2026 MLB Player Rankings

Welcome to my Top 50 Starting Pitcher Rankings for the 2026 MLB season! My goal for these rankings are projecting the most valuable starting pitchers by using a blend of past results, projections, and my own intuition. Since these rankings are trying to capture the most valuable players, I bake in injury risk and playing time into my analysis. If a player has consistently missed time with injuries or is expected to be limited during 2026, their placement likely was negatively impacted. For each player I support my rankings and lay out my thoughts as to why I believe their deserved their placement. I also included a list of honourable mentions as well as a list of notable players that were not considered as they fall into a different position bucket.

Projections are provided by Steamer and utilize FanGraphs’ Depth Charts for playing time

2026 Top 50 Starting Pitchers

Here are my Top 50 Starting Pitchers for 2026. Click a player’s name to jump to my writeup and reasoning for their ranking.

1) Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal is the most dominant pitcher in MLB. His hellacious results led him to consecutive AL Cy Young awards which are fully supported by every conceivable metric. He has the velocity, command, arsenal, and stamina to eviscerate any lineup in MLB and do so consistently. He is my #1 pitcher in MLB and really only has one competitor.

2) Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes is in the midst of one of the greatest stretches to start a career in MLB history. He is one of two qualified pitchers this decade to post an ERA under 2.00 in a season with the other being the indomitable Justin Verlander in 2022. There are no signs indicating that Skenes will slow down any time soon as he enters his age 24 season. The sky is the limit for the Pirates ace.

3) Garrett Crochet

Garrett Crochet proved that his 2024 season was no joke with an AL Cy Young quality campaign in 2025 where he posted a 2.59 ERA and 2.89 FIP. The towering lefty perfectly weaves in a trio of fastballs to torment batters and then cleans them up with a nasty sweeper. He is the full package and the 3rd best pitcher in MLB.

4) Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez put it all together in 2025 as he melded his improved command with an uptick in velocity to produce a dominant season. Sanchez’s efficiency is incredible and his sinker-changeup combo is one of the most effective in the league.

5) Logan Webb

Logan Webb eats innings for breakfast. His 820.0 IP leads all pitchers since the start of 2022 and clears the next closest arm (Framber Valdez) by over fifty innings. Webb utilizes his extreme east-west arsenal and strong command to generate a ton of weak contact and be one of the most efficient pitchers in MLB. His consistency is unmatched with 5 consecutive 4-win seasons, and his volume only buoys his floor.

6) Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a postseason for the ages where he carried the Dodgers to three pivotal wins to clinch the World Series. That performance illustrated the immense upside that Yamamoto possesses and proved that he is one of the best pitchers in the world. With the Dodgers expected to explore a 6-man rotation, Yamamoto finds himself outside of the Top 5 due to volume concerns.

7) Cole Ragans

Cole Ragans dealt with a rotator cuff injury for the majority of 2025 but came back strong in September and looked excellent. The fastball is elite, and his changeup is the best pitch in MLB. The only thing holding back Ragans’ ranking is concerns about his shoulder, but when he is one the mound expect him to dominate.

8) Hunter Brown

Ever since Hunter Brown added a sinker in May 2024, he has performed like a Top 10 pitcher in MLB and garnered him a top three finish in last season’s AL Cy Young race. Brown is exceptional and suppressing hard contact and wields a sublime 5-pitch mix to neutralize any batter in baseball.

9) Max Fried

Max Fried’s first season with the Yankees mirrored every season he had the Braves. He won’t knock your socks off with outlandish stuff, but he will beat with a deep arsenal, pinpoint command, and elite damage suppression. Other than an injury scare in 2024 and a small lull this past summer, Fried has been remarkably consistent and should yield another excellent season in New York.

