Top 25 Starting Pitchers for the 2025 MLB Season

A starting pitcher might be the most recognizable position in baseball historically with the likes of Hall of Famers (or future ones) such as Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson and Clayton Kershaw all being undeniable household names in their hey-day.

While the MLB has seen some incredible performances from position players in recent years, pitching has not fallen behind by any means.

All signs point to the fact that baseball is in a Golden Era of starting pitching.

Teams like the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers boast some of the best starting staffs the league has ever seen.

From an individual standpoint, MLB is led by the likes of electrifying superstars such Tarik Skubal, Zach Wheeler and Paul Skenes.

Honorable Mentions:

Seth Lugo (KC)
Tanner Bibee (CLE)
Pablo López (MIN)
Sonny Gray (STL)
Joe Ryan (MIN)
Shota Imanaga (CHC)
Luis Castillo (SEA)

Later this week, we will be publishing a follow-up article on the seven honorable mentions listed above, who just missed our list of the top 25 starting pitchers in all of baseball.

But for now, let’s look at the top names ushering in this incredible period of pitching in Major League Baseball in 2025.

25. Shane McClanahan (Tampa Bay Rays)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 25	RANK: 35	RANK: 25	RANK: 22	RANK: 28	RANK: 24

2024 Stats: DID NOT PITCH

Shane McClanahan has a lot to prove in 2025 coming off a missed 2024 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

However, with a track record as sterling as his is, there’s no reason think he can’t bounce back.

Prior to 2024, McClanahan was coming off a stretch of three consecutive years with a sub-3.50 ERA, sub-4.00 FIP, and a K-rate above 25%.

From 2021 to 2023 among starting pitchers with at least 300.0 IP, McClanahan ranked eighth in ERA at 3.02, while also ranking within the Top 20 in FIP (T-18th at 3.36), WHIP (18th at 1.10), AVG against (T-17th at .220), SIERA (13th at 3.43) and K-rate (13th at 28.0%).

His sheer upside is as good as any, after that incredible Cy Young-caliber 2022 campaign in which he finished within the Top 10 in ERA (8th at 2.54), FIP (10th at 3.00), WHIP (3rd at 0.93), AVG (4th at .193) and K-rate (6th at 30.3%).

Put all this together and it’s a no-brainer that this a Top 25 starter in baseball, regardless of a missed 2024 campaign.

24. Hunter Greene (Cincinnati Reds)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 24	RANK: 35	RANK: 26	RANK: 18	RANK: 24	RANK: 26

2024 Stats: 26 GS, 150.1 IP, 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3.47 FIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9

After a mediocre pair of seasons in 2022 and 2023, we saw Hunter Greene finally live up to his former prospect pedigree as second-overall draft pick, looking the part of big league ace.

Of starters with at least 100 innings pitched last season, Greene’s 2.75 ERA sat sixth in MLB, his 1.02 WHIP sat tied for 11th, and his .179 AVG against trailed only the two-time Cy Young award winner in Blake Snell.

From a swing-and-miss standpoint, there have been few guys in baseball as effective as Greene. Among qualified starters from 2022 to 2024, he sits behind only Snell and Spencer Strider in K%.

Now it’s a matter of whether or not he can string seasons together like the one he had in 2024. Entering 2024, Greene was a mid-to-high 4.00 ERA guy with WHIPs above 1.20 and ranking average or below average in most underlying metrics, such as walk rate, hard-hit rate, and groundball rate.

Should he be able to replicate, or at least be in the ballpark of, his 2024 season, there’s no question that Greene could be one of the highest risers on this list in a year’s time.

23. Tyler Glasnow (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 22	RANK: 21	RANK: 23	RANK: 29	RANK: 35	RANK: 19

2024 Stats: 22 GS, 134.0 IP, 3.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 2.90 FIP, 11.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9

Tyler Glasnow is one of the most polarizing players in baseball, as his immense talent is paired with a poor track record from a health standpoint.

His first year on the mound with the Dodgers went as well as any season he’s had in recent memory, as the oft-injured righty threw a career-high 134.0 innings in a career-best 22 starts.

He posted a respectable sub-3.50 ERA paired with top 10 finishes in MLB (amongst starters with at least 100 IP) in FIP (6th), WHIP (6th), AVG against (5th), and K-rate (4th), resulting in his first career All-Star appearance.

Viewing his career from more of a macro-lens, since his breakout campaign in 2019, the 31-year-old has been a force to be reckoned with when healthy.

