Tomorrow marks the start of the Major League Baseball and, as always, teams will come out with their best pitchers, beginning the race for one goal: winning the World Series.
These early season dates are also characterized by performances from the best starting pitchers the sport has to offer, leading many to ask the question, who are the best pitchers in MLB?
It is a difficult list to compose, and even more difficult to organize, but by consensus of journalists from the Sports section of the LISTÍN DIARIO, the following are the 25 best pitchers in the Major Leagues at this time.
1. Sandy Alcantara
The Dominican comes from having his best season in the Big Top, one that earned him the National League Cy Young Award.
The native of Azua was the best pitcher in the entire league, accumulating numbers that in some lines he led by far.
He threw more innings than anyone else (228.2) taking more than 20 out of second place on the list. He threw more complete games than the rest (6), doubling the number of the player behind him.
And yet he maintained an excellent ERA of 2.28, a very good WHIP of 0.98, finishing the leader in WAR of 8.0, with comfortable distance.
2.Jacob DeGrom
The Texas Rangers ace takes second place, the only negative against him being his health. The last two years he hasn’t been able to get even 100 innings but, when he’s healthy, that pitcher’s stuff might be the best in the business.
3.Justin Verlander
These next two positions were perhaps the most debated, because they are about two historic pitchers and future members of the Hall of Fame, but in the end their most recent performances were the most decisive factor.
Verlander won the 2022 AL Cy Young Award after posting a major league-leading ERA (1.75), adjusted ERA (220) and WHIP (0.83), while being healthier than the next ranked.
4.Max Scherzer
Very few can boast a resume like that of “Mad Max”, so it is unnecessary to discuss the achievements of the pitcher of the Metros. However, he is coming off a year in which while he looked as imposing as ever on the mound, he saw action in only 23 games.
5. Shohei Ohtani
The Japanese megastar showed his best facet as a pitcher last season, having his best marks in various areas and, if his performances in the World Baseball Classic were any indication, this year he will continue to improve even more.
6. Corbin Burnes
Although he didn’t look as good last year as he did in 2021, the Brewers right-hander broke some personal bests that will bode well for this season, as he has just crossed the 200-inning threshold for the first time in his young career. .
7. Aaron Nola
The Phillies right-hander is coming off his best season since 2018, and it was one in which he distinguished himself by his excellent command of the strike zone and his durability.
8.Zack Wheeler
The name of the game for Wheeler is health, as the past three seasons he’s made one thing pretty clear: When he pitches, few are better on the mound than he is.
9. Julio Urias
Urias had his best season last year. Proof of this was the fact that he amassed a towering 2.16 ERA and placed third in the National League Cy Young voting.
10. Framber Valdez
The Dominican left-hander established himself last year as one of the league’s premium pitchers, being the healthiest arm of the Astros, and one of the best in the Major Leagues.
11. Max Fried
The Braves’ rotation headliner came in second in the Cy Young voting, and his performance in 2022 was no wonder. The lefty set personal records in ERA, WHIP and innings pitched.
12. Dylan Cease
Cease has improved with each season since his major league debut, culminating in him being second on the AL Cy Young voting list in 2022.
13.Shane Bieber
Despite losing a few miles off his fastball, the Guardians’ right-hander maintained his dominance last season and there’s no reason to doubt he’ll continue to do so this year.
14. Alek Manoah
The young Blue Jays pitcher improved in all aspects of his rookie year and is shaping up to be one of the stars of the American League this season.
15.Shane McClanahan
The Rays are usually a minefield of excellent pitchers, and McClanahan appears to be the gleaming gem of their current pitching pool. Like Manoah, she has seen many improvements since his debut, and all odds are that she will continue down that path.
16. Luis Castillo
Whether in Cincinnati or Seattle, the Dominican maintained the quality that has characterized him in recent years and is expected to lead a promising rotation for the Mariners.
17. Carlos Rodón
Like others on the list, health is the only question mark for the Yankees left-hander, coming off the best season of his career. However, he will start the season on the disabled list.
18.Kevin Gausman
Conventional stats don’t show how good a pitcher Gausman was in 2022 with the Blue Jays. For this season, coupled with better defense, the right-hander will be able to further demonstrate what a tremendous pitcher he is.
19.Zac Gallen
The fact that Gallen is playing in a franchise that has had little competition in recent seasons is a crime, as it robs us of the opportunity to see one of the best young pitchers in the game in big games.
20.Gerrit Cole
Cole didn’t have his best year last season, but the quality of his repertoire remains intact, as demonstrated in his postseason outings with the Yankees.
21.Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers’ right-hander wasn’t as dominant in 2022 as he was in 2021, but he was still some of the best the National League had to offer in terms of starting pitching.
22.Yu Darvish
The Japanese veteran has had some ups and downs in his career, but last season he comes off showing his best version since his early days in Texas.
23.Logan Webb
Webb won’t make the list of the most dominant pitchers in the majors, or even the most exciting. But he does something few do better: consistently get outs.
24. Joe Musgrove
The Padres’ right-hander has slowly become the heart of his team’s rotation and since the pandemic season has established himself as one of the most reliable starters in the league.
25.Spencer Strider
Yes, he only has one full season in the big leagues. Yes, he barely pitched 130 innings in 2022. But Spencer Strider has the potential to become one of the superstars of the game and everyone who saw him pitch for the Braves knows how talented he is.