EAST LANSING- We’re halfway through June now and the MLB season is really starting to pick up some steam. As the weather warms up they say the bats do as well, but these are the guys who have done the best job stopping the offense so far this season.
It has absolutely been a pitcher’s year so far this season with the league average OPS as low as .702 right now, so let’s take a look at my top fifteen in the league right now. (All states recorded are as of the end of play on June 17)
1. Ranger Suárez (PHI)
ERA: 1.77 W-L: 10-1 SO: 91 WHIP: 0.88
Ranger Suárez has continued his resurgent season for the Phillies and is putting himself in the forefront for the NL Cy Young at this point in the season, Suárez is currently tied for the lead in baseball with ten wins and is top five in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average.
Suárez delivered another strong outing his last time out going six and two-thirds innings while allowing only one run, as he continued to be another massive part in the Phillies first place season.
2. Luis Gil (NYY)
ERA: 2.03 W-L: 9-1 SO: 96 WHIP: 0.98
Luis Gil has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees all season long and that continued this weekend against the Red Sox at Fenway.
The rookie went 5 innings while allowing only one run on 104 pitches to pick up his ninth win of the season. Gil is first in all of baseball in opponent batting average at this point in the season, as well as top five in ERA and wins, and tenth in strikeouts.
Gil continues to bolster his case for American League Rookie of the Year, and is even making a case for Cy Young and starter in the All-Star game with how well he’s been pitching lately.
3. Tarik Skubal (DET)
ERA: 2.20 W-L: 8-2 SO: 98 WHIP: 0.91
Tarik Skubal has continued his impressive campaign in Detroit as he keeps making the next step. Skubal is top ten in the whole league in ERA, strikeouts, opponent batting average, and wins and has done what insiders knew he was capable of while staying healthy so far this season.
Skubal’s consistency has perhaps been the most impressive part of his season so far as he has gone at least give innings in all of his starts and allowed more than two earned runs in only three of the fourteen starts he’s made this season.
4. Tanner Houck (BOS)
ERA: 2.08 W-L: 7-5 SO: 89 WHIP: 0.95
Tanner Houck continues to make a push towards the All-Star game in what has been a stellar season for him so far. Houck is top ten in all of baseball in categories such as ERA, innings pitched, and WHIP while making a quality start against the Phillies in his last time out.
Houck’s ERA has been below the 2.30 mark all season long and he has been the most consistent pitcher for Boston the whole season. The key for Houck for the rest of the season will be staying healthy, as he is well on his way to an All-Star appearance.
5. Corbin Burnes (BAL)
ERA: 2.14 W-L: 8-2 SO: 89 WHIP: 1.04
Corbin Burnes has been one of the top-flight pitchers in the league for a few years now and that has been no different so far this season.
After switching teams and leagues, Burnes has not missed a beat, as the Orioles ace ranked top ten in innings pitched, ERA, and wins so far this season.
Burnes has been heating up lately as well, going 4-0 and pitching to a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts, while striking out 23 batters in that span. If Burnes continues at this pace, we could see him contending for another ERA title, and perhaps anot Cy-Young.
6. Zack Wheeler (PHI)
ERA: 2.84 W-L: 8-4 SO: 99 WHIP: 1.01
Zack Wheeler continues to be one of the top pitchers in all of baseball this season. Despite struggling in his last start, allowing four home runs in an outing for the first time in his career, Wheeler is still putting up a season on par with his career numbers.
Wheeler has been a strong contributor in Philadelphia’s three headed monster in the rotation this season as he ranks top ten in the league in strikeouts, innings pitched, and opponent batting average. Wheeler has been as dominant as ever this season and is making strides towards his first Cy-Young this season.
7. Tyler Glasnow (LAD)
ERA: 3.00 W-L: 7-5 SO: 125 WHIP: 1.07
Tyler Glasnow is pitching to a Cy-Young level for the Dodgers this season. The hard-throwing righty is leading the league in strikeouts right now and has not missed a beat so far this season in his first season with the Dodgers.
Glasnow is also leading the National League in innings pitched and has been remarkably consistent for the Dodgers this season, joining an already stacked rotation. Glasnow pitched seven innings of shutout ball against the Royals this past Sunday, and continues to heat up for L.A, putting himself in the conversation for Cy Young.