Amongst starting pitchers with at least 400.0 innings pitched in that six-year span, he ranks within the top three arms in baseball in FIP (2nd at 2.89), WHIP (3rd at 0.99), AVG (2nd at 1.92), SIERA (2nd at 3.00) and K% (2nd at 34.2%), while his 3.16 ERA sits firmly within the Top 20 best pitchers in baseball at 14th.

The issue has been health though. As I’ve mentioned already, his career highs in innings pitched and starts made in a single season are 134.0 and 22 respectively. He’s had four stints on the 60-day IL since 2019, including making just two starts in 2022 after Tommy John surgery.

While his injury past might drive him lower on this list, he’s simply been too dominant when he is on the mound to keep him off this list. Should he be able to remain relatively healthy and post his third straight triple-digit inning season, he’d be a prime candidate to rise on this list next year.

22. Sandy Alcántara (Miami Marlins)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 17	RANK: 25	RANK: 21	RANK: 23	RANK: 21	RANK: 23

2024 Stats: DID NOT PITCH

Similar to McClanahan, a missed 2024 season Sandy Alcántara ultimately drives him lower on this list, however the sheer talent the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner has shown makes him a unanimous Top 25 pitcher in our eyes.

The fact that Alcántara went into his missed 2024 season off the back of a lackluster 2023 campaign in which he threw to a 4.14 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .248 AVG against, didn’t help his case to push higher on this list.

That being said though, his four season stretch from 2019-2022 was firmly among the best in the major leagues.

His 3.07 ERA in that span ranked 13th among qualified MLB starters, while his 1.12 WHIP and .223 AVG against were among the Top 25 arms, both ranking 23rd.

Pair all this with above 80th percentile walk rates and above 90th percentile chase rates in his last three seasons on the mound, and Alcántara is easily one of the hardest pitchers to face in all of baseball.

21. Zac Gallen (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 21	RANK: 23	RANK: 20	RANK: 26	RANK: 20	RANK: 20

2024 Stats: 28 GS, 148.0 IP, 14-6, 3.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 3.38 FIP, 9.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9

Next we move to one of the most consistent MLB has seen in recent years in Zac Gallen.

Since debuting in 2019, the 29-year-old right-hander has pitched to the tune of at least a mid-3.00s ERA and FIP in five of those six seasons, while posting K-rates above 25.0% in each of those campaigns.

A lot has to be said for Gallen’s consistency too, as he’s made 28 or more starts in the past three seasons, resulting in a Top 15 innings count in that same span (12th at 542.0 IP).

This level of performance has resulted in plenty of hardware consideration for Gallen, finishing in the top five in NL Cy Young voting in both 2022 and 2023, as well as being the anchor of the Diamondbacks’ 2023 NL pennant winning staff.

With Corbin Burnes now in the fold for 2025, Gallen no longer has to be the anchor of Arizona’s rotation. This could play to his advantage as he looks to bounce back to his peak 2022 and 2023 form once again come 2025, and now has the pressure of being the outright ace off his shoulders.

20. Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 16	RANK: 24	RANK: 18	RANK: 24	RANK: 25	RANK: 14

2024 Stats: DID NOT PITCH

It’s not difficult to wax poetic about the $700 million man in Ohtani, even if he’s coming off a lost year on the mound due to Tommy John.

While his bat may be the topic of conversation and the current reason to give him praise at the moment, his arm is nothing push aside by any means, as he remains one of the league’s elite starting arms.

Ohtani’s arm really took off in the 2021 campaign after pitching to a low 3.00s ERA, a sub-1.10 WHIP and a low-.200 AVG in 23 starts.

Looking at Ohtani’s numbers from a wider point of view, there are few qualified starters who’ve been better than him. He sits in the Top 10 in MLB in ERA (6th at 2.84), WHIP (10th at 1.05), AVG against (2nd at .197), SIERA (8th at 3.28) and K% (3rd at 31.4%).

It’s also hard not to look at that magical ninth inning in the 2023 WBC, where he sat down Mike Trout swinging to seal the championship for Japan, and not see an elite starting arm.

Like a few other guys we’ve seen on this list already, he’ll fall a touch lower in the rankings than his numbers may indicate he should.

However, if he can come back from injury an recapture the form he’s shown in the three years prior to 2024, there’s no doubt he can climb on this list with a ceiling so high.

