MLB in 2023: Ranking All 30 Aces

28. Paul Blackburn — Oakland Athletics

The Athletics project to be one of the worst teams in all of baseball in 2023. 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 came out of the gates strong in ’22. The 29-year-old parlayed an excellent April and May into his first career All-Star appearance. However, after having a 1.70 ERA through his first nine starts, Blackburn’s took a massive downturn. From May 30 on, the Oakland hurler posted a putrid 6.22 ERA. While he is a decent pitcher, Blackburn wouldn’t be a No. 1 on most staffs around the league.

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