8. Seth Lugo (KCR)
ERA: 2.40 W-L: 10-2 SO: 79 WHIP: 1.05
Seth Lugo continues to provide quality starts every fifth day for the Royals. In only his second year as a full-time starter, Lugo ranks in the top ten in the league in wins, ERA, and innings pitched and has been extremely reliable and consistent for a young Kansas City team aiming to make the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
If Lugo can remain healthy and continue this level of production, he will likely make his first All-Star team and continue to lead his team to more success.
9. Ronel Blanco (HOU)
ERA: 2.43 W-L: 7-3 SO: 75 WHIP: 0.97
Ronel Blanco picked up a no-hitter in his first start of the season back in April and has not looked back since.
Blanco ranks top ten in all of baseball in ERA and WHIP and has been the Astros most consistent starter all season long. His ERA has not gone above the 3.00 mark once all year and he went seven innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts in his last time out against the Tigers.
If the Astros want any chance of getting back into the Wild Card race in the American League, Blanco will need to continue to play like a star.
10. Shōta Imanaga (CHC)
ERA: 1.89 W-L: 7-1 SO: 78 WHIP: 0.99
Shōta Imanaga is another rookie pitcher who has dazzled to start the season so far. Imanaga has been a present surprise for all baseball fans, but especially the Cubs as he ranks third in the league in ERA, and top ten in the National League in WHIP and wins.
Imanaga is in his first season in the bigs after coming over from Japan and has been far more productive than anyone could have predicted.
11. Paul Skenes (PIT)
ERA: 2.29 W-L: 4-0 SO: 53 WHIP: 0.99
Paul Skenes has made seven starts in the majors so far this season and has lived up to all the hype.
The former first overall pick earned his fourth win last night and lowered his ERA once again, and he is doing all of this less than one year after leading LSU to the National Championship.
The rookie is blossoming into a star right before our eyes, going at least six innings in five of his first seven starts, and striking out at least seven in six of his first seven. Skenes bolsters an already solid rotation for Pittsburgh, and is already looking like a future ace.
12. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
ERA: 2.92 W-L: 6-2 SO: 84 WHIP: 1.07
Yoshinobu Yamamoto slides in as the fourth rookie on the list this week, and he has been incredibly solid for the Dodgers through this point in the season.
The Japanese phenom has been everything as advertised, and although he just came down with an injury and will miss a few weeks he still deserves recognition on the list.
Yamamoto signed a contract worth a total of 325 million dollars with L.A. this past off-season, so the I.L stint will likely be short as the Dodgers need to manage their young pitcher and valuable asset carefully in his first year in the states.
13. Tyler Anderson (LAA)
ERA: 2.58 W-L: 6-6 SO: 58 WHIP: 1.19
Another pleasant surprise so far this year has been Los Angeles Angels starter Tyler Anderson. Anderson has been solid and reliable for an Angels team that hasn’t had a lot go right for them, as he ranks top ten in the American League in ERA and innings pitched.
Anderson was an All-Star two years ago with the Dodgers but struggled last year, he has bounced back excellently so far in his age-34 season. It is possible that he could be one of the most valued starters viewed as a trade piece in the upcoming trade deadline next month.
14. Aaron Nola (PHI)
ERA: 3.48 W-L: 8-3 SO: 78 WHIP: 1.08
Aaron Nola has been incredible for the Phillies all season and the scary thing is, he is probably only their third best starter right now.
Nola ranked in the top ten in the National League in opponent batting average, innings pitched, Wins, and is ranked eleventh in WHIP.
He has been a major contributor for Philadelphia, who ranks first in the N.L. right now, and has pitched eight innings or more three times already this season, including a complete game shutout. Despite struggling his last time out at Fenway Park, Nola has been one of the best in the bigs so far this year.
15. Reynaldo López (ATL)
ERA: 1.69 W-L: 4-2 SO: 70 WHIP: 1.04
This week’s list rounds out with another surprising player who has continued to produce for Atlanta all year long. In a year where the Braves have lost their ace due to season-ending surgery, Reynaldo López has stepped up and filled the void and would be leading all of baseball in ERA if he had more games started and innings pitched.
If López can continue to produce at this level for the next few weeks he will likely make his first All-Star game appearance and we’ll see if he can help get the Braves back into contention for the National League East this season.