19. Michael King (San Diego Padres)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 20	RANK: 22	RANK: 22	RANK: 20	RANK: 19	RANK: 18

2024 Stats: 30 GS, 173.2 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 10.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9

The 2024 season was King’s first full season as a starting pitcher and it went as well as it could have possibly gone.

King’s sub-3.00 ERA and 27.7% K-rate and 201 total strikeouts ranked within the Top 10 amongst starters with 150+ innings pitched, while his FIP and AVG against ranked in the Top 15.

A lot of this success came down to how unhittable multiple pitches within his arsenal were. His primary sinker held opponents to just a .200 AVG and .376 SLG, while two of his three main secondary offerings kept hitters on their toes.

Opposing bats only mustered a .207 AVG and .286 SLG and whiffed 36.2% of the time against his changeup. His sweeper held hitters to an equally impressive .206 AVG and .305 SLG with a 34.5% whiff rate.

On top being a strikeout merchant who’s extremely difficult to solve, King also found himself as one of MLB’s most effective arms for limiting hard contact.

In 2024 King ranked in the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate at 30.3%, the 79th percentile in barrel rate at 6.2% and most impressively the 99th percentile in AVG exit velocity at 85.7%.

He’ll have to prove that he’s more than a one-hit wonder as a starter, but back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons as relief of option in the Bronx prior to 2024, as well as a seven-inning, 12 strikeout NLDS masterpiece this October certainly leaves the impression that King can build off his success come 2025.

18. George Kirby (Seattle Mariners)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 23	RANK: 17	RANK: 19	RANK: 16	RANK: 12	RANK: 22

2024 Stats: 33 GS, 191.0 IP, 3.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.26 FIP, 8.4 K/9, 1.1 BB/9

Now we look further into the Mariners stellar starting staff with one of MLB’s most consistent arms in George Kirby.

The 27-year-old right-hander isn’t necessarily the flashiest starter. In the past two seasons He only struck out hitters at a 43rd percentile clip of 22.7% in 2023 and a 50th percentile clip of 23.0% in 2024, with 23.0% whiff rates or lower in each of those campaigns.

In all three of his major league seasons hitters have also managed mid-.200s AVGs against him, which are higher rates than many you’ll find on this list.

However, that’s not stopped Kirby from posting a respectable mid-3.00s ERA in each of his three MLB seasons and impressive sub-1.10 WHIPs in his past two campaigns.

He’s been one of the top arms in baseball over the past three seasons in limiting the free pass, posting BB% above the 96th percentile each year of his career.

Kirby also made things difficult for opposing hitters last season through a top-tier 84th percentile chase rate as well as his three top offerings in his diverse arsenal featuring run values at five or higher (4-Seam FB at 11, Slider at 9, Sinker at 5).

Other pitchers may be more outright dominant that Kirby, but there is immense value in an arm that you can almost certainly pencil in for a mid-3.00s ERA over 190+ innings of work.

17. Max Fried (New York Yankees)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 18	RANK: 12	RANK: 17	RANK: 19	RANK: 17	RANK: 21

2024 Stats: 29 GS, 174.1 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9

After yet another strong season in 2024, Max Fried was one of the most sought after commodities on the free agent market this winter, eventually settling with the New York Yankees.

To put things in there simplest form, Fried has been one of the MLB’s best performing starters in recent years.

From 2020 to 2024, Fried holds an ERA of 2.81, placing him third amongst qualified starters in that span. He pairs that with a ninth-ranked FIP of 3.11 and a 1.09 WHIP that’s tied for 19th in MLB.

The thought of Fried pitching in the Bronx doesn’t hurt his ranking either, as he very well might be the ideal arm to handle Yankee Stadium.

Last season, Yankee Stadium ranked sixth in Baseball Savant’s Park Factor in favor of hitters.

Fried though should combat this well, as despite being average to below average when it comes strikeout metrics, he’s elite when it comes to limiting hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground.

In 2024 he posted a 81st percentile hard hit rate (34.6%), an 89th percentile barrel rate (5.0%) and a 95th percentile AVG exit velocity (86.3 mph). He paired these with an elite 96th percentile ground ball rate.

In a home ball park where the ball can fly, the fact Fried induces minimal hard contact and keeps the ball on the ground is a huge plus. His left-handedness also gives him the favorable left-on-left matchup to minimize the damage the right field short porch can have on pitchers.

A knock against him that pushes him lower on this list though is how uninspiringly he’s performed when the lights have shone brightest in October. In 20 appearances (12 starts) across 11 postseason series, Fried holds a 5.10 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP and .293 AVG against.