10) Blake Snell

Blake Snell did it again. He made a handful of starts at the beginning of the season before missing an extended period of time only to look stellar upon his return in the 2nd half. There are not many pitchers who can go toe-to-toe with Snell on a per-inning basis. This ranking is hoping that Snell can buck his injury trend and perform like a frontline for the Dodgers for over 160 innings. He can’t always get hurt, right?

11) Dylan Cease

Teams do not typically dish out $210M contracts to players they think are not worth it. In the Blue Jays case, they have full confidence in Dylan Cease performing like a front-line starter for the immediate future. Cease has never missed a start in his career and a strong fastball-slider combo supports his elite strikeout rate. I have faith that Toronto’s pitching lab can refine Cease’s arsenal to better utilize his skillset and return back to being one of the best arms in MLB. Projections certainly agree. This ranking is a reminder that ERA does not matter when projecting future performance.

See where Dylan Cease placed on my Free Agent Rankings here.

12) Hunter Greene

A groin injury limited Hunter Greene to just 107.2 innings last season. Although it was an abridged campaign, Greene looked like a bona fide ace during his time on the mound as his triple digit fastball and wicked slider decimated MLB hitters. Hopefully, Greene’s body can finally withstand the stress of a full season and that his splitter can take that next step to propel him into superstardom.

13) Kyle Bradish

Although it is about 70 innings over the course of two seasons with a Tommy John Surgery in the middle, Kyle Bradish has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball since his breakout season in 2023. Last season Bradish exhibited that he has not missed a beat since returning and his slider continues to cause nightmares for batters. I am supremely high on Bradish entering next season and expect him to have a full slate of starts in 2026.

14) Logan Gilbert

Logan Gilbert is an incredible pitcher. His 7.5 feet of extension makes him look imposing on the mound and his splitter is wicked. He ties his 5-pitch mix with plus command to be one of the most well-rounded pitchers in MLB. On the surface he looks like a Top 10 arm, but I cannot shake his inconsistencies away from T-Mobile Park and his very real home run issues. He also dealt with a right elbow flexor strain which puts a damper on his typical high-volume output. If he can stay healthy and maintain his vastly improved strikeout rate from 2025 this ranking has a chance of being far too low.

15) Chris Sale

Chris Sale underwent a renaissance in Atlanta and has performed like an ace since stepping foot into Truist Park. He has done an excellent job capping off his hall of fame career thanks to his stupendous slider and incredible strikeout ability. The only thing working against Sale in these rankings are his age and injury history.

16) Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom rifled off his first full season since 2019, and it was glorious. He posted an excellent 2.97 ERA and looked like his old self despite dialing back on his velocity. I do not expect his Cy Young level stuff to return as he enters his age 38 season, but he still has the capability to be a frontline starter.

17) Jesús Luzardo

Jesus Luzardo recorded one of the largest gaps between ERA (3.92) and FIP (2.90) in MLB last season and I am more inclined to believe in the latter for his production next year. His new sweeper was outstanding and racked up +15 Run value along with an exceptional 43.7 Whiff%. The Phillies southpaw is in for a formidable season in 2026.

18) Framber Valdez

Framber Valdez is a groundball specialist with one of the most effective sinkers in baseball and a killer curveball that helps him sustain decent strikeout rates. He ranks 2nd in innings pitched since the start of the 2022 season and has posted at least 3.7 fWAR each year. He is very consistent, and his weak contact suppression gives him a stable floor.

See where Framber Valdez placed on my Free Agent Rankings here.

19) Bryan Woo

Bryan Woo is an enigma for me. His fastball is undoubtedly elite; its combination of velocity, flat VAA, and ride for his slot make it a nightmare for batters. That success translates to his sinker which is a fantastic weapon against RHH. I just cannot get over the pedestrian nature of his secondaries – all three posted neutral results in 2025. This overreliance on fastballs (~70%) is tough to bank on and makes me wary that his results against LHH will continue to drag down his profile. Nonetheless, Woo has been undeniably great since the start of the 2024 season and performed well with a full workload last year.

