Over the past handful of seasons, the game has seen a radical shift in the way that the starting pitcher is viewed and how they are utilized. Gone are the days of a starting pitcher throwing a complete game on a regular basis, racking up 30 wins over the course of a season, and ending the year with 200 or more innings pitched. Sure, there are some exceptions to that rule (most notably the names on the top of the list below), but the overall utilization of starters has shifted drastically.
Now a days, the bullpen has become a lot more important and teams are placing a greater emphasis on building their pitching staff from the back to the front rather than from the front to the back. Furthermore, in is the idea of using a "starter" who pitches a few innings to start a game before things transition over to the bullpen. Now, that's not something any team would have done 5, 10, 15, 20, or even 50 years ago!
With that all being said, here are the Top 10 Starting Pitchers in the game right now.
1. Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals) - When we talked about one of the names below, being an exception to the rule from above, Max Scherzer was one of the guys we were directly referring to. It's hard to make an argument that there's a better starting pitcher in the game right now. Looking back at last year, Scherzer finished the season with a career high (300) strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA over 220.2 innings of work. Tremendous numbers for the ace and he's got a tremendous track record to back up his effectiveness over the years. Since making his MLB debut in 2008 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Max Scherzer has a cumulative ERA of 3.22 over 2117.2 IP, along with (2,449) strikeouts, and a (1.09) WHIP. Scherzer, who is entering his age 34 season, could start to experience some decline in the next few years, but he is always going to be one of the most respected starting pitchers in the game and has certainly put himself into the conversation of a future Hall of Famer.
2. Jacob deGrom (New York Mets) - What a campaign Jacob deGrom had last year for the New York Mets and it is amazing to think of the type of streak that he went on. deGrom, who finished the year with a 1.70 ERA over 217 innings of work, made history by becoming the first starting pitcher in MLB history to start at least 20 games and record 10 or fewer wins. Ultimately, deGrom ended up finishing the year win a win-loss record of 10-9, but it took a lot of scratching to even get those 10 wins with the Mets subpar offense last year, that just couldn't seem to score runs when deGrom took the mound! During that streak, deGrom put up the fourth best Batting Average Against (.194) and had the best Fielding Independent Percentage (FIP) at (1.99). Regardless, last season was likely a career year for Jacob deGrom, but he is going to continue to be a key piece for the New York Mets, as they look to return back to contention this season, and is still in talks with the team about a possible extension moving forward.
3. Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox) - Chris Sale is among the elite class of starting pitchers in the game right now as well and contributed at a very high level last season, when the Boston Red Sox went onto win a, World Series Championship. Sale, who finished 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting last year, finished the season with a WHIP of (0.86) and put up a home runs-per-9 ratio of (0.6) which translated to him surrendering 11 home runs over 158.0 IP. Furthermore, Chris Sale finished the 2018 campaign with a runs allowed-per-9 score of (2.22) and a career high (6.9) WAR. While all of that is certainly fantastic and play into why the Boston Red Sox are currently talking about a potential extension with Sale, there is a bit of caution heading into this season regarding his shoulder. Sale was shut down a few times last season with mild left shoulder inflammation, but you have to like his track record and his chances of success when he is healthy and on the mound pitching effectively.
4. Justin Verlander (Houston Astros) - Justin Verlander has basically went against every argument about how a starting pitcher becomes less effective as they age and has been a workhorse during his tenure thus far with the Houston Astros. Last season alone, Verlander had the second highest strikeout-per-9 ratio (12.20) in the American League, behind his teammate Gerrit Cole, the third highest left on-base percentage (85.3%), and the third highest WAR (6.8) among qualified starting pitchers in baseball. Given that he is heading into his walk year, Justin Verlander is likely focused on this season and continuing to write his fascinating narrative that has taken place since he landed in Houston in August of 2017. Beyond that, you definitely have to like the durability factor for Verlander, who was last placed on the disabled list in, July of 2015. That in and of itself speaks to his training regimen and a big reason why he is likely another future Hall of Famer.
5. Corey Kluber (Cleveland Indians) - Among the qualified starting pitchers in baseball last season, Corey Kluber recorded the sixth most strikes (2,118) of a possible (3,181) pitches and had the 11th best ERA (2.89) among those starters over the span of 215 innings of work. While the Cleveland Indians were contacted numerous times about Kluber's services, over the course of this offseason, they elected to hang onto him because they know that he has a great chance of once again being the team's workhorse and leading the Cleveland Indians to another American League Central Championship. Beyond all of that, Corey Kluber really excelled using his curveball last year, as he used it (22.7%) of the time, which was the seventh highest percentage, among all of the qualified starting pitchers in the game. Looking ahead to this season, Corey Kluber will likely put up another solid season, but has to continue to be aware of potential decline, which has shown during certain flashes the past few seasons.