All in all though, Fried’s got an excellent track record and a skill set built for his new surroundings, making him an absolute no-brainer for this Top 25 list.

16. Dylan Cease (San Diego Padres)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 15	RANK: 13	RANK: 15	RANK: 14	RANK: 18	RANK: 17

2024 Stats: 33 GS, 189.1 IP, 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.10 FIP, 10.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

While it may not have been the Cy Young runner-up year he had in 2022, Dylan Cease put together a fantastic 2024 in his debut campaign in San Diego.

His ERA, FIP, WHIP and AVG against last year were all the best totals he’s produced in a single season apart from his second place finish in AL Cy Young voting in 2022.

Cease also remained one of the league’s premier strikeout arms as his 29.4% K-rate ranked in the 89th percentile of league arms, and he paired that with 92nd percentile whiff rate of 32.4%.

All of this culminated in a fourth place finish in NL Cy Young voting this past season.

The saying goes, “the best ability is availability”, and Cease has managed to be one of the most available starters in major league baseball in recent years, which is another huge reason why he’s firmly a unanimous Top 20 guy amongst our voters.

Not only has he performed at such a high standard, he’s tied for ninth in MLB for total innings pitched from 2021 to 2024 with 774.1 IP.

A caveat to Cease though has been his consistency, or lack there of, throughout a full season with 2024 being a prime example of that.

He’ll have months like July of this year, where he threw to a 2.35 ERA and 0.81 WHIP which included a no-hitter on July 25. However, then he’ll have months like August of 2024, when he followed up his stellar July with a lackluster 4.43 ERA and 1.70 WHIP.

Despite the inconsistency month-to-month, across a full season he’s managed post excellent numbers in two of the last three campaigns, which paired with his top-tier durability spells a winning combination if I’ve ever seen one.

15. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 13	RANK: 15	RANK: 16	RANK: 17	RANK: 15	RANK: 13

2024 Stats: 18 GS, 90.0 IP, 7-2, 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 2.61 FIP, 10.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9

Despite missing nearly three months of the season, Yamamoto put the league on notice in his rookie campaign in 2024.

Among starters with at least 90.0 innings pitched last year, the 26-year-old righty sat within the Top 20 in baseball in ERA (T-15th at 3.00), K% (T-11th at 28.5%) and HR/9 (T-14th at 0.70), while ranking Top 10 in SIERA (8th at 3.14) and top five in FIP (5th at 2.61).

Yamamoto is also one of the better strikeout and walk combination arms in the majors. He featured an 85th percentile K% of 28.5% and an 81st percentile BB% of 6.0%, which all culminated in a 17th overall finish in K/BB at 4.77 last season.

When we talk about Yamamoto as a Top 15 arm in the major leagues, we have to talk about the momentum he’s riding, on the back of a great postseason in 2024. He was stellar his 4.1 inning outing in the NLCS resulting in eight strikeouts, followed by a 6.1 inning start in the World Series, resulting in a series ERA of 1.42.

The proof will be in the pudding for Yamamoto on whether or not he can stay healthy for the entire year, because if he does we could have an arm pushing towards the Top 10 next year as he continues to acclimate himself to MLB.

14. Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 14	RANK: 20	RANK: 12	RANK: 15	RANK: 16	RANK: 11

2024 Stats: 2 GS, 9.0 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 12 K, 5 BB

Strider falls into the same category as guys like McClanahan, Alcántara and Ohtani, where we have to go off previous track record and upside shown.

But what a track record it is though for the 26-year-old.

In his last full season the mound in 2023, Strider threw 186.2 innings to a respectable 3.86 ERA, along with very strong totals in FIP (2.85), WHIP (1.09) and AVG against (.210).

What the most impressive part of his game is though is his strikeout abilities, as few starters have been able to replicate his strikeout standards.

Strider’s K% in 2024 landed him in the 99th percentile of league arms, with his whiff rate in the 98th percentile and his chase rate in the 95th percentile.

His 13.55 K/9 in 2023 sat first in MLB, with Blake Snell and his 11.70 K/9 rate that year be the next closest total from a qualified starter. The same went in 2022, as among pitchers with 100+ innings that year, Strider ranked again as 13.81 K/9 total once again bested Snell’s 12.02 K/9 effort.

After a lackluster 9.0 inning spurt in 2024 before going down with a torn UCL resulting in an internal brace procedure, Strider will have a lot to prove in 2025.

