Not that baseball fans are complaining, but there are too many candidates to consider when looking at the best pitchers in 2024.
We continue to see young pitchers turn into stars while pitchers from the other side of the world reach the major leagues and find instant success. In fact, it may not be long until we have to rewrite our list of the greatest pitchers in MLB history.
Top 10 starting pitchers in MLB in 2024
What's crazy is that the best starting pitchers for 2024 aren't necessarily the same as what we expected a year ago. A lot has changed in the past year.
We also have to determine who will shine the most during next season. However, we are happy to share with you our list of the top 10 shooters of 2024.
10. Luis Castillo
Going to Seattle may have taken Luis Castillo out of the spotlight a little, but it didn't stop him from being a top-tier player. He won 14 games last season while hitting at or below 1.10 for the second straight season.
At the same time, Castillo has a high batting average and has proven to be one of the most durable starters in baseball. That's more than enough to include him among the top 10 rookies in the majors right now.
9. Kodai Singha
Even after posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his first MLB season last year, we haven't seen the best of Kodai Senga. He had some ups and downs early in the season, which was to be expected, but he received some low Cy Young votes.
MLB hitters still seem to be baffled by his ghost fork, which is why once he recovers from the shoulder injury that sidelined him during spring training, Senga should put together a better season than we saw last year.
8. Zack Wheeler
Forget the numbers, when you watch Zack Wheeler play, there is no doubt that he is a top-tier player. On his best days, he can make the best lineup in baseball look like a triple-team.
Wheeler has matured by leaps and bounds since arriving in Philadelphia. At 33 years old, he still has great stuff in him, but Wheeler also has the intelligence and experience to make the most of it.
7. Kevin Gusman
Like a fine wine, Kevin Guzman seems to get better with age. His best seasons came after the age of 30, as Guzman has been one of the most consistent players in baseball over the past few seasons.
Surprisingly, he led the American League in hits last season. This is strong evidence that Guzman is not leaving anytime soon and will continue to excel in 2024.
6. Zac Gallen
After helping Arizona reach the World Series, baseball fans are finally getting to know Zach Gallen well. He's been working his way up the totem pole for a few years and finally had a breakout season with 17 wins last year.
Gallen has great control over his pitches and a high strikeout rate, which is why we believe last year's success was a sign of things to come in 2024 and beyond.
5. Logan Webb
Over the past three seasons, the top players have struggled to discover Logan Webb and his great diver. Webb is arguably the best grounder in baseball right now.
Although his win totals and ERA may not reflect that, last year was Webb's best season to date getting weak contact and pitching a ground ball. Webb is only 27 years old, which makes us think he might be ready to take another step forward in 2024 and become a serious Cy Young contender.
4. Blake Snell
Forget about the long and complicated drama he endured in free agency last winter, Blake Snell is still an elite player. He is the National League's Cy Young winner, receiving 28 of 30 votes while posting the lowest ERA in the major leagues at 2.25.
Conventional wisdom says that Snell will start to decline and will not be able to repeat last year's success. But it would take a huge step backwards to prevent him from being among baseball's elite pitchers.
3. Spencer Strider
His strikeout rate alone is enough to make Spencer Strider one of the best pitchers in 2024. He led the majors in both strikeouts and wins in 2023, proving that he can miss bats better than any pitcher in the major leagues.
Somehow, Strider only turned 25 last October, so he probably hasn't reached his peak yet. It's clear that his 3.86 ERA needs to come down if he's going to be an elite player. But at the same time, there's something to be said for a guy who can flirt with 300 hits this season.
2. Corbin Burns
Admittedly, Corbin Burns wasn't at his best last season. However, he is only 29 years old, so there is no reason to believe he will not return after being traded to the Orioles.
Burns dominated while winning the Cy Young in 2021 and also led the National League in strikeouts in 2022. He can still be that pitcher. In fact, since he's now in the American League where hitters haven't seen him much over the years, Burns may be poised to have one of his best seasons.
1. Gerrit Cole
It took a long time, but Gerrit Cole finally won the Cy Young last season, cementing his status as the best shortstop in MLB. Despite being the first Cy Young, Cole has been selected to the All-MLB first team three times in the past five years.
He also led the American League in ERA twice and led the majors in strikeouts twice during that span. Cole has been something else this past year and has no signs of slowing down. Not only is he a hitting machine, but Cole's highest WHIP of the last six years was 1.06. These stats speak volumes about how good he is.
