Ranking the top 20 MLB starting pitchers for 2023 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Major League Baseball is loaded with elite pitching talent. That much is evident in our list of top 20 pitchers heading into the 2023 season. All 20 are capable of winning a Cy Young award this year, along with several other pitchers who didn’t crack the top 20.
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Here’s the full list:
20. Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
2022 stats: 12-8, 2.54 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 38 BB, 194 SO, 166.1 IP (28 starts)
McClanahan took a step forward in his sophomore season and was the ace of the Rays rotation with Tyler Glasnow out due to injury. He earned his first All-Star selection and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting. He could skyrocket up this list if he can get closer to the 200-innings mark consistently.
19. Zac Gallen, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
2022 stats: 12-4, 2.54 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 47 BB, 192 SO, 184 IP (31 starts)
Gallen might not have the household name that others on this list do, but that should change this year. The Diamondbacks ace was arguably the best pitcher in baseball during the second half of the 2022 season with a 1.49 ERA. That helped him place fifth in NL Cy Young voting and if he carries that momentum into 2023, he’s a solid dark-horse candidate for the award.
2022 stats: 8-6, 2.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 45 BB, 167 SO, 150.1 IP (25 starts with Cincinnati Reds and Mariners)
Castillo is coming off the best season of his career during which he excelled with both the Reds and the Mariners. He enters his first full season with Seattle and will be the ace of a deep starting rotation. If that changeup is working, there aren’t many pitchers with more dominant stuff.
17. Alek Manoah, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
2022 stats: 16-7, 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 51 BB, 180 SO, 196.2 IP (31 starts)
Manoah built off his strong rookie season with a Cy Young-caliber 2022. He placed third in the voting and earned the first of what should be several All-Star nods in his career.
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Alek Manoah is coming off a dominant second season in Toronto.
16. Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros
2022 stats: 17-6, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 67 BB, 194 SO, 201.1 IP (31 starts)
Valdez set an MLB single-season record with 25 consecutive quality starts during the 2022 campaign. He followed that up by being nails for the Astros throughout their World Series run. The 29-year-old will take over as Houston’s ace following the departure of Justin Verlander.