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The Athletics
30. Paul Blackburn — Oakland Athletics
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The Athletics project to be the worst team in all of baseball in 2024. As such, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see their ace — Paul Blackburn — ranked this low on our list. Having posted middling numbers throughout his career, Blackburn has turned things around a bit over the past two years. Oakland’s ace was an All-Star in 2022, and he put up very similar numbers last year. Blackburn increased his strikeout rate (9.0 SO9, up from 7.2 in ’22) but saw his WHIP balloon to 1.543 — up nearly 300 points from the year before.
29. Kyle Freeland — Colorado Rockies
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Kyle Freeland’s career has been full of ups and downs. As a rookie in 2017, Freeland won 11 games and finished seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year vote. The following season, Freeland put together arguably the greatest season for a pitcher in franchise history — 17-7, 2.85 ERA, fourth-place in the Cy Young vote. For the past five years, Freeland has had a combined 4.96 ERA and is 27-47 overall. The lefty had some good moments in ’23, but there is no guarantee he will finish the year as the team’s ace. Cal Quantrill, Dakota Hudson and Austin Gomber are candidates to take the lead role for the Rockies.
28. Seth Lugo — Kansas City Royals
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The Royals have some exciting young players in their lineup, but the starting rotation still needs a bit of help. The club brought in two veteran pitchers this past offseason that can stake a claim as the team ace — Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. Lugo, 34, pitched rather well for San Diego last year. Making a career-high 26 starts, Lugo displayed good command (36 walks in 146.1 IP) and posted a 3.57 ERA. Wacha was even better for the Padres — finishing the season 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA. Wacha’s resurgence has been surprising. From 2016-2021, Wacha had a 4.62 ERA and won 37 games. Over the past two years, Wacha is 25-6 with a 3.27 ERA.
27. Brayan Bello — Boston Red Sox
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There is not much to be excited about entering the new season if you’re a fan of the Red Sox. A quiet offseason has left the fan base frustrated — and it is certainly understandable. In terms of the rotation, Brayan Bello has an opportunity to become the top dog. With Chris Sale now a member of the Braves, Bello and newcomer Lucas Giolito will likely compete for the No. 1 role. As a 24-year-old last season, Bello flashed promising signs. Over 10 starts through May and June, Bello surrendered two or fewer earned runs nine times — he allowed three in the other start. The second half of the season was a grind, but Bello should have better stamina in his second full season.
26. Patrick Sandoval — Los Angeles Angels
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Anaheim’s resident baseball team enters 2024 with a new ace. With Shohei Ohtani now a Dodger, Patrick Sandoval will lead the Angels’ rotation to begin the year. Barring a late addition to the group, Los Angeles has a handful of solid starters including Tyler Anderson, Reid Detmers and Griffin Canning. Sandoval wasn’t as good in 2023 as he was the year before, but he has the highest upside of anyone on the staff. The lefty possesses a fastball that can reach the mid-90s, and his changeup is one of the best in the game.
25. Jose Quintana — New York Mets
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Spring Training began on a sour note for the Mets. Within the first few days of camp, news broke that ace Kodai Senga would be shut down with a moderate right posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. As a rookie in 2023, Senga was excellent — the All-Star won 12 games, posted a 2.98 ERA and finished seventh for the NL Cy Young. With Senga set to miss some time, New York will turn to a group including Jose Quintana, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea. Quintana has some durability issues, but he has been good when he’s been available in recent years. Over his last 45 starts, the veteran has a 3.13 ERA and has only surrendered 13 HR.
24. Josiah Gray — Washington Nationals
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One of the prized pieces in the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade a few years, ago, Josiah Gray has developed nicely with the Nationals. Last year, Gray had the best season of his young career and flashed some of his immense potential more consistently than ever before. Boasting a strong slider and curveball, Gray was able to limit the long ball far better than he did in 2022 — allowing 22 dingers a year after surrendering 38. Gray earned an invitation to the All-Star Game and made 30 starts.
23. Hunter Greene — Cincinnati Reds
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By the end of the year, Cincinnati’s starting rotation may be viewed as one of the most promising groups in baseball. Between Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas, the Reds possess five starters with considerable talent. Greene is an absolute flamethrower who has continued to improve his secondary pitches. In 2023, Greene struck out 10 or more batters on five occasions — highlighted by a 14 SO performance in September. At his best, Greene is a nightmare matchup.
22. Mitch Keller — Pittsburgh Pirates
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As the club awaits the arrival of Paul Skenes — the game’s top pitching prospect — Mitch Keller enters the year as the ace. On February 22, Keller and the Pirates agreed on a five-year/$77 million extension that will keep him in black and gold moving forward. An All-Star in 2023, Keller struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings and finished fourth in the National League in IP (194.1) with a nearly 4-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A former top prospect, Keller appears to have turned a corner and should only be better this year.
21. Yu Darvish — San Diego Padres
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Last year, the San Diego Padres trotted out a starting rotation that included Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. Snell was sensational en route to winning the NL Cy Young — but he is no longer with the club, nor are Lugo or Wacha. Three pitchers acquired from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade — Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito — figure to play prominent roles, but Darvish remains the leader in our minds. Musgrove is a very good pitcher — we just prefer Darvish.