While he may sit well outside the Top 10 ranks this year as a result, would anyone be stunned if he were jump within those ranks heading into 2026 after a solid 2025 season?

13. Framber Valdez (Houston Astros)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 19	RANK: 16	RANK: 14	RANK: 11	RANK: 8	RANK: 16

2024 Stats: 28 GS, 176.1 IP, 16-7, 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 3.25 FIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9

Astros ace Framber Valdez has been one of the most consistent pitchers in Major League Baseball for a handful of years. Dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season, Valdez is pitching to a 3.08 ERA (13th in MLB) with a 14.2 fWAR over that stretch as well (eighth in MLB).

The 2024 season was more of the same for Valdez, who turned in yet another stellar ERA (2.91, T-5th best in MLB among qualified pitchers) and a 3.25 FIP, which was ninth in MLB.

He was even better in the second half of the season, pitching to a sub-2.00 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP in his 12 starts after the All-Star break.

Valdez has mastered the art of pitching by keeping the ball on the ground at an elite rate and eluding barrels. That is the formula that has led to so much success and consistency for him over the years.

In 2024, Valdez posted a barrel rate of just 5.3% to go with a ground-ball rate of 61.7%, which was the best in MLB among qualified pitchers, according to Baseball Savant.

Even if hitters make loud contact against him, it’s often times hit on the ground and playing right into the defense behind him.

Last season, Valdez came one out shy of throwing his second no-hitter in as many years. His efficiency on the mound is second to none, and he’s proven to be one of the most reliable pitchers in baseball heading into 2025.

12. Blake Snell (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 9	RANK: 14	RANK: 13	RANK: 10	RANK: 11	RANK: 15

2024 Stats: 20 GS, 104.0 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 2.43 FIP, 12.5 K/9, 3.8 BB/9

Now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Blake Snell has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in the past two seasons.

In 2023, Snell won the second Cy Young award of his career after pitching to a dazzling 2.25 ERA across 180 innings, despite walking 13.3% of batters faced while averaging nearly five walks-per-nine. It was unorthodox, but the end results were undeniably great.

What’s more, while it was a very slow start to the season, one could argue Snell was even better in 2024 with the San Francisco Giants.

He only pitched 104 innings after missing the majority of the first half of the year with strains to his adductor and groin, but he was lights out when he returned from the injured list.

Overall, his quality of contact numbers were phenomenal (28.9% hard-hit rate, 86.5mph average exit velocity), and he ranked second in MLB (min. 100 IP) in K/9 (12.55) and strikeout rate (34.7%). Batters also hit just .174 against him in 2024, which was the best mark in all of MLB (min. 100 IP).

Moreover, Snell was arguably the most dominant pitcher in MLB after the All-Star break. In the second half of the year (68.1 IP), Snell was second in the sport in SIERA (2.70) and led MLB in ERA (1.45), FIP (1.72), opponent batting average (.133), strikeout percentage (39.6%), and HR/9 (0.26).

He also recorded the first no-hitter of his career back in August. It might not always be stress free when watching him pitch, but Snell’s level of production has been mightily impressive.

11. Logan Gilbert (Seattle Mariners)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 11	RANK: 10	RANK: 11	RANK: 13	RANK: 14	RANK: 10

2024 Stats: 33 GS, 208.2 IP, 3.23 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 3.27 FIP, 9.5 K/9, 1.6 BB/9

Logan Gilbert took his game to another level last year, and he shot up these rankings as a result.

He was 10th in MLB in fWAR (4.1); 14th in ERA (3.23); 12th in FIP (3.27); and fifth in SIERA (3.19). He also led MLB in innings pitched with 208.2, and he achieved those accomplishments by doing a little bit of everything on the mound.

Gilbert took a step forward in more ways than one last season. His walk rate of 4.6% was in the top five percent of baseball, and he managed to increase his strikeout rate to a career-high 27.4%, which was nearly a three tick bump from the previous season.

In turn, Gilbert was fifth in Major League Baseball in strikeout-minus-walk rate (K-BB%) at 22.8%. It’s that leap forward in command and strikeout material that took his game to new heights.

On top of those improvements, Gilbert also managed to take a step forward in the quality of contact department. He dropped his hard-hit rate to a career-low 39.3% and he was generating ground balls at the highest rate of his career as well at 45.2%.