20) Eury Pérez

Eury Perez post-TJS with over 100 innings under his belt and a full offseason to recover? Sign me up! His fastball did not miss a beast in 2025, and his new sweeper was dominant against RHH. The towering righty will enter next season at just 22-years-old, and he has the talent to be one of the best pitchers in MLB.

21) Spencer Schwellenbach

A fractured elbow cut Spencer Schwellenbach’s sophomore season short where he posted an excellent 3.09 ERA and 3.25 FIP across 110.2 innings. His polished 6-pitch mix is heightened by his strike-throwing ability, and his former two-way experience helped him produce excellent defensive results. I am not too worried about the elbow as he likely would have returned last season if Atlanta was in the playoff hunt.

22) Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray was frustratingly consistent as underperforming his FIP with the Cardinals. Despite an elite 23.0 K-BB% since the start of 2024, Gray finds his ERA north of 4.00 in nearly 350 innings. This discrepancy stems from Gray’s inability to suppress hard contact and limit home runs. I do not expect either of that aspect to substantially improve as he enters his age 36 season, but I can see Boston’s elite (and improved) defense being a major boost to Gray’s productivity. His pitch traits are strong and breaking balls are elite which gives the Red Sox plenty to work with in terms of optimization.

23) Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta made a subtle adjustment to his release and pitch shapes which yielded the best season of his career with a 2.70 ERA and 3.64 FIP across 176.2 innings. His fastball exhibited more cutting action, his changeup’s efficacy spiked thanks to an uptick in velocity, and his breaking balls became more distinct. This was a major step for Peralta as he broke free from his fastball reliant approach and transformed his arsenal into a well-rounded dynamic assortment of offerings. There was a fair bit of favourable outcomes with career bests in BABIP and LOB%, but Peralta made notable changes to spark his strong results that make me believe he can mostly sustain this level of production.

24) George Kirby

I keep expecting George Kirby to take a leap with his production, but it seems like he has hit a wall. He is always going to give you fantastic command with decent strikeouts which is accompanied by a mild home run problem and inconsistent production on the road. It was a step back for Kirby in an injury riddled 2025, but I expect him to return back to his typical ways next year.

25) Shohei Ohtani

I spent quite some time deciding where to slot Shohei Ohtani into these rankings. On one had, his pitching results have been elite when he is on the mound – just look at his 2.87 ERA and 1.90 FIP across 47.0 innings in 2025. On the other hand, I have no clue how the Dodgers will manage his innings this season. The Dodgers will likely employ a 6-man rotation and projections expect Ohtani to hover around 120 innings. My thought process was the following: Assuming every other pitcher gets ~160 innings, at which point would I prefer 120 innings of Ohtani over another arm. Without a question of playing time, Ohtani slots into the Top 10. Hopefully we learn more about his usage as we approach the regular season.

26) Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler was on track to end another season as a Cy Young finalist in 2025 before a right upper-extremity blood clot, diagnosed as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), unfortunately ended his season abruptly. Thankfully his body responded well to surgery, and he is expected to make a full recovery. There is no doubt that Wheeler is one of the best pitchers in the world, but I am taking cautious approach with him for these rankings. Projections have him at ~120, so I employed the same ranking logic as I did with Ohtani. I hope Wheeler’s rehab goes smoothly and we can see him return to ace form.

27) Tyler Glasnow

Tyler Glasnow just cannot stay healthy. He wrapped up another season below 100 IP and has never made more than 22 starts in his career. It feels inevitable that he will miss time once again and his results in 2025 did not spark confidence in terms of production. His walk rate nearly doubled as his chase rate cratered, and his efficiency suffered with more than half his starts failing to extend past the 5th inning. Glasnow’s stuff is still wicked which gives me hope that he can right the ship in 2026, but the injury concerns continue to make me bearish.