20. Zach Eflin — Tampa Bay Rays
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Tampa Bay’s starting rotation is not close to being at full strength. Cy Young candidate Shane McClanahan and starters Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen are all out with injuries. Shane Baz is recovering from Tommy John surgery but should be back at some point this year. So, Zach Eflin will be tasked with leading the group. After spending seven years in Philadelphia, Eflin joined the Rays in 2023 and had a solid debut season — winning an AL-best 16 games en route to a sixth-place Cy Young finish. Eflin set a career-high with 186 strikeouts and displayed great command, issuing 24 free passes in 177.2 IP.
19. Freddy Peralta — Milwaukee Brewers
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Corbin Burnes is now an Oriole and Brandon Woodruff may miss all of 2024. As a result, Freddy Peralta has taken control of Milwaukee’s rotation. Peralta has been a very good pitcher the past few years and will now have an opportunity to prove he is an ace. Operating as Milwaukee’s No. 3 since 2021, Peralta has struck out 11.4 batters per nine innings over the past three seasons. He whiffed a career-high 210 batters last year while also setting a new best for IP (165.2).
18. Nathan Eovaldi — Texas Rangers
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Similar to Tampa Bay’s situation, the Rangers will not have their preferred rotation for quite some time. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and the recently signed Tyler Mahle are all set to miss significant time with varying injuries. deGrom is an elite pitcher when he is healthy, but you cannot count on him to take the mound. Eovaldi was an All-Star last year, his first year with the Rangers, and was once again stellar in the postseason. En route to the Rangers winning the World Series, Eovaldi went 5-0 and his team won all six of his starts.
17. Dylan Cease — Chicago White Sox
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The subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, Dylan Cease will start the year with the Chicago White Sox. In 2022, Cease dazzled and was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Utilizing an elite fastball, Cease posted the third-best ERA in baseball (2.20), was fifth in strikeouts, and was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young. However, Cease wasn’t able to replicate that performance in ’23. While his strikeout and walk numbers were roughly the same, Cease saw his ERA balloon to 4.58 and his WHIP increased by 300 points. We would bet on the ace to have a much better season in ’24.
16. Shane Bieber — Cleveland Guardians
The Southern California native will yet again assume the role of the ace for Cleveland. The former Cy Young winner wasn’t great last year, but he remains the top dog in a strong rotation. Barring injury, he should be in a position to have yet another good year. Triston McKenzie could supplant Bieber as the ace if he can bounce back from an injury-riddled season which limited him to four starts. In 2022, McKenzie won 11 games and posted a 2.96 ERA.
15. Justin Steele — Chicago Cubs
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Chicago’s rotation will be fun to watch in 2024. Jameson Taillon and Kyle Hendricks are back for another go, and Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga will look to make an immediate impact as Chicago’s big offseason addition. Leading the charge will be Justin Steele, however. In 2023, Steele was one of the best pitchers in the National League. The Cub won 16 games and posted a 3.05 ERA. His 0.7 HR9 rate led baseball. After finishing fifth for the Cy Young, Steele will look to take his game to an even higher level for the Cubbies.
14. Jesus Luzardo — Miami Marlins
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With Sandy Alcantara set to miss 2024 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Jesus Luzardo will enter the year as Miami’s ace. The former Oakland Athletic has long been seen as a potential star. The budding ace struggled for three years, but he took a huge step in 2022 and improved once again in ’23. In 32 starts last year, Luzardo struck out 208 batters and posted a 3.58 ERA. The youngster had a few tough starts later in the season, but he was a tough matchup for the majority of the year.
13. Pablo Lopez — Minnesota Twins
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Sonny Gray was Minnesota’s best pitcher in 2023, but Pablo Lopez was quite good, as well. In his first year with the club, Lopez earned his first All-Star nod and finished seventh for the American League Cy Young. In addition to posting a sub-4.00 ERA, Lopez set career-best marks in several categories including strikeouts (234), SO9 (10.9), and IP (194.0). In two postseason starts, Lopez allowed one run over 12.2 IP and led the Twins to two victories.
12. Tarik Skubal — Detroit Tigers
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Eduardo Rodriguez’s departure in the offseason has opened up the No. 1 spot in Detroit’s rotation for Tarik Skubal. A former top prospect, the big lefty was very good in 2023 when he was on the mound. In 15 starts, Skubal posted a 2.80 ERA and surrendered a mere four home runs. With 102 strikeouts in 80.1 IP, Skubal’s 11.4 SO9 ranked amongst the league leaders. Skubal’s curveball generates a ton of whiffs and is a great offering paired with his fastball.
11. Sonny Gray — St. Louis Cardinals
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As a 33-year-old in 2023, Sonny Gray put together one of the best seasons of his career. While his fastball isn’t as fast as it once was, Gray’s ability to mix and match his off-speed pitches kept hitters off balance throughout the year. The runner-up for the American League Cy Young, Gray led baseball with a 2.83 FIP and surrendered eight home runs over 184.0 IP — his 0.4 HR9 also paced the league.
