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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 /
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Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports /

5. Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

Kluber emerged from relative obscurity to throw his first full big-league season at the age of 27. Since then, he has placed himself among the best pitchers in all of baseball, with the 2014 Cy Young and a finish in the top-three in the 2016 voting. Kluber has led the AL in FIP in two of the past three years.

In his first postseason, Kluber dominated. He made six starts and finished 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA. By the time Game 7 of the World Series rolled around, Kluber had thrown nearly 250 innings on the year, and was clearly gassed.

Kluber’s best pitch is his breaking ball. Some refer to it as a curveball, while the official pitch-tracking system calls it a slider. It is thrown faster than most curves or sliders, and has incredible bite. Whatever you want to call it, Kluber’s breaking ball is one of the best pitches in all of baseball. For his entire career, opponents have batted .131 against the breaking ball with only four home runs and over 400 strikeouts.

Interestingly, Kluber is one of the few pitchers in baseball who truly gets better as the season goes on. His worst month of the year is typically in April, perhaps due to the fact that the cold weather affects the grip on his breaking ball. In the second half of 2016, as the rest of the Cleveland rotation dropped like flies, Kluber went 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA.

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