By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Other than seeing Philadelphia Phillies wins accumulate over the course of each season's 162-game schedule, the next best thing to follow is individual success of players.
With success, comes achieved career milestones over time. Three Phillies veterans — Carlos Santana, Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta — are on the brink of reaching respectable career marks in 2018.
Carlos Santana — 1,200 Games
- Current Total: 1,182 games
- Left Needed: 18 games
- Projected Date: Wednesday, July 4, 2018; vs. Baltimore Orioles
Santana has been durable for the Phillies this season, appearing in all 66 games with 65 starts and 63 complete games. Expect the switch-hitter to appear in each of the next 18 games. The 18th game falls on an Independence Day matchup at Citizens Bank Park.
Aaron Nola — 500 Strikeouts
- Current Total: 463 strikeouts
- Left Needed: 37 strikeouts
- Projected Date: Mid-July
Nola is averaging 6.43 six strikeouts per start this season, besting his overall career average of 6.26 strikeouts per start. The right-hander has struck out at least six batters in each of his last five starts since May 20. Assuming Nola continues this trend, he should need about six more starts to reach the half-millennium career mark.
Jake Arrieta — 100 Wins
- Current Total: 93 wins
- Left Needed: 7 wins
- Projected Date: Early September
Arrieta has won five of 12 starts thus far in red pinstripes. Assuming the nine-year veteran continues this trend, he would have five more wins by mid-August, and would only need two more victories over the last five-to-six weeks of the season.
Arrieta ($30 million, 28.59 percent of payroll) and Santana ($18.333 million, 17.47 percent of playroll) account for the top-two salaried Phillies this season. Despite being on his way to his likely first All-Star nomination, Nola is only the 10th-highest paid Phillie this season ($573K, 0.55 percent of payroll), according to Spotrac.
Nola (4.1) and Arrieta (1.9) have the top-two highest Phillies WAR total this season, while Santana has the 11th-highest (0.5). Nola leads the Phillies in wins (8), ERA (2.27), strikeouts (90) and WHIP (0.93), among qualified pitchers. Santana, meanwhile, leads the Phillies in home runs (10) and RBI (38), ranks second in walks (44), and is tied for the team lead in doubles (15).
Clearly, all three players have significantly contributed to the club's early success in the first season under manager Gabe Kapler.