28) Joe Ryan

Joe Ryan has the makings of an effective SP2 thanks to his dominant fastball, plus command, and diverse suite of auxiliary pitches. The unfortunate aspect about Ryan’s arsenal depth is that none of his secondaries stand out. This leads to Ryan over relying on his fastball which is the main crux of his home run problem. Ryan has a stable floor, but his upside is capped as a mid-rotation arm.

29) Pablo López

Pablo Lopez’s recent clean bill of health was ravaged last year after dealing with a myriad of injuries ranging from hamstring and shoulder strains to forearm tightness that ended his season early. His production was solid as he utilized strong command to generate chases and limit walks, but his typical strikeouts faded. Like throughout most of his career, Lopez has struggled to consistently put away LHH, and I expect that trend to hold without an overhaul to his changeup. For that reason, his upside is capped to a #2 starter with a stable floor.

30) Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez is one of the best damage suppressors in MLB. His sinker heavy approach easily deals with LHH and his wide array of secondaries allows him to handle RHH. Despite his lower velocity, Suarez has been far from a staple of health throughout his career. He has missed time every season and has seen his fastball velocity drop over 2 MPH since 2023. Suarez is a polarizing arm as his results dictate that he is a consistent mid-rotation arm, but it feels weird banking on a starter with bottom of the barrel (and decreasing) velocity.

See where Ranger Suarez placed on my Free Agent Rankings here.

31) Nick Pivetta

It took nearly a decade, but Nick Pivetta finally had his breakout season. After many years of flashing promising stuff and excellent K-BB%, Pivetta posted a 2.87 ERA and 3.49 FIP in his first year with San Diego. On the surface, there was not much a difference between Pivetta’s metrics in San Diego vs Boston – his fastball had similar traits, and his sky-high fly ball rate remained. My hypothesis for his sudden success is the move from Fenway Park, one of the most hitter-friendly parks, to Petco park, one of the most pitcher-friendly parks. Pivetta’s HR/FB% dropped over 5% from 2024 and he posted a BABIP over 60 points lower than his career mark. Some more evidence is his 2.89 FIP at home vs 4.28 FIP on the road last season. Pivetta has the pleasure of pitching half his games in San Diego which helps out his ranking, but not to a significant extent.

32) Nathan Eovaldi

I must admit that I was not a Nathan Eovaldi fan heading into 2025. His solid and consistent success made him an appealing mid-rotation arm, but he lacked a strong fastball to pair with his elite splitter. That all changed last season as he slashed his 4-seam usage in favour of a cutter and a curveball to round out his arsenal. This meant that Eovaldi did not need to rely on a fastball to put away batters which led to a nearly 50% reduction in usage with 2 strikes. It was still an effective strike generator as an early count weapon as his innate command helped him better utilize his arsenal. I must also add that Eovaldi has not had the cleanest bill of health during his career and had his 2025 cut short due to a right rotator cuff strain followed by sports hernia surgery.

33) Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman barely squeaked into my Top 50 last season, and I am glad that I found a way to fit him despite polarizing public views. Gausman looked great throughout 2025 with a 3.59 ERA and 3.41 FIP across 193.0 innings including and additional 30.2 innings in the postseason. He is a true workhorse, and his fastball-splitter combo is all he really needs to remain effective. His elite strikeout days are behind him, but he is as steady as you can get from a #2/3 starter.

34) Michael King

Michael King’s 2nd season with the Padres did not reach the same peaks as his first mostly in part due to both a shoulder and knee injury that restricted him to fewer than 75 innings. He struggled to limit damage and his Barrel% nearly doubled from a year prior. On a positive note, King’s fastball and sinker exhibited more favourable characteristics with more ride and run, respectively. King is running it back for another year with the Padres in hopes that his body can hold up and his improved pitch traits yield better results.

See where Michael King placed on my Free Agent Rankings here.

35) Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber’s trade to the Blue Jays was a success for both parties as Bieber demonstrated that his effectiveness had not skipped a beat following TJS and helped lead Toronto to Game 7 of the World Series. It was somewhat perplexing that he accepted his player option to return to Toronto for one more season, but the questions faded after it was reported that he was dealing with forearm fatigue at the end of the season. Given this information, it is tough to bank on Bieber to carry a full workload next season. Despite this concern, he is projected to sustain his excellent command and produce like a mid-rotation arm in 2026 – something I can totally get behind.

36) Chase Burns

Order the next 3 young arms however you like, but I am most intrigued by Chase Burns. His fastball-slider combo is already one of the most disgusting pair of pitches in MLB and his changeup flashes a lot of promise. In his hybrid SP-RP role last season he posted an obtuse 27.1 K-BB% and exhibited solid command while consistently eclipsing 100 MPH. In my opinion, no other pitcher that debuted last season has as high of a ceiling as Burns.

37) Nolan McLean

Nolan McLean is by far the safest bet of this trio of dynamic young arms entering 2026. His arsenal is jam-packed with polished offerings including a pair of breaking balls that grade out as some of the best in MLB. He is extremely athletic, and command gains have propelled him to #1 pitching prospect in baseball status. His cup of coffee last season went as well as the Mets could have hoped, and he has the talent to cement himself as one of the best starters in MLB next season.

38) Jacob Misiorowski

Jacob Misiorowski hit the ground running in his rookie season with an All-Star game nod after just a month into his career. The refinement of his changeup and meaningful improvements with his strike-throwing in 2025 solidified his future as a starter. Questions about Misiorowski’s command still pose a threat to his overall production, but it is hard to name many pitchers with more exciting raw stuff. I view him as a more volatile option compared to Burns and McLean, however I view them as an interchangeable cohort.

39) Spencer Strider

Spencer Strider is a prime example of how volatile a pitcher can be following a major surgery despite utter dominance prior. Strider was known for having one of the best fastballs in MLB and was on pace to smash strikeout records to start a career before he hit a massive roadblock last season. Strider’s fastball lost 2 MPH and his lower arm angle caused his fastball to exhibit less ride. These changes tanked the pitch’s efficacy which resulted in its whiff rate being slashed nearly in half. There is a chance that 2025 Strider is the new norm for the Braves righty, but I cannot envision that being the case. Strider is a pitching nut who will not stop tinkering until he finds something that works. His talent is too abundant to write him off this soon.

40) Sandy Alcantara

Sandy Alcantara’s return from TJS was supposed to be glorious. His arsenal looked incredible during Spring Training and it was reported that there was no innings limit for the former Cy Young winner. His results were far from pristine as he posted a putrid 5.36 ERA across 174.2 innings with uninspiring underlying metrics. He did right the 2nd half with much better results that aligned with his career norms. I do not expect Alcantara to return to his ace form, but having results akin to his 2nd half seems reasonable as he distances himself further from his operation. Once you consider his potential to eat +200 innings, Sandy is a sturdy mid-rotation arm.

Honourable MentionsRyan Pepiot

Ryan Pepiot is Mr. #51. If there is an opening in the Top 50, he will be my first choice to fill in the gap. Pepiot has all the characteristics to be an effective mid-rotation arm ranging from his whiff-inducing fastball, solid command, and crisp secondaries. His changeup has the traits to be a dominant pitch and it trended in that direction last season. The move back to The Trop should help Pepiot’s overall, but his recurring home run issues kept him just outside the list.

José Soriano

José Soriano has consistently posted sub-4 FIPs in his career thanks to his elite ability to induce ground balls. Projections like him quite a bit entering 2026, but I am somewhat bearish given his lack of strikeouts. He unquestionably has the stuff to take that next step, but he seemingly falls just short each time.

Brandon Woodruff

Despite Brandon Woodruff’s encouraging results following his lengthy battle with shoulder injuries, I am bearish on him entering 2026. His command looked excellent as he posted the lowest BB% in his career, but a nearly 3 MPH drop in velocity is too much for me to stomach. Add in his right lat strain that ended his season ins September, and Woodruff becomes far too volatile to include in my Top 50.

