Ranking the top 10 MLB starting pitchers heading into the 2025 season ft. Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole

Modified Jan 13, 2025 15:06 GMT

Ranking the top 10 MLB starting pitchers heading into the 2025 season ft. Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole

There is a ton of starting pitching talent in the MLB right now. Picking the best of the best is hard to do, but there are 10 pitchers who are poised to have huge years in 2025. Here are the 10 best pitchers going into the new season.

The best starters in MLB right now

10) Cole Ragans (Kansas City Royals)

Cole Ragans had 4.9 fWAR, the fourth-most among all pitchers, in 2024. He is only now 27, so there's no reason to believe he won't get better and remain one of the best pitchers in baseball.

9) Corbin Burnes (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Corbin Burnes was an ace in every sense of the word last year (14th-most fWAR in baseball). He was the only dependable Baltimore Orioles pitcher. Now with the Arizona Diamondbacks, another young team trending in the right direction, he should once again be excellent.

8) Blake Snell (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Blake Snell's overall numbers weren't great in 2024 (5-3, 3.12 ERA in 20 starts) but he was incredible when he got healthy in the second half. That includes a no-hitter and stellar metrics down the stretch, so the Dodgers truly have one of the best pitchers in baseball.

7) Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox)

Garrett Crochet is ready for a big year (Imagn)

Garrett Crochet had a dominant year in his first season as a starter (3.58 ERA and 1.068 WHIP) and he played in front of the Chicago White Sox defense. He was also backed by their offense, and they lost 121 games. His talent is undeniable.

6) Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies)

The Phillies have one of the best (Imagn)

Zack Wheeler was an NL Cy Young finalist and had a solid case for winning, leading the NL in WHIP (0.955). He is getting older, but even a little regression means he's still one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball following a 5.4 fWAR season (third in MLB).

5) Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees)

Gerrit Cole wasn't the same Cy Young-winning pitcher last year after returning from elbow issues. However, he was still excellent and showed out in the postseason. He's still one of baseball's best until further notice.

4) Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Paul Skenes is poised for greatness (Imagn)

Paul Skenes (1.96 ERA in 23 starts) looked like the best pitcher in the National League in his time at the MLB level. A full season might be different, especially after teams get film and tendencies to study him. Still, there's no reason to believe he's not destined for greatness in 2025.

3) Chris Sale (Atlanta Braves)

Is an aging Chris Sale going to repeat what he did last year with the Braves? Probably not, but he proved that he's still one of the best in the game. His 6.4 fWAR was 0.5 clear of anyone else. Even with some regression, the 2024 NL Cy Young will still be great in 2025.

2) Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves)

Spencer Strider looked great again before getting hurt. If he's healthy, he's a candidate for 300 strikeouts. That's something very few MLB hurlers can say even in today's age of dominance.

1) Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)

Tarik Skubal won the AL Triple Crown in his breakout year. He wasn't on this level at all before, so his ascension was rapid. If he's still peaking, then there's no pitcher on this list that can rival his talent. Even if he's not, he's still one of the best in MLB by a wide margin.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.