10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto — Los Angeles Dodgers
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By the end of the season, there is a chance that placing Yoshinobu Yamamoto this low will be a mistake. Before signing the largest pitching contract in MLB history, Yamamoto dominated the NPB. While in Japan, the right-hander won three MVPs and three Sawamura Awards — the equivalent to the Cy Young. In seven seasons, the ace posted a 1.82 ERA and struck out over 900 hitters. It remains to be seen how his game will translate to MLB, but all signs point to a stellar debut with the Dodgers.
9. Luis Castillo — Seattle Mariners
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The Mariners have one of the best starting rotations in the American League. In addition to Luis Castillo, our pick for staff ace, Seattle’s starting five includes Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller. Castillo has been very good for the Mariners since they acquired him during the 2022 season. Last year, the ace won 14 games and led the AL with 33 starts. He continued to baffle hitters — notching 219 strikeouts while compiling a 1.096 WHIP. Seattle has a strong group of starters, but Castillo is the top dog.
8. Justin Verlander — Houston Astros
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It is a testament to Verlander’s greatness that he remains a top-10 pitcher entering his age-41 season. While there were some rough moments for the future Hall of Famer in 2023, Verlander ended the year strong and posted some good numbers once again. The veteran went 7-3 in 11 starts with Houston following his departure from the Mets, and he put together two great outings in the postseason — including six-shutout innings against Minnesota in the ALDS.
7. Kevin Gausman — Toronto Blue Jays
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Gausman is finally starting to get some of the respect he has deserved for a handful of years. Thanks in part to a devastating splitter, Gausman has three top-9 Cy Young finishes in a row. Since 2021, Toronto’s ace has an ERA of 3.10 and has averaged 10.9 SO9. Last year, Gausman set a career-high with 237 strikeouts — that mark led the American League — and paced the league with 11.5 SO9. If Toronto wants to win in October, Gausman will need to lead the charge from the hill.
6. Logan Webb — San Francisco Giants
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In 2022, Webb introduced himself to the country with a pair of dominant outings against the Dodgers in the postseason. Webb led the Giants that year with 15 wins and posted an impressive 2.90 ERA. Utilizing a four-pitch mix, Webb keeps hitters off-balance with his sinker, slider and change-up. A true workhorse, Webb led baseball with 216.0 IP in ’23. His 1.3 BB9 and 6.26 SO/W also paced the league en route to a runner-up finish for the NL Cy Young. San Francisco’s ace will win a Cy soon.
5. Zack Wheeler — Philadelphia Phillies
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Aaron Nola is a frontline pitcher and Philadelphia paid him well in the offseason, but we believe Zack Wheeler is the club’s ace. Wheeler has been great for the Phillies in his first four years. His 3.61 ERA in 2023 was his highest since joining the franchise — which speaks to his performance thus far. A second-place finish for the NL Cy Young in ’21 was followed by a strong ’22 campaign in which he posted a 2.86 ERA. Last year, Wheeler won 13 games and finished sixth for the Cy Young. In the postseason, Wheeler fanned 35 batters over 27.2 IP and held a 1.95 ERA.
4. Zac Gallen — Arizona Diamondbacks
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Despite Arizona winning the National League in 2023, it feels like Zac Gallen is still being overlooked nationally. The 28-year-old is a bonafide star. In ’22, Gallen finished fifth for the NL Cy Young behind a 2.54 ERA and a league-best 0.913 WHIP. Last year, Gallen won 17 games for the D-Backs en route to a third-place Cy finish. Gallen boasts a challenging fastball and a cutter that disappears at the last second.
3. Corbin Burnes — Baltimore Orioles
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The newest Oriole is an absolute stud. With a six-pitch mix at his disposal, Corbin Burnes has been one of MLB’s elite pitchers since 2020. Both his slider and cutter are nearly unhittable. While with the Brewers, Burnes won the NL Cy Young in 2021 — and finished no lower than eighth in the voting from 2020-2023. During that time, Burnes posted a 2.86 ERA, a 0.996 WHIP, and averaged 11.1 SO9.
2. Spencer Strider — Atlanta Braves
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Max Fried could easily be considered Atlanta’s ace, but we are giving a slight nod to Spencer Strider. In a short amount of time, Strider has become one of the best pitchers in the league. The mustached man is a strikeout machine. A year after punching out 202 batters in 131.2 IP, Strider fanned a league-high 281 hitters in 2023. Strider also led baseball with 20 wins, a 2.85 FIP and 13.5 SO9. At 25 years old, Strider has plenty of time to improve.
1. Gerrit Cole — New York Yankees
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The best pitcher in baseball resides in the Bronx. Since joining the Yankees, Cole has four top-10 Cy Young finishes in as many years and has collected 816 strikeouts in 664.0 IP. Last year, Cole’s 2.63 ERA led the American League and he also paced the league in IP (209.0), shutouts (two), WHIP (0.981) and H9 (6.8). One of the best pitchers in the game for a decade, Cole won his first Cy Young in ’23 as a result of his incredible performance.