Edward Cabrera

Edward Cabrera broke out in 2025 as his mid-90s changeup and wicked curveball formed the basis of his dynamic arsenal. He posted above average Chase% and Whiff% while drastically slicing his BB%. He certainly earned Top 50 consideration for next season, but his injury concerns and struggles against LHH make me cautious that he can take that next leap.

Gavin Williams

Gavin Williams posted a 3.06 ERA across 167.2 IP thanks to his impressive breaking balls in addition to some timely luck with runners on. He shook off qualms about his injury history and looks poised to return a productive year in Cleveland, but one with results that better align with his underlying metrics. If he can translate his fastball’s intriguing traits to in-game production I can see him taking a substantial leap.

Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray enjoyed pitching in Oracle Park as he posted his 2nd lowest home run rate of his career. Unfortunately, his strikeouts dissipated and only his fastball and slider returned positive results. I expect Ray to post a similar season in 2025 which has him outside of the Top 50 looking in.

Shane McClanahan

Shane McClanahan has not pitched in an MLB game since 2023 after undergoing TJS. He was expected back in 2025, but nerve issues limited him to just three MiLB outings before going under the knife once again. He was clearly not ready to return as his velocity sat at 93 MPH, nearly 4 MPH slower than prior to his injury. He is expected to return for Spring Training where hopefully he demonstrates he is capable of sustaining his velocity and returning to the Rays rotation.

Cody Ponce

Cody Ponce is more of a wishful honourable mention, but I am quite thrilled to watch him pitch this year after completing the greatest pitching season in KBO. He exhibited the ability to sustain his improved velocity over a full workload, and his changeup is disgusting. Projections are quite fond of him too, so there is some basis to my excitement.

See where Cody Ponce placed on my Free Agent Rankings here.

Reese Olson

Reese Olson has been a steady producer since his debut in 2023 thanks to a solid set of secondaries. The biggest knock on the Tigers young righty is his myriad of injuries that have forced him to miss time. He is also rehabbing from a shoulder strain that ended his 2025 season early.

Emmet Sheehan

Emmet Sheehan is going to be a stud in MLB. His mid-90s fastball has elite characteristics including its extremely shallow VAA and immense ride from his lower ¾ slot. He complements his heater with a trio of secondaries to round out a strong arsenal. Unfortunately for Sheehan, will likely be limited this year in his first full season back from TJS.

Bubba Chandler

Bubba Chandler is one of the best pitching prospects in MLB. His fastball is electric and his changeup rapidly grew into one of the pitcher pitchers in the minors. He is built up to be a starter and I even believe he is on the same level as young arms like Trey Yesavage and Cam Schlittler. The reason why Chandler falls short of the list is his limited MLB experience. If he can come out of the gate firing in 2026, he will quickly shoot up these rankings.

Tatsuya Imai

I am going to air out some frustrations here: Tatsuya Imai was supremely overrated by the public. At the start of offseason Imai was viewed a #3/4 starter with a limited arsenal and slight command problem. Ultimately, that notion held as he signed for effectively a 1-year contract with Houston. I expect him to perform like a typical mid-rotation starter.

Jack Leiter

Jack Leiter clawed his way back to top prospect status after a strong rookie season. His fastball carried most of the load with his slider posting positive results. Although his changeup wasn’t too effective, I expect it to be a difference maker in 2026 as he develops a better feeling for the offering.

Cade Horton

Cade Horton joined the club of Cubs pitchers who throw cut-fastballs and performed well in his rookie season and finished 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting. In my opinion, Horton’s upside is limited due to his fastballs lack of swing and miss potential. I think he can develop into a strong mid-rotation starter, but I need to see his strikeout rate balloon before I throw him into the Top 50.

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