The top 10 starting pitchers list has been the most difficult ranking so far. 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole is absent due to nerve inflammation, which will shut him down for some time. Without the injury, Cole was likely to lead this group of pitchers in the rankings.
The top starting pitcher for the 2024 season — Corbin Burnes — was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason. The trade sent two players and a competitive balance pick back to Milwaukee. Burnes, the National League Cy Young Award winner in 2021, will be competing in the AL for the first time in his six-year career. Since 2020, the first season he transitioned from a relief pitcher to a full-time starter, Burnes has dominated. He has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting four times since 2020, including the aforementioned win in 2021.
Last season, Burnes tossed 32 starts, struck out 200 batters and led the NL in WHIP. Milwauke used to boast one of baseball’s best starting rotation trios, with Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. Now, with Woodruff’s shoulder injury and the Burnes trade, Peralta will make his first-career opening day start.
2. Zack Wheeler
Veteran Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler comes in at No. 2 on our top 10 starting pitchers list for 2024. Wheeler, entering his 10th season, has continued to elevate his game as he gets older. While only a one-time All-Star, some of his most productive seasons have come after the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Since 2020, Wheeler has made 101 starts and pitched to a 3.06 ERA, made his lone All-Star appearance in 2021 and finished top-15 in NL Cy Young voting three times. Last season, he had an uptick in ERA (3.61), but he was fully healthy and very dependable for Philadelphia.
Additionally, he has improved his performance as the lights get brighter. In 10 postseason starts with the Phillies, Wheeler has a dominant 2.42 ERA.
Atlanta Braves’ hard-throwing right-handed starting pitcher slots in right behind Wheeler for the 2024 season. Strider is entering his third full season in MLB, and he has dominated since his debut. He threw a MLB-leading 281 strikeouts — 44 strikeouts ahead of the second place pitcher in 2023. Additionally, Strider led all pitchers with 20 wins and 13.5K/9. In his two seasons, Strider has finished second in the 2022 Rookie of the Year Voting and fourth in last season’s NL Cy Young race.
Strider will have plenty of time to jump up on this list as he only turned 25 last October. A few more dominant seasons at the top of Atlanta’s rotation will easily see him contending for MLB’s top pitcher.
Similar to Wheeler, Kevin Gausman has gotten better with age. Dissimilarly, Gausman has bounced around in what is most players’ prime. From the beginning of his career, 2013-2018, Gasuman pitched for three teams and pitched to a 4.30 ERA. Then, in his first season with the San Francisco Giants, everything seemed to click. Gausman has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting three times, including All-Star appearances in 2021 and 2023.
Last season, Gausman finished third in AL Cy Young voting after a season with an AL-leading 237 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA.
5. Logan Webb
Going from a former Giant to a current Giant, Logan Webb has performed extraordinarily since the post-COVID era. Since 2021, Webb has a 3.07 ERA over 91 starts, including two top-12 finishes in NL Cy Young voting.
In 2023, Webb shoved by throwing an MLB-leading 216 innings. Webb also limits walks at an elite level. His 1.3BB/9 and 6.26 K/BB led baseball last season. His dominant play led to a second-place finish in the NL Cy Young race, only behind Blake Snell.
6. Zac Gallen
Since Zac Gallen’s 2019 debut, he has been one of baseball’s best arms. Gallen finished third in NL Cy Young voting in 2023, when he pitched to a 3.47 ERA. Overall, Gallen has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting in the first five seasons of his career.
He will make his second consecutive opening day start for the defending 2023 NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks on March 28. If Arizona wants to repeat its success from last season, Gallen will need to have another strong campaign.
Three-time All-Star Luis Castillo is the No. 7 starting pitcher for 2024. Castillo led all pitchers with 33 starts in 2023, when he finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting and made it to the All-Star game. Castillo has played on two teams in his seven-year career (Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds), and he’s pitched to a well above-average 3.54 ERA in 181 starts.
On a team that has arguably the best starting rotation in baseball, Castillo got the nod to pitch on opening day. It wouldn’t be surprising if multiple Seattle pitchers, Castillo, George Kirby or Logan Gilbert, produce at a top-10 level.
8. Blake Snell
Blake Snell is an interesting player to discuss when it comes to pitching ranks. When he’s at his best and healthy, Snell is one of baseball’s best arms. In fact, he has won the Cy Young in both seasons he’s made over 30 starts. In 2023, that’s exactly what happened. He took the mound 32 times and led all pitchers in ERA (2.25) by a wide margin. Still, his command issues persisted, as Snell led all players with 99 walks in 2023.
Snell has been one of the most interesting free agents during the offseason. He signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants — 10 days before the regular season starts for 28/30 teams. The deal has an opt-out after the 2024 season. The long-awaited deal results in higher annual average salary value, but a lesser amount of money than Snell intended.
Snell signing with San Francisco gives them a dominant 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. The Giants are the only team to have two top-10 starters for 2024.
While Justin Verlander will start on the injured list to begin the 2024 campaign, a fully healthy Verlander is still one of baseball’s top 10 starting pitchers. The 41-year-old veteran made 27 starts last season, and he was still as dominant as ever. Verlander had a 3.22 ERA, struck out 144 batters and was an important pitcher down the stretch for Houston after the mid-season trade with the New York Mets.
Verlander is one of a few current pitchers who will eventually make the Hall of Fame in their first ballot. He has three Cy Young Awards, an MVP and has been one of baseball’s best players since his 2005 debut with the Detroit Tigers. Father Time impacts many players in the end of their career, but Verlander has gotten better with age.
10. Pablo López
Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher Pablo López wraps up the top 10 starting pitchers for 2024. The six-year veteran made his first career All-Star appearance in his debut season in Minnesota. López finished the campaign boasting a 3.66 ERA, just under 200 innings pitched and a top-10 placement in the American League Cy Young race.
Additionally, López helped end Minnesota’s 18-game postseason losing streak — the longest such streak in all four major American sports. He threw 5.1 innings, only allowed one earned run and the Twins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1.
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