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Overall, Valdez had another successful season, earning an All-Star selection for the second consecutive year and achieving around 200 innings and 200 strikeouts. However, he faced challenges in the second half of the season (4.66 ERA) and in the postseason (0-3, 9.00 ERA), which may have caused some hesitation for our panel. Nonetheless, when he is performing at his best, Valdez’s combination of a sinker and curveball is incredibly effective.

In January, Mike Petriello from MLB.com explained why Skubal is a promising pitcher to keep an eye on in the 2024 season. This was after the left-handed player’s impressive performance in the latter half of the previous season, following his comeback from flexor tendon surgery. Skubal continued to impress during this spring as well. While some may think this ranking is ambitious for someone with limited experience in the major leagues, it is evident that he has the talent and potential to succeed.

However, our MLB.com selection committee was presented with a challenging assignment to narrow down a group of 30 skilled pitchers into a list of only 10. They had to consider each player’s past performance, current 2023 standings, and potential for the 2024 season. This inevitably led to some notable absences, which we anticipate hearing about from you. Nevertheless, this top 10 list should still generate excitement for the upcoming season-opening events on Thursday.

It’s unsettling to consider that Strider’s skills may continue to improve, given that he recently topped the Majors with 20 victories and 281 strikeouts. At just 25 years old, he had an exceptional spring that may hint at a dominant 2024 season, as he successfully added a curveball to his already effective fastball-slider combination. Strider is on track to become the quickest pitcher ever (in terms of innings) to achieve 500 career strikeouts.

López displayed great potential and experienced periods of triumph during his five years playing for the Marlins. However, he was never able to fully harness it all before being traded to the Twins. In Minnesota, López remained uninjured and incorporated a successful sweeper into his pitching repertoire, solidifying himself as a starting pitcher. This earned him his first All-Star selection and even sparked consideration for the AL Cy Young award in 2023. With Sonny Gray leaving for St. Louis, López is now the top pitcher in the Twin Cities.

Gallen solidified his position as a top performer in a remarkable season, finishing third in the NL Cy Young Award race and leading Arizona into the playoffs. The primary concern now is how the right-handed pitcher will fare after throwing 243 2/3 innings in the previous year, including during the D-backs’ journey to the World Series. This total was 24 innings higher than any other player.

This is the initial set of rankings for the Starting Pitchers for the 2024 season, also known as the Opening Day Edition. Each pitcher is paired with their first opponent on Opening Day (all times Eastern Time).

The Phillies made a significant financial commitment to Wheeler, agreeing to pay him an average of million annually in the later years of his career. Based on FanGraphs’ calculation of Wins Above Replacement, Wheeler holds the second-highest ranking among all pitchers since 2018, and he continues to perform consistently despite entering his mid-30s.

It is always intriguing to witness a pitcher successfully transform their playing style, which is exactly what Castillo has accomplished. Initially, his changeup was his signature pitch, leading to numerous strikeouts throughout the seasons from 2017 to 2021, with a highlight year in 2019 where he recorded 155 strikeouts with it. However, in recent years, there has been a significant decrease in his use of the changeup, while he relies heavily on his four-seamer. In 2023, his four-seamer resulted in 105 strikeouts, compared to only 35 with his changeup – and it proved to be highly effective.

The annual Starting Pitcher Power Rankings have returned for another season. In this first edition of 2024, we will be highlighting the Opening Day starters.

Other players who received votes include Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers, Cole Ragans of the Royals, Justin Steele of the Cubs, Freddy Peralta of the Brewers, Zach Eflin of the Rays, and Jesús Luzardo of the Marlins.