In the end, batters hit just .194 against Gilbert, which was the third-best mark in MLB among qualified pitchers, and he led baseball in WHIP at a dazzling 0.89.

His results are consistent, he’s as available as any starter in the game, and he is seemingly improving with each successive season. After a stride forward in 2024, there’s reason to believe Gilbert can continue to build upon that success in his age-28 season.

10. Cole Ragans (Kansas City Royals)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 10	RANK: 11	RANK: 9	RANK: 9	RANK: 13	RANK: 9

2024 Stats: 32 GS, 186.1 IP, 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2.99 FIP, 10.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9

After being traded from the Texas Rangers to the Kansas City Royals back in June of 2023, southpaw Cole Ragans has ascended into being one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Ragans made his Royals debut on July 15th of 2023. From that point through the end of the regular season, he pitched to the tune of a 2.64 ERA, which was seventh in baseball over that stretch, to go with the single best FIP in MLB at 2.49 and the third-best fWAR (2.4).

Expectations were sky-high for Ragans heading into 2024, and he delivered in many ways.

Ragans ended the 2024 season 12th in MLB in ERA (3.14) and fourth in both FIP (2.99) and fWAR (4.9). He also earned the first All-Star bid of his young career and finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

In terms of strikeout material, Ragans was one of the best in baseball. Thanks to his whiff rate of 32%, Ragans was fourth among qualified pitchers in K/9 (10.77) and in the 88th percentile in strikeout rate (29.3%).

It was the step forward many were anticipating from the budding southpaw. Big things could be in store for the 27-year-old as he heads into his second full season as a big league starter with rising expectations.

9. Chris Sale (Atlanta Braves)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 12	RANK: 7	RANK: 10	RANK: 6	RANK: 10	RANK: 12

2024 Stats: 29 GS, 177.2 IP, 18-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 2.09 FIP, 11.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9

Chris Sale was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Atlanta Braves last offseason, and it appears that change of scenery was all Sale needed to get right on the mound.

Sale was sensational in his first year in Atlanta, and it was easily the best version we’ve seen of him since his early days in Boston back in 2017-’18.

Sale secured the NL Cy Young Award after pitching to the best ERA in baseball (2.38), putting up the lowest FIP in the league (2.09), and accumulating the highest fWAR among any qualified pitcher (6.4).

He truly did it all on the mound. He generated ground balls at a 46% clip, he had the best K-BB% in the sport at 26.5%, and no qualified starter had a lower HR/9 than Sale at 0.46.

He was also in the 84th percentile or better in barrel rate (5.6%), hard-hit rate (31.2%), and average exit velocity (86.5 mph).

It was a near flawless season for the 14-year veteran. But with that being said, he’ll be 36 years old on Opening Day, and his recent track record of injury history makes it difficult to completely buy-in on him repeating this level of production in 2025.

Still, he clearly found new life in a Braves uniform. And this past season was a reminder that when he’s on the mound, he’s still capable of being one of the top pitchers in the entire sport.

8. Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants)

Finkelstein	Morgenstern	Treuden	Appel	Leighton	McMullen
RANK: 7	RANK: 6	RANK: 7	RANK: 12	RANK: 12	RANK: 8

2024 Stats: 33 GS, 204.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 2.95 FIP, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9

Logan Webb continues to be one of the game’s most reliable and available starting pitchers. It’s like clockwork at this point with Webb, and there’s value in knowing what you’re going to get from him each and every season.

Webb’s workload was once again near the top of the league in 2024, finishing third in innings pitched with 204.2. Dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season, Webb has pitched the second-most innings (761.1), and he’s third in number of quality starts with 77.

Take the quality start stat for what it’s worth, but at the very least it speaks to Webb’s ability to consistently work deep into ballgames and keep the Giants within reach seemingly every time he toes the rubber.

This past season, he finished 8th among qualified pitchers in fWAR at 4.4. That marked the fourth year in a row where he posted an fWAR of 4.0 or higher.

Additionally, Webb ended the year with a respectable 3.47 ERA, but he finished with the third-best FIP among qualified pitchers at 2.95.

Pounding the strike zone and keeping the ball on the ground is the recipe that’s led to so much success for Webb over the years, and it’s why his FIP is consistently among some of the best in the sport.

He may not strike out the world, but Webb does an excellent job at limiting damage on the mound and providing length for the Giants. He’s the steady anchor that many teams yearn for, and it’s fair to expect Webb to turn in his usual results in his age-28 season.

7. Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox)

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RANK: 8	RANK: 9	RANK: 8	RANK: 5	RANK: 4	RANK: 7

2024 Stats: 32 GS, 146.0 IP, 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 2.69 FIP, 12.9 K/9, 2.0 BB/9

Although last season was his first as a starter, the newest member of the Boston Red Sox, Garrett Crochet, checks in as Just Baseball’s seventh-best starting pitcher for the 2025 season.

In 32 starts with the White Sox, Crochet pitched to a 3.58 ERA across 146 innings. However, his ERA doesn’t tell the entire story, as his peripherals suggest he was one of the best starters in the entire sport.

His expected ERA (xERA), which is an ERA estimator based on the quality of contact surrendered, was fourth in MLB among pitchers with at least 140 innings pitched at 2.85.

Likewise, of pitchers with at least 140 innings, Crochet was third in FIP (2.69), only behind the two Cy Young winners in Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal. He was first in xFIP at 2.38, which takes his FIP and normalizes the home run rate, and he was No. 1 in all of baseball in SIERA at 2.53.

His overall whiff rate of 33.1% was impressive, but what’s more noteworthy is that he had the single highest in-zone swing-and-miss rate among qualified pitchers at 25.5%, according to Baseball Savant.

In turn, he struck out nearly 13 hitters-per-nine all while walking fewer than six percent of batters faced. That led to an incredible K-BB% of 29.6%.

Crochet’s ceiling is as high as any, but the reason he’s not higher on this list stems from his lack of track record and concerning injury history.

His 2024 campaign showcased what he’s capable of, but we’ll need to see him do it again in order for him to pass some of the names ahead of him on this list.

6. Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers)

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2024 Stats: 3 GS, 10.2 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 14 K, 1 BB

Most of us are familiar with the Jacob deGrom experience by now. His ability is unmatched when he’s on the mound, but unfortunately we haven’t seen a healthy deGrom in quite some time. That makes him arguably the most difficult player to rank on this entire list.

After joining the Rangers back in the 2022-’23 offseason, deGrom made just six starts with Texas before going down with Tommy John surgery. In those six starts, he pitched to a 2.67 ERA and struck out 45 hitters in 30.1 innings pitched.

He returned to the bump to make three starts for the Rangers at the tail end of the 2024 season, and he now heads into Opening Day 2025 with the hopes of putting his injury woes behind him.

It’s yet to be seen what his level of production will look like in his age-37 season, but there’s reason to believe he can still be a top pitcher in baseball given what he’s shown us across his small sample sizes.

5. Corbin Burnes (Arizona Diamondbacks)

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RANK: 5	RANK: 4	RANK: 6	RANK: 7	RANK: 6	RANK: 6

2024 Stats: 32 GS, 194.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 3.55 FIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9

Checking in at No. 5 is the new member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Corbin Burnes.

For years, Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in MLB. In four of his last five seasons, he’s ended the year with a sub-3.00 ERA. He continued that trend last season where he pitched to the tune of a 2.92 ERA (seventh in MLB) across 194.1 innings.

Burnes finished fifth in Cy Young voting last season, which marked the fifth consecutive year in which he finished in the top eight in voting. He also earned his fourth All-Star bid in as many years in 2024.

What’s more, dating back to 2021, Burnes has the second-most fWAR among all pitchers in MLB at 19.2. He’s also the only pitcher with at least 700 innings pitched with an ERA under 2.90 in the past five seasons.

The level of production Burnes has been able to maintain is unmatched, all while being one of the most available pitchers in the sport.

He might not have as high of a ceiling as the names ahead of him on this list at this point in his career, but he has arguably as high of a floor as any pitcher in baseball, making him worthy of the No. 5 spot on this list heading into 2025.

4. Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees)

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RANK: 4	RANK: 5	RANK: 5	RANK: 4	RANK: 5	RANK: 5

2024 Stats: 17 GS, 95.0 IP, 3.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.69 FIP, 9.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9

After winning the AL Cy Young award in 2023, Gerrit Cole’s 2024 campaign hit a road bump before it even began. He hit the injured list right before Opening Day with right elbow inflammation and was forced to miss nearly the first three months of the 2024 season.

Cole was still quite solid upon his return to the mound at the tail end of June. He put up an fWAR of 1.8 in 17 starts while pitching to a 3.41 ERA across 95 innings of work.

But when Cole is fully healthy, he’s a top pitcher in MLB. He earned Cy Young votes in each of his six seasons from 2018 to 2023, and he finished in the top five in voting a whopping five times over that stretch.

