Fansided

MLB 2017: Top 10 starting pitchers

By Joshua Sadlock

Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 10
Next

The value of the ace in Major League Baseball cannot be stated enough. Here are the top-10 pitchers in the league heading into the 2017 season.

With the exception of just one name on the following list of the best pitchers in Major League baseball, each has pitched in the postseason multiple times in his career. In football, it is impossible to win without an elite quarterback, and in baseball that can be said of an elite starting pitcher. These pitchers virtually guarantee their team 15-20 wins every single year, and give a team a big leg-up on the competition for a playoff berth.

Baseball saw a major shift back to the pitchers after the introduction of stringent testing for PED usage. It is no longer an uncommon occurrence to see multiple runs at sub-2.00 ERAs in a single season, and strikeouts continue to rise around the league. Hitters did make a bit of a push back to pre-testing levels with home runs up around the league in 2016, but the pitchers still hold the upper hand.

Teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals have been able to win without a legitimate ace thanks to their strong bullpens, but sustaining a winner is difficult without a true frontline starter. Which ten pitchers rank at the top of baseball in 2017? Read on as we break them down.

Oct 18, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (41) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians in game four of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (41) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians in game four of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have carefully managed the innings of their precocious right-hander Aaron Sanchez for the past two years. In his first full year as a starter in the big leagues, Sanchez was briefly shut down in the second half, but still won the AL ERA crown with a 3.00 mark over 192 frames. He also went 15-2 and led the league with the lowest home-run rate.

Sanchez’s best pitch is a heavy sinker thrown at 96 mph. He compliments that pitch with a four-seam fastball, a curve, and a changeup. Sanchez does not throw the changeup often, and could stand to throw it slightly slower if he wants to develop it into a reliable fourth pitch. His curve is already a dominant pitch, and he got 66 strikeouts with it last year.

If there is one area left for Sanchez to improve, it is in commanding his pitches. He walked 3.0 per nine last year, but that was a marked improvement from 2015. Pitchers who throw such heavy, sinking fastballs can sometimes go through bouts of wildness because their ball just moves too much and falls out of the zone. Jake Arrieta dealt with a similar issue before being traded to Chicago, and also ran into some control issues last year. Regardless, Sanchez emerged as a bonafide ace in 2016, and his future is very bright.

Home/MLB