Buckle up: Over the next two weeks, we’re ranking baseball’s best players at every position.
Our eight-part series begins with starting pitchers, where a reigning Rookie of the Year looks to build off his success and a former Cy Young winner makes a comeback.
Let’s dive into the top 10 starters heading into the 2025 season.
2024 stats: 18-4, 192 innings pitched, 2.39 ERA, 228 strikeouts, 5.9 fWAR
2025 ZiPS projection: 13-7, 170 IP, 2.74 ERA, 196 Ks, 5.2 fWAR
Not only is Skubal the unequivocal leader atop our starting-pitcher rankings, but the 28-year-old ace at the peak of his prime also has a legitimate chance to repeat as the American League Cy Young winner. It will be exciting to watch the southpaw reunite with his 1-2 punch partner in Jack Flaherty as the Tigers hope to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in over a decade.
2024: 16-7, 200 IP, 2.57 ERA, 224 Ks, 5.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 13-7, 175 IP, 3.28 ERA, 184 Ks, 4.2 fWAR
Wheeler looked poised to win his first career Cy Young award last season when he recorded personal bests in ERA and WHIP (0.95) before Chris Sale put up a career year of his own. Wheeler leads all major-league pitchers with 24.7 fWAR since 2020, and his experience and durability make him our No. 1 starter in the National League.
2024: 11-3, 133 IP, 1.96 ERA, 170 Ks, 4.3 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 8-6, 151 IP, 3.25 ERA, 181 Ks, 3.7 fWAR
After winning the NL Rookie of the Year award and finishing third in Cy Young balloting, what’s next for Skenes? Winning the MVP? The 22-year-old could become the first Rookie of the Year pitcher to claim a Cy Young the following season since Dwight Gooden did it in 1985. We’re looking forward to Skenes crossing over the 150-innings threshold as he gets ready to pitch a full season in the big leagues this year.
2024: 15-9, 194 IP, 2.92 ERA, 181 Ks, 3.7 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 14-7, 181 IP, 2.97 ERA, 179 Ks, 3.8 fWAR
The NL got much more challenging for opposing hitters when Burnes decided to take his talents to the desert this winter. Even though his strikeout rate has steadily declined since 2020, Burnes is excellent at making adjustments to his repertoire, including one that led to a 1.29 ERA over his final six starts of 2024. It will be interesting to see how he settles in with the Snakes.
2024: 6-12, 146 IP, 3.58 ERA, 209 Ks, 4.7 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 12-6, 135 IP, 2.93 ERA, 169 Ks, 4.0 fWAR
The pressure is on Crochet to do two things: bring, from Chicago to Boston, the best strikeout rate of last season (35.1%) among pitchers with at least 140 innings pitched, and increase his innings limit. If the southpaw can accomplish that in a full season with the Red Sox, he could threaten Skubal’s case to win the AL Cy Young award.
2024: 18-3, 177 IP, 2.38 ERA, 225 Ks, 6.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 11-5, 138 IP, 2.98 ERA, 170 Ks, 3.7 fWAR
If vintage Sale is here to stay, then there’s an argument to be made that he could be ranked even higher on this list. It will be tough for his peers to try and take away his Triple Crown after the renaissance season he put up last year and, even though he’s in his age-36 season, there’s little reason to believe he won’t repeat his electric performance for the Braves.
7. Logan Webb, RHP, San Francisco Giants
2024: 13-10, 204 IP, 3.47 ERA, 172 Ks, 4.4 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 13-9, 195 IP, 3.22 ERA, 164 Ks, 4.4 fWAR
Webb has thrown at least 192 innings and collected Cy Young votes in each of his past three seasons, finally earning his first career All-Star nod last year after recording sub-3.00 ERAs in April and May. The Giants can rely on the 28-year-old to continue limiting home runs and walks — and a .292 BABIP projected by ZiPS would be the best of his career.
8. Blake Snell, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
2024: 5-3, 104 IP, 3.12 ERA, 145 Ks, 3.1 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 9-5, 133 IP, 3.38 ERA, 176 Ks, 3.1 fWAR
It’s pretty incredible to think Snell is going for his third career Cy Young award this year — while leading what looks more and more like the best rotation in baseball. Snell’s pitchability is never in doubt, but after tossing 150 innings just twice out of his nine years in the big leagues, his durability is. If he can complete his goal of being a workhorse for the Dodgers, then perhaps we can expect Snell to find some consistency as a high-impact starter this year.
9. Logan Gilbert, RHP, Seattle Mariners
2024: 9-12, 208 IP, 3.23 ERA, 220 Ks, 4.1 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: 12-8, 189 IP, 3.29 ERA, 190 Ks, 3.5 fWAR
In an era of way-too-many pitchers being sidelined by major and minor injuries, Gilbert’s ability to post is refreshing. He tossed at least 185 innings in each of his last three seasons, featuring an MLB-best 33 starts and a minuscule 4.6% walk rate in 2024. It will be fascinating to see how Gilbert separates himself from the rest of Seattle’s Cy Young-caliber arms as he enters his age-28 season.
10. Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers
2024: Returned from Tommy John surgery for three September starts (10.2 IP, 1.69 ERA, 14 Ks)
2025 ZiPS: 3-1, 51 IP, 3.13 ERA, 69 Ks, 1.4 fWAR
There was a lot of back-and-forth about who gets the last spot in our rankings, but a healthy deGrom is not only one of the best pitchers in MLB, he’s also a favorite to win the Cy Young award. Of course, the key word for deGrom is always health, and with a lethal triple-digit fastball that he’s revamped to top out at 97 mph, this could be deGrom’s best shot at winning his third career Cy Young — maybe even solidifying his case for the Hall of Fame in the process.
Honorable mentions: Cole Ragans, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Michael King
Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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