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The first two weeks of the MLB season have come and gone, and several pitchers are off to great starts.
These aces have helped guide their teams to good starts, while some of them are surprisingly hot right now. From afterthought players on bad teams to aces cementing themselves, here are the best pitchers right now.
MLB Power Rankings: Listing the top 5 Starting Pitchers after Week 2
5) Reid Detmers
Not many would have expected Reid Detmers to be one of baseball's best pitchers, but he has been.
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The Los Angeles Angels ace has a stunning 13.50 K/9 rating and a 1.04 ERA to go with it. The Angels don't have a lot of hope for the future, but they may have finally found their true ace in the rotation.
4) Corbin Burnes
A very likely player to be on this sort of list the entire season is Corbin Burnes. The Baltimore Orioles traded for him to be an ace, and he's been just that since the season began.
A 0.6 fWAR so far puts him on pace to be among the league leaders at the end of the year. That's exactly what he was brought in for and he's delivered.
3) Shota Imanaga
It's no surprise that a Japanese ace that came over in free agency over the offseason is on this list.
It's a surprise that it's Shota Imanaga and not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Imanaga has been brilliant for the Chicago Cubs. A 0.7 fWAR, a zero ERA, a 1.17 BB/9 and so many other stats suggest that this is one of baseball's brightest pitchers. The Cubs made a massive addition by bringing in Imanaga a bit under the radar.
2) Garret Crochet
Considered an afterthought because he was only brought to ace status by virtue of Dylan Cease leaving, Garret Crochet has given the Chicago White Sox a legitimate ace to build around for the future.
He's among the league leaders in fWAR with 0.8, and his 1.58 xERA is nothing short of astonishing. Sporting an impressive 12.30 K/9 also helps make his case as a bona fide ace.
1) Zack Wheeler
Zack Wheeler is tied for first in fWAR for all starting pitchers this season. In two weeks of the season, he's accumulated 0.8 fWAR for the Philadelphia Phillies.
He has been nothing short of excellent, as he also boasts a 1.89 ERA and a 2.30 FIP. His walks per nine inning is less than one, and he averages almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings. He has been positively excellent.
