Ranking the Top 25 Starting Pitchers of the 2024 MLB Season

Joel ReuterNovember 26, 2024Ranking the Top 25 Starting Pitchers of the 2024 MLB Season0 of 14

Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

It’s time to put a bow on the 2024 MLB season with Bleacher Report’s final positional rankings of the year.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, we released monthly updates to our position-by-position rankings, selecting the top 10 players at each spot. Now it’s time to finalize that exercise while expanding the list to the 25 best at each position.

Just like the regular-season rankings, past production and future expectations played no part in deciding the order—this is simply a rundown of the best and brightest of 2024.

There were no specific qualifications for inclusion, though each player was only eligible to appear in these rankings at one position.

Now let’s dive into the top 25 starting pitchers of the 2024 season.

Honorable Mentions1 of 14

Blake SnellThearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

These pitchers received strong preliminary consideration but fell short of earning a spot in the Top 25:

Tyler Anderson, LAA
José Berríos, TOR
Tanner Bibee, CLE
Luis Castillo, SEA
Nestor Cortes, NYY
Garrett Crochet, CWS
Zach Eflin, TB/BAL
Nathan Eovaldi, TEX
Erick Fedde, CWS/STL
Zac Gallen, ARI
Kevin Gausman, TOR
Luis Gil, NYY
Tyler Glasnow, LAD
Sonny Gray, STL
Yusei Kikuchi, TOR/HOU
George Kirby, SEA
Zack Littell, TB
Pablo López, MIN
Tobias Myers, MIL
Bailey Ober, MIN
Ryan Pepiot, TB
Freddy Peralta, MIL
David Peterson, NYM
Nick Pivetta, BOS
Carlos Rodón, NYY
Joe Ryan, MIN
Spencer Schwellenbach, ATL
Luis Severino, NYM
Brady Singer, KC
Blake Snell, SF
Justin Steele, CHC
Gavin Stone, LAD
Ranger Suárez, PHI
Jameson Taillon, CHC
Michael Wacha, KC

Nos. 25-212 of 14

Bryan WooSteph Chambers/Getty Images

25. Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners

Woo missed roughly three weeks with a hamstring injury just before the All-Star break, but he was a key cog in baseball’s best rotation in his first full season in the majors. The 24-year-old went 9-3 with a 2.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 121.1 innings while limiting opponents to a .211 batting average.

24. Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

After struggling to a 7.71 ERA over his first nine starts of the season, Brown turned a corner in mid-May and went 10-5 with a 2.31 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 132.2 innings over 22 starts the rest of the way. The 26-year-old’s breakout helped prop up an injury-plagued Houston rotation.

23. Sean Manaea, New York Mets

Manaea posted a 4.44 ERA in 117.2 innings with the Giants in 2023, and he settled for a two-year, $28 million deal from the Mets last winter. The 32-year-old ended up being the team’s best pitcher, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in 181.2 innings, and now he is poised to cash in after declining a 2025 player option. He had a run of seven quality starts in eight outings down the stretch while the Mets were chasing a playoff berth.

22. Reynaldo López, Atlanta Braves

A starting pitcher early in his career, López pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen in 2022 and 2023. The Braves signed him to a three-year, $30 million deal during the offseason with the intention of shifting him back to a starting role, and he responded with a 1.99 ERA in 135.2 innings.

21. Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies

Sánchez took over as Philadelphia’s fifth starter midway through the 2023 season, and that proved to be the jumping off point for a breakout performance. The 27-year-old went 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 181.2 innings, tossing two complete games, including a three-hit shutout against the Marlins on June 28.

Nos. 20-163 of 14

Ronel BlancoTim Warner/Getty Images

20. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves

Since the start of the 2020 season, only Zack Wheeler (25.4) and Gerrit Cole (19.9) have produced more combined WAR among pitchers than the 19.1 racked up by Fried, who is now a free agent and set to cash in with a major payday. The 30-year-old dealt with some arm issues in 2023, but returned strong this year, going 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings.

19. Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies

For the sixth consecutive season—excluding the shortened 2020 campaign—Nola made at least 32 starts, kicking off his new seven-year, $172 million contract with the same steady production he has been providing for years. The 31-year-old went 14-8 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 197 strikeouts in 199.1 innings, successfully pitching around a NL-high 30 home runs allowed.

18. Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros

Blanco was only part of the Houston rotation to open the season as an injury replacement for Justin Verlander, but he threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season and never looked back. The late-bloomer is already 31 years old, and he dealt with some ups and downs following his stellar start to the year, but he still finished 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 167.1 innings.

17. Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers/Los Angeles Dodgers

A rising ace in 2019 when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in his age-23 season, Flaherty saw his career derailed by injuries before posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 144.1 innings in 2023. The Tigers rolled the dice on him during the offseason with a one-year, $14 million deal, and he ended up being one of the biggest prizes of the trade deadline, going a combined 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 194 strikeouts in 162 innings with the Tigers and Dodgers, and winning a World Series ring.

16. Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox

After teasing his potential while filling a variety of roles on the Boston staff from starter to closer the last few years, Houck finally turned in a true breakout season for the Red Sox. The 28-year-old posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 154 strikeouts in 178.2 innings, earning an All-Star selection and giving Boston its best homegrown starter since the days of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.

Nos. 15-114 of 14

Shōta ImanagaThearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

15. Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants

One of the few true workhorses left in baseball, Webb has now led the NL in innings pitched in back-to-back seasons while tossing a combined 420.2 innings atop the Giants rotation. The 28-year-old was an All-Star for the first time and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting while going 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 172 strikeouts in 204.2 innings.

14. Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners

Miller followed up a strong rookie season with a terrific 2024 campaign, going 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 180.1 innings. The 26-year-old still has five years of club control remaining and will not even be arbitration-eligible for the first time until next offseason, making him one of the most valuable arms on this list.

13. Shōta Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Imanaga finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in NL Cy Young balloting in his stateside debut, going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings over 29 starts. His final numbers would have looked even better without one horrendous start on 11 hits and 10 earned runs in three innings, as he had a 2.43 ERA in 170.1 innings over his other 28 outings.

12. Michael King, San Diego Padres

One of the key pieces that went the other way in last offseason’s Juan Soto blockbuster, King went from effective swingman with the Yankees to rotation standout in San Diego. The 29-year-old went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 173.2 innings, tacking almost 70 innings onto his previous career-high of 104.2 frames. He also struck out 12 batters over seven shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves in his first career playoff start.

11. Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

Valdez made his third straight Opening Day start for the Astros in 2024, as he has emerged as a true homegrown ace. The 31-year-old finished 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169 strikeouts in 176.1 innings and earned his third straight top-10 finish in AL Cy Young voting, and now he enters a contract year set to secure a hefty new contract.

10. Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds5 of 14

Hunter GreeneJason Mowry/Getty Images

Stats: 26 GS, 9-5, 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 57 BB, 169 K, 150.1 IP, 6.3 WAR

Despite boasting some of the most electric stuff in baseball from the onset of his big league career in 2022, Hunter Greene gave up a surprising amount of hard contact while posting a 4.62 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 237.2 innings during his first two seasons.

The addition of a splitter as a viable third offering helped take his game to another level in 2024, and he slashed his hard-hit rate allowed from 44.1 to 32.5 percent while pitching like a legitimate ace atop the Cincinnati rotation.

9. Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres6 of 14

Adam Hunger/Getty Images

Stats: 33 GS, 14-11, 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 65 BB, 224 K, 189.1 IP, 4.2 WAR

The San Diego Padres acquired Dylan Cease as a complementary frontline starter to slot alongside the incumbent duo of Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, but he wound up anchoring the starting staff for much of the year with those two veterans both missing significant time.

The 28-year-old is the only pitcher in baseball to record at least 200 strikeouts in each of the past four seasons, and after leading the AL in walks twice during his time with the White Sox, he also quietly logged a career-best 8.5 percent walk rate in 2024.

8. Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles7 of 14

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Stats: 32 GS, 15-9, 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 48 BB, 181 K, 194.1 IP, 3.4 WAR

The Orioles plugged the biggest hole on the roster when they acquired Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason and slotted him into the staff ace role, and he delivered with his usual elite-level performance.

Now he’s the top pitcher on the free-agent market and likely headed for a contract that will exceed $200 million, and with five straight finishes inside the top 10 in Cy Young voting, he is worth every penny.

7. Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners8 of 14

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Stats: 33 GS, 9-12, 3.23 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 37 BB, 220 K, 208.2 IP, 2.8 WAR

The Seattle Mariners paced the majors with a 3.38 ERA from their starting rotation, and Logan Gilbert was their most consistent starter while leading the AL with 208.2 innings pitched.

The 27-year-old was tied for second in the majors with 22 quality starts, and his 0.89 WHIP was the lowest among all qualified starters as he allowed just 148 hits and limited opposing batters to a .196 average.

6. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals9 of 14

Luke Hales/Getty Images

Stats: 32 GS, 11-9, 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 67 BB, 223 K, 186.1 IP, 4.9 WAR

Aroldis Chapman helped the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, but the club paid a steep price to acquire him, sending left-hander Cole Ragans and his club control through the 2028 season the other way.

After posting a 5.92 ERA in 17 appearances out of the Rangers bullpen, Ragans joined the Kansas City rotation and immediately turned a corner. The 26-year-old then built off last season’s breakthrough with a fantastic 2024 campaign, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting and earning his first All-Star nod.

5. Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals10 of 14

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Stats: 33 GS, 16-9, 3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 48 BB, 181 K, 206.2 IP, 5.3 WAR

Teams giving veteran relievers with the stuff to start a chance to join the starting rotation is becoming a trend in free agency, and Seth Lugo immediately becomes the poster child for the best-case scenario of that experiment.

After pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen during his time with the Mets, he signed a one-year deal with the Padres in 2023 and showed he had the chops to start. The Royals rewarded him with a two-year, $30 million deal, and that turned out to be one of the best bargains of the 2023-24 offseason.

4. Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates11 of 14

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Stats: 23 GS, 11-3, 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 32 BB, 170 K, 133.0 IP, 5.9 WAR

If Paul Skenes had broken camp with a spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation, he might have joined Fernando Valenzuela as the only other rookie in MLB history to also take home Cy Young honors.

As it stands, he settled for unanimous NL Rookie of the Year, third in Cy Young balloting and an All-Star Game start while taking the league by storm less than a year after he went No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft. The 22-year-old’s future is as bright as any young player in the sport.

3. Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies12 of 14

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Stats: 32 GS, 16-7, 2.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 52 BB, 224 K, 200.0 IP, 6.1 WAR

The five-year, $118 million deal that Zack Wheeler signed when he first joined the Philadelphia Phillies is now complete, and it will go down as one of the best nine-figure deals ever given to a starting pitcher.

He piled up 25.4 WAR during those five seasons, and just had one of the best seasons of his career in 2024. He led the NL with a 0.96 WHIP, paced all of baseball with 26 quality starts in 32 appearances and capped things off with seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in NLDS start to further add to a fantastic postseason resume.

2. Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves13 of 14

David Berding/Getty Images

Stats: 29 GS, 18-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 39 BB, 225 K, 177.2 IP, 6.2 WAR

There was a strong case to be made that Chris Sale was the best active pitcher to never win a Cy Young heading into the 2024 season, and after posting a 4.30 ERA in 102.2 innings in 2023 on the heels of three straight injury-plagued campaigns, that appeared unlikely to change.

The Red Sox shipped him to Atlanta in a salary dump move that brought back young infielder Vaughn Grissom, and that will almost certainly go down as one of the most lopsided moves of the last 25 years.

Sale went on to win the NL Triple Crown, edging out Zack Wheeler for NL Cy Young honors, and the new two-year, $38 million deal he signed in January now looks like a brilliant move by the Atlanta front office.

1. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers14 of 14

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Stats: 31 GS, 18-4, 2.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 35 BB, 228 K, 192.0 IP, 6.3 WAR

Tarik Skubal hinted at bigger things to come in his return from flexor tendon surgery in 2023, posting a 2.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 80.1 innings over 15 starts, and he picked up right where he left off in 2024.

The 28-year-old won the AL Triple Crown, took home unanimous AL Cy Young honors, finished seventh in AL MVP balloting, and backed up his strong numbers with an AL-best 2.50 FIP that suggests his career year is sustainable.

Despite swirling rumors, the Tigers opted against trading him at the deadline and he led their furious push up the standings and into the playoff picture down the stretch. Now he enters the offseason as a potential extension candidate with free agency looming after the 2026 season.