for his career.

There's no guarantee that Jurrjens gets anywhere close to 300 wins, due to the fact that he has to win a lot more games, he can't control his teammates for 15 years and injuries may happen.

If Jurrjens wants to keep up a shot at getting to 300 wins, he needs to stay healthy and stay consistent.

4. Mark Buehrle

Age: 32

Wins: 158

Best thing he has going: A.J. Pierzynski

Mark Buehrle flat out is nothing less than a stud. Year after year, the guy gives the White Sox about 15 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA (which is very good in the AL). To add on to Buehrle's great skill at pitching, he has one of the most intelligent catchers in the game, A.J. Pierzynski, to work with. Pierzynski is a guy who other teams hate, but undoubtedly makes his team better.

Buehrle is still only a little over halfway to 300, but his quality approach to the game, style of working fast, and good partner in crime in Pierzynski, Buehrle has a quality shot at making a run towards 300 wins.

Area of Concern: Will he lose the passion?

What else can this guy do? He's already thrown a no-hitter, thrown a perfect game, won a World Series and hit a home run (very cool for a pitcher who has played in the AL his entire career). Getting to 300 wins is a feat that can not be taken lightly. If Buehrle wants to reach 300 wins, he's going to have to give it his best shot for the next 10 years or maybe more.

Buehrle has spoken publicly about his excitement of retiring and going back to St. Charles, Missouri (his hometown), which brings up the question: How long will he have the fire?

3. Roy Halladay

Age: 34

Wins: 184

Best thing he has going: Durability

Year after year, Roy Halladay is in the top 10 (and most of the time, No. 1) in innings pitched. Being able to go deep into games as a starting pitcher is huge, because Halladay relies solely on himself.

Over the past four seasons, Halladay has thrown 34 complete games. He doesn't even risk the chance of a bullpen pitcher blowing a win for him.

Next to the fact that Halladay pitches seven, eight, or even nine innings almost routinely, the guy has incredible stuff. Halladay has had four straight sub 3.00 ERA seasons, and is on pace for his third 20-win season in four years.

Simply put, Halladay is one of the best pitchers in the game, and on his way to 300 wins.

Area of Concern: Durability

While Halladay's durability in games can be seen as a positive, it also may hurt his chance at getting 300 wins. To this point, Halladay has not had any major problems with stamina, but if he continues to pitch as many innings as he does, there is no way to predict how long he will last.

Halladay has been in the top five in innings pitched over the past five years, making him a man with plenty of mileage. If Halladay continues to be the machine that he is and not be affected by innings pitched, then he will have a great shot at reaching 300 wins. If he shows any glimpse of being part human, then his innings total may be an area of concern.

2. Justin Verlander

Age: 28

Wins: 101

Best thing he has going: He's the best pitcher in baseball.

Simply put, the guy is unstoppable. Justin Verlander is showing this year, why he is the best pitcher in baseball and only 28 years old.

Sitting at 18-5 with a 2.31 E.R.A., Verlander is just making hitters look silly, and really settling in to the prime of his career.

While Verlander can beat you with a 98 MPH fastball, he has now developed a breaking ball that will make hitters stand there speechless for hours wondering what just happened.

This guy is really, really good.

Area of Concern: The Detroit Tigers

Despite leading the AL Central and on pace to make the playoffs this year, the one thing stopping Verlander from getting to 300 wins may be his team. It wouldn't be hard to make an argument that Verlander is single handedly carrying this team into October.

The Tigers are 65-58, but in games that Verlander doesn't start they are only 46-50. Verlander has dominated this year and not needed much help from his teammates, but there will come a time when he needs a few guys to help him out and right now it isn't looking like the Tigers have that for him.

There are plenty of teams worse than the Detroit Tigers, so Verlander isn't in bad shape at all, but his road to 300 may be paved a little easier if his ball club gets to a above .500 record in games that he doesn't pitch in.

1. CC Sabathia

Age: 31

Wins: 174

Best thing he has going: The New York Yankees

In addition to being one of the best pitchers in baseball, Sabathia has the luxury of being on the New York Yankees. In his first two seasons with the Bronx Bombers, Sabathia had 40 wins, and is on pace this year to get another 20 this season.

Even when Sabathia has bad outings, he has the powerful bats of the New York Yankees to help him out. It also isn't a bad thing that he has the best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, on his side, who shows no signs of slowing down.

Sabathia is already at 174 wins and is only 31 years old, meaning he still has plenty of baseball ahead of him. Since becoming a member of the New York Yankees, Sabathia has also been pitching some of the best baseball of his career.

Since 2008, Sabathia has had a 3.08 ERA, which is a number that definitely deserves an applause. Being able to keep an ERA that low in the loaded AL East is very commendable, and signs that he is a great pitcher.

Area of Concern: His Physical Stature

There's no way to get around it, CC Sabathia is a large man. At 6'7'' and 290 pounds, Sabathia is one of the most intimidating forces in the big leagues.

Although his size has made him the great pitcher that he is, it also brings up concerns as to whether he is in good enough shape to last the final stretch towards 300 wins.

For Sabathia to maintain his ability and stamina to get to 300, he may have to lose some weight and change his lifestyle a little bit. He also could not lose a pound and still get to 300, but it wouldn't hurt to become more fit.

Even though Justin Verlander may be the best pitcher in baseball and Roy Halladay has the most wins of any pitcher on this list, the combination of skill, physical stature and his team make him the best bet to get to 300 wins.