6. Gerrit Cole (Houston Astros) - The Houston Astros got a really good, underrated starting pitcher in Gerrit Cole, when they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason. It was a move that wasn't talked about at length nationally, but one that certainly paid off for the Astros last season. In fact, Gerrit Cole could have easily won the AL Cy Young Award when you look at some of the numbers he put up during the 2018 campaign. Cole finished the season with the best strikeouts-per-9 ratio in baseball (12.40), had the fifth highest Fielding Independent Percentage (FIP) (2.70), and put up the seventh lowest Batting Average Against (.196), right ahead of his teammate Justin Verlander. When you look at the Houston Astros heading into this season, they are in need of starting pitching since they lost Charlie Morton to free agency, don't have Lance McCullers Jr. due to him recovering from Tommy John surgery, and could lose Dallas Keuchel to free agency which means that both Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander are essential for the Astros long-term success this coming season.
7. Blake Snell (Tampa Bay Rays) - It's amazing to think that the American League Cy Young Award winner from last season ranks seventh on this list, but that is how deep and talented the crop of aforementioned starting pitchers are. Over the past few seasons, Blake Snell has become a main stay in Tampa Bay and a big reason why the fans there have coined him with the nickname, "Snellzilla." In regard to last season, Snell finished the year with the best ERA, among American League starting pitchers, at (1.89) over 180.2 IP, had the seventh best FIP (2.95), and the eighth lowest home runs-per-9 rate (0.80) compared to all of the starting pitchers around the game. Looking ahead to this season, Blake Snell is going to once again play a critical role, as the Tampa Bay Rays main starting pitcher, and will help set the tone for the pitching staff of a team that endorses the idea of the "Starter" at a very high level.
8. Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies) - Over the course of last season, Aaron Nola emerged as the Philadelphia Phillies best starter, even with Jake Arrieta on that staff, and his success last year was a big reason why the team agreed to a four-year, $45 million dollar extension earlier this month. Among starting pitchers around the league last season, Nola finished the season with the fourth best ERA (2.26), had the fifth highest Batting Average Against (.195), and put up the eleventh highest strikeout-to-walk percentage (20.0%). With a new extension under his belt, along with the fact that he is heading into his age 26 season, things could get even better for Aaron Nola this season as he continues to fine tune his mechanics and reaches true peak form. The Philadelphia Phillies would likely appreciate that and would love for it to happen because he is now a mainstay in the City of Brotherly Love for the foreseeable future and will have a big impact moving forward.
9. Carlos Carrasco (Cleveland Indians) - Among the names on this list, Carlos Carrasco is probably the most underrated one and a guy that is more deserving than the amount of recognition that he has gotten during his time in the big leagues. Over the course of last season, Carrasco finished the year with the ninth highest strikeouts-per-9 rate (10.66), had the seventh best walks allowed-per-9 ratio at a (1.88) value, and the eighth highest WAR (5.1) among the group. As is the case with Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco's name was floated on the trade market at the start of this offseason, but the Cleveland Indians quickly put a squash on those rumors as they agreed to a three-year extension with him at the beginning of December. Moving forward, a big reason why the Cleveland Indians will continue to have such a highly regarded starting rotation is because of the likes of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer who just missed breaking this Top 10 list.
10. Luis Severino (New York Yankees) - In terms of pure stuff, the New York Yankees have a gem in Luis Severino, who not only dominates the opposing teams hitters, but can rack up strikeouts like they are nothing. Last year alone, Luis Severino finished the year with a 3.39 ERA over the course of 191.1 IP, along with 220 strikeouts, which translated to the eleventh highest strikeouts-per-9 rate (10.35) among qualified starters. Like some of the other names on this list, the New York Yankees identified Luis Severino as a key piece to their core moving forward and inked him to a four-year, $40 million dollar extension earlier this month. The best thing about Luis Severino is that he is just entering his peak form and has shown brilliance since making his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2015. Sometimes the pressure of having to pitch in big situations gets to Severino, but that's to be expected with a starting pitcher that is entering his peak and one who will only continue to get better over time.
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