The final Starting Pitcher Power Rankings of the regular season
It¡¯s almost time for closing arguments.
With a little more than a week remaining in the regular season, some pitchers are trying to push their teams into October. Others have just one or two more starts in which to state their case to Cy Young Award voters. A select few fall into both categories.
Here is the final regular-season edition of the Starting Pitcher Power Rankings. MLB.com panelists considered track record, season-long success and recent performance in casting their votes for this list. (All stats through Tuesday¡¯s games.)
1. Blake Snell, Padres (Last poll: 1)
It¡¯s not a prototypical Cy Young season, but Snell just might capture the NL award anyway, pairing it with his AL Cy from 2018. He certainly took a big step in that direction on Tuesday night, tossing seven hitless innings against the Rockies, striking out 10, and of course, walking four. It might not always be pretty with Snell, but at this point, it¡¯s hard to argue with the results.
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees (3)
In a year when so little has gone right for the Yankees, Cole has been a port in the storm. He leads the AL in both innings (192) and ERA (2.81). Of Cole¡¯s 31 starts, 24 have lasted at least six innings, and 26 have featured three earned runs or fewer. His first Cy is well within reach.
3. Kodai Senga, Mets (5)
Early this season, there was an understandable adjustment period for Senga, a 30-year-old righty who had made the jump from Japan¡¯s Nippon Professional Baseball. But that didn't last long. Senga entered Wednesday night¡¯s start against the Marlins with a 2.59 ERA over his past 20 outings. He¡¯s a legitimate contender for both Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors.
4. Justin Steele, Cubs (2)
A six-run hiccup last Friday at Arizona was poorly timed for both Steele and the contending Cubs, but that shouldn¡¯t obscure the fact the lefty has been great all season long for the North Siders. In fact, going back to 2022, Justin Verlander and Shohei Ohtani are the only pitchers with both more innings and a better ERA+ than Steele.
5. Sonny Gray, Twins (6)
The key to Gray¡¯s 2023 season, one of the best of his stellar career? He¡¯s keeping the ball in the park to an amazing degree. With at least six more homerless innings, the veteran would join Josh Johnson (2010), Chris Carpenter (2009) and Pedro Martinez (2003) as the only pitchers since the turn of the century to have a season with at least 180 innings and as few as seven big flies allowed.
6. Freddy Peralta, Brewers (10)
Peralta has been absolutely nails during the Brewers¡¯ late-season push for the NL Central title. In the second half, he owns a 2.62 ERA along with the highest strikeout rate (37.1%) and lowest FIP (2.65) among qualified pitchers.
7. Spencer Strider, Braves (4)
Strider has allowed at least four earned runs in nine different starts this season, and his 3.73 ERA isn¡¯t overwhelming. That said, he has 43 more strikeouts than his closest challenger (Snell) and needs seven more K¡¯s to pass Hall of Famer John Smoltz (276) for the Braves¡¯ Modern Era franchise record. The juggernaut Braves are 24-6 in Strider¡¯s starts.
8. Brandon Woodruff, Brewers (not ranked)
Since missing roughly four months due to right shoulder inflammation, Woodruff has been making up for lost time. In eight starts since returning from the IL, the righty has a 2.13 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 10 walks in 50 2/3 innings, including a shutout of the Marlins on Sept. 11.
9. Luis Castillo, Mariners (not ranked)
When you trade a major prospect package for an established pitcher, as the Mariners did last year to pry Castillo from the Reds, this is exactly how you hope that player will deliver. In 42 starts with Seattle, Castillo is 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA and 284 strikeouts, and the club has a chance to claim its second straight playoff berth.
10. Logan Webb, Giants (not ranked)
Webb became the first pitcher this season to reach the increasingly rare 200-inning threshold, and he entered Wednesday afternoon¡¯s start against the D-backs also leading the NL in walks-per-nine-innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio. His durable, dependable season deserves more recognition.
Also receiving votes: Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles), Kyle Bradish (Orioles), Framber Valdez (Astros), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Zack Wheeler (Phillies), Pablo L¨®pez (Twins), Cole Ragans (Royals), Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos (Blue Jays), Adam Wainwright (Cardinals)
Voters: David Adler, Brett Blueweiss, Paul Casella, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Sarah Langs, Travis Miller, Ricardo Montes de Oca, Brian Murphy, Sweeny Murti, Manny Randhawa, Efrain Ruiz, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, David Venn