Moreover, prior to going down with injury before the start of the 2024 season, in the two years from 2022-’23, Cole was second in MLB in innings pitched (409.2) and total strikeouts with 479.

He’s a workhorse who is a consistent threat to lead MLB in strikeouts, and everyone on the Just Baseball panel is expecting him to return to being a top five pitcher in baseball in 2025 now that he’s fully healthy.

3. Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)

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RANK: 2	RANK: 3	RANK: 3	RANK: 3	RANK: 2	RANK: 1

2024 Stats: 23 GS, 133.0 IP, 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 2.44 FIP, 11.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9

It didn’t take long for Paul Skenes to insert himself into the conversation of best pitcher in baseball.

Skenes took the world by storm in a generational rookie year, ending the season with a sparking 1.96 ERA in 23 starts.

Of course, he won the NL Rookie of the Year award thanks to that performance, and he even finished third in Cy Young voting. It was truly one of the best seasons we have ever seen by a rookie pitcher.

Skenes was simply dominant after making his MLB debut on May 11. Of pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched, Skenes led MLB in ERA and xERA (2.53), and he was second in FIP (2.44), xFIP (2.54), and SIERA (2.71).

Across his 133 innings, Skenes struck out 170 hitters while walking just 32. His K/9 of 11.50 and strikeout rate of 33.1% were the second-best marks in MLB (min. 130 IP). Likewise, his K-BB% of 26.8% was second only to Garrett Crochet.

The only thing keeping Skenes behind the two names ahead of him on this list is his lack of track record. He has just 173.2 innings of professional baseball under his belt to this point, so we’ll see how he can follow up his stellar rookie campaign in his first full big league season.

But there’s no denying that he has the potential to become the best pitcher on the planet this coming season, and he heads into the 2025 season with a ceiling as high as any pitcher in MLB.

2. Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies)

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2024 Stats: 32 GS, 200.0 IP, 16-7, 2.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 3.13 FIP, 10.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9

Frankly, no pitcher has been more valuable than Zack Wheeler in recent years.

Last season, Wheeler finished third among pitchers in fWAR at 5.4. That marked the third season in the last four years where he posted an fWAR above 5.0.

Dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season, no pitcher in the sport has accumulated more fWAR than Wheeler at 22.7. He’s been arguably the best pitcher in baseball for the past half decade, and that trend once again continued in 2024.

Wheeler finished fourth in innings pitched with 200 last season, and he pitched to the third-best ERA in baseball at 2.57. It marked the fourth time in the last five seasons where he finished with an ERA below 2.95.

But what’s more to say about Wheeler that hasn’t already been said over this impressive stretch of domination on the mound?

He’s the premier model of consistency, and even in his age-34 season, Wheeler managed to up his strikeout rate to 28.5% (85th percentile) and continue to produce some of the best quality of contact metrics in the sport.

He’s virtually a lock to finish near the top of the league in workload and run prevention each and every season, and there’s no indication of him slowing down in 2025.

1. Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)

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2024 Stats: 31 GS, 192.0 IP, 18-4, 2.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 2.49 FIP, 10.7 K/9, 1.6 BB/9

The best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the 2025 season is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal.

Skubal was simply sensational in 2024, and he lived up to any and all expectations that were set for him heading into his age-27 season.

Among qualified pitchers, Skubal finished second in MLB and first in the AL in ERA (2.39), FIP (2.49), SIERA (2.89), and fWAR (5.9). He provided value in so many different ways for the Tigers.

He kept the ball in the park and did an excellent job at limiting damaging contact against him. He generated ground balls at a well-above-average rate of 46.4%. And he was one of the best strikeout artists in baseball, pacing all of MLB in punchouts with a total of 228.

Not only did he strike out batters at a 30.3% rate, but he also finished in the 95th percentile in walk rate at 4.6%. In turn, he posted the best K-BB% in the AL at 25.6%.

He didn’t shy away from the strike zone, and he still ended with the second-best in-zone whiff rate last season at 25%.

Skubal has some of the best overall stuff in the game, and it was his unmatched commination of elite pitch command and outstanding swing-and-miss material that gave opposing hitters virtually no chance against him in the batter’s box.

His 2024 campaign was everything fans wanted to see and more. The 28-year-old is only just starting his ascension as one of the brightest starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, making him Just Baseball’s best starting pitcher for the 2025 season.