Who are the top aces in baseball right now?
That sounds like a simple question, but the reality is more complicated. How much should career track record factor into your thinking? How much credit should a pitcher get for 2024 accomplishments, now that the calendar has flipped to 2025? How much should what has happened over his past several outings dominate the discussion?
There¡¯s no one answer to any of this, but here at the Starting Pitcher Power Rankings, we¡¯re giving it our best shot. Throughout this season, the rankings will be based on a formula, constructed by MLB.com¡¯s data team, that considers starters¡¯ recent performance, season-long performance and performance over the past 365 days. Those three categories are weighted in descending order, with the most emphasis placed on what has happened lately. After all, circumstances have a habit of changing quickly in this sport.
With all of that in mind, here are our first in-season Starting Pitcher Power Rankings of 2025. Let¡¯s see which high-powered arms reign supreme by our metrics.
1. Hunter Greene, Reds
Eight years after the Reds made him the No. 2 pick in the Draft out of high school, it feels like the 25-year-old Greene has fully arrived as the elite force that has long been promised. Following two seasons of ups and downs in 2022-23, Greene ascended to All-Star status in 2024, finishing eighth in the NL Cy Young Award voting after posting a 2.75 ERA across 26 starts. But so far in 2025, he seems to have found another level. After falling one out short of a shutout on Monday at San Francisco, Greene has a 1.31 ERA and 23-to-3 K-to-BB ratio, while holding opponents to a .139 average.
2. Logan Gilbert, Mariners
It wasn¡¯t Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Chris Sale or Zack Wheeler who led the Majors in innings pitched (208 2/3) and WHIP (0.89) last season -- it was Gilbert. Not only has the 6-foot-6 right-hander picked up right where he left off, but he¡¯s actually been even better through three dominant outings in 2025. The key to Gilbert leveling up again? His obscene splitter. (Making all of his starts at Seattle¡¯s T-Mobile Park hasn¡¯t hurt, though.)
3. Paul Skenes, Pirates
Less than one full year into Skenes¡¯ Major League career, it speaks to how quickly he has established himself that it counted as genuinely shocking when the Cardinals tagged him for a career-high five runs (all earned) on Tuesday night. Until proven otherwise, however, we¡¯ll consider that a blip. Across his first 26 MLB starts, Skenes is still 12-4 with a 2.14 ERA (198 ERA+) and 190 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings.
4. Tarik Skubal, Tigers
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has not looked quite as overwhelming early in 2025. But after giving up seven earned runs, 16 baserunners and three homers across his first two starts, Skubal was back on point Tuesday. On a freezing afternoon at Comerica Park, he iced the Yankees, tossing six scoreless innings and striking out six without a walk.
5. Logan Webb, Giants
Webb¡¯s scoreless, 10-strikeout gem on Monday against the Reds was his 42nd start of at least seven innings since the beginning of the 2022 season. That¡¯s the most in the Majors over that span, with only the next pitcher on this list even within seven starts of him. Not only is Webb following his usual formula in 2025 -- getting ground balls and limiting walks -- but he has 21 strikeouts in 19 innings, well above his usual rate.
6. Framber Valdez, Astros
The lefty is one of the top pending free agents to watch this season. He¡¯s gotten out of the gates in fine fashion, going at least six scoreless innings in two of his three outings. Valdez¡¯s curveball has always been an elite weapon, and in 2025, he¡¯s relying on it more than ever (36.4% usage), while holding opponents to a ridiculous 1-for-24 (.042) with 17 strikeouts against it.
7. Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Before a rare setback on Tuesday against the Braves, Wheeler had allowed only two runs across his first two starts of 2025, with 18 strikeouts. Now in his sixth season with the Phillies, the 34-year-old owns a 141 ERA+ with the franchise. That¡¯s better than any pitcher with at least 100 starts for Philly since George McQuillan, whose tenure there began back in 1907.
8. Cole Ragans, Royals
In 47 starts with the Royals since coming over in the 2023 Aroldis Chapman trade, all Ragans has done is post a 2.99 ERA and rack up 336 strikeouts, while finishing fourth in last year¡¯s AL Cy Young Award race. Following a decent Opening Day start against Cleveland, Ragans has reached double-digit strikeouts and allowed just one run in back-to-back outings, including Tuesday¡¯s win over the Twins.
9. Shota Imanaga, Cubs
Imanaga took the Majors by storm as a 30-year-old rookie from Japan, finishing fifth in the NL Cy Young race. But if you think the league has him figured out in Year 2, think again. Imanaga allowed just one run over his first three starts of 2025, before a tough outing Wednesday afternoon against the Rangers pushed his career ERA up to 2.88 across 33 starts.
10. Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves
Schwellenbach was another highly successful rookie starter in 2024, logging a 3.35 ERA across 21 starts, with a 5.5 K-to-BB ratio in his age-24 season. He¡¯s now started 2025 with back-to-back scoreless outings, including a two-hit, no-walk, 10-strikeout gem against the Marlins on April 4. The Phillies figure to provide Schwellenbach with a good test on Thursday, but even last year, he handled them smoothly (2-0, 2.45 ERA in three starts).
Just missed the cut: Garrett Crochet (Red Sox), Jes¨²s Luzardo (Phillies), Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers), Bryan Woo (Mariners), Drew Rasmussen (Rays), Freddy Peralta (Brewers)