New York Yankees: 10 Milestones That Will Be Surpassed

During the 2011 season the New York Yankees saw two huge stars pass two of the most prolific milestones of all time. Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit on a home run off David Price on July 9th against the Tampa Bay Rays and Mariano Rivera got his 600th save on September 13th against the Seattle Mariners.

What other milestones could New York Yankees pass in the coming years? Let's find out.

Mark Teixeira: 5 Gold Gloves

How Many to Go? 1

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2012

How Many in the Club: 7

Mark Teixeira has always been known as a great defensive first baseman but with the move of Adrian Gonzalez and Albert Pujols from the NL to the AL over the last couple years it will be difficult for him to dominate this award like he did in his first two seasons in New York.

Despite this setback Teixeira will show why he is the best defensive first baseman in the AL in 2012 and will win his fifth Gold Glove.

Robinson Cano: 3,000 Hits

How Many to Go? 1737

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2021

How Many in the Club: 27

Robinson Cano has always been known as a great batter. He swings freely and has a nice level swing that always him to put the ball in play a lot. Cano may not have 500 home runs power but his sweet stoke will allow him to hit the ball into the gap for years to come just like Derek Jeter.

Cano is a career .308 hitter and has averaged 180 hits per season in his first seven years in the majors. It will be close but Cano has the talent to hit that mark.

Derek Jeter: 200 Postseason Hits

How Many to Go? 9

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2012

How Many in the Club: 0

Derek Jeter has quite a few Yankee records including most hits, most stolen bases and most games played to go along with 3,000 hits. Jeter already has the most postseason hits of all time with 191 but he is still playing at a high level and will reach 200 hits eventually in his career.

Just to show Derek Jeter's dominance in the postseason the person in second place for postseason hits is Bernie Williams with 128. You may point to his 152 postseason games played for why he has so many hits but this type of record speaks to his incredible longevity.

Alex Rodriguez: 700 Home Runs

How Many to Go? 71

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2014

How Many in the Club: 3

Alex Rodriguez has tested positive for PEDs so there will be an asterisk beside his name in the record book. Despite those issues Rodriguez will eventually hit his 700th home run because he is signed through 2017. With his power and six years left on his contract Alex Rodriguez could break Barry Bond's record with a 763rd home run, all he has to do is average 23 home runs per season for the rest of his career.

700 home runs is an incredible accomplishment and if he does reach this mark he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame despite the steroid allegations.

CC Sabathia: 300 Wins

How Many to Go? 124

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2017

How Many in the Club: 24

CC Sabathia is a workhorse who will pitch at least 220 innings per season. With these high number of innings pitched comes a high percentage of decisions. This keeps his number of no-decisions down, which means he gets the maximum number of wins possible per season.

Sabathia has averaged about 20 wins per season so far in New York and with the Yankees' incredible offense, which gives him tons of run support, I do not see that number falling for quite some time. Sabathia also just inked a new five year deal with a vesting option for a sixth. If he keeps up his 20 win pace he will be hard pressed not to win 300 games in his career.

CC Sabathia: 3,000 Strikeouts

How Many to Go? 983

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2016

How Many in the Club: 16

CC Sabathia has a high number of innings pitched and had a 8.72 K/9 in 2011. These two numbers put together make Sabathia a contender for 3,000 strikeouts.

Over the last five years CC Sabathia has averaged 217 strikeouts per season and if he can even come close to those numbers for the next five seasons this milestone is all but a lock.

Mariano Rivera: 650 Saves

How Many to Go? 47

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2012

How Many in the Club: 0

Mariano Rivera already has the most saves in MLB history with 603 and he will most likely retire after his contract ends after the 2012 season. This gives Mo one more season to hit 47 saves.

47 saves may seem like a lot for a 42-year-old pitcher but Rivera hit 44 saves in 2011 and has topped 50 saves twice in his career. With the Yankees' rotations as it is he will go to the mound in many close games in a save opportunity and if if history repeats itself he will convert almost all of them.

I expect Mo to end his career with a bang and other than a World Series how could it end any better than a 650th save?

Mariano Rivera: 45 Postseason Saves

How Many to Go? 3

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2012

How Many in the Club: 0

Mariano Rivera is in my mind the best postseason pitcher of all time. Yes, he has given up some big hits in the postseason but his 0.90 postseason ERA speaks for itself.

If the Yankees can make a deep playoff run, at least to the ALCS, in 2011 Rivera will have no trouble getting his 45th save.

Jesus Montero: 500 Home Runs

How Many to Go? 496

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2024

How Many in the Club: 25

Jesus Montero had a great stint in New York in 2011 but I am definitely jumping the gun a little bit. Montero may have had a good season but saying he will join the likes of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey, Jr in the 500 home run club is a huge stretch.

Albert Pujols is probably going to be the next player to reach the 500 home run milestone and Brian Cashman recently said his bat "is Montero-like". Sounds like Cashman agrees and thinks the sky is the limit for Montero.

New York Yankees: 30 World Series Championships

How Many to Go? 3

Projected Year of Accomplishment: 2018

How Many in the Club: 0

The New York Yankees already have 27 World Series Championships and will eventually reach 30, the only question is when.

With a young core of prospects like Jesus Montero, Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Gary Sanchez and Mason Williams waiting in the wings, savvy veterans like Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia in their prime and experienced players like Derek Jeter, Mariano River and Alex Rodriguez the Yankees have a very bright future ahead of them.

Expect Joe Girardi to be wearing No. 31 